> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.findtempo.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Themes

> See the recurring subjects Tempo finds across your organization's deals, how widely each one is raised, and whether it is growing.

Themes is the first way to put the context layer to work. Tempo extracts [observations](https://docs.findtempo.co/context-layer/observations.md) from calls, emails, threads, and documents. Themes groups related observations into named themes, counts how many accounts raised each one in a period, and shows whether that share is growing or declining.

You bring nothing. Themes runs on its own, so you see what is changing across accounts without asking, and you discover the subjects worth turning into a [signal](https://docs.findtempo.co/signals.md).

![Diagram: each dot is one observation; four named clusters show themes with statuses Growing, New, Growing, and Declining, grey dots are not part of a theme yet, and a Promote to a signal button sits under the growing theme with a dashed boundary inside it.](https://mintcdn.com/temposystemsinc/UTHCSfOjmXPgP3Jv/images/themes/themes-map.svg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=UTHCSfOjmXPgP3Jv\&q=85\&s=e86e06120df206b3e0e0324095c276ce)

Tempo finds the groups and names them. Each theme carries a status for the period. When one matters, promote it to a signal and redraw its boundary in your own terms.

## From observations to action

Tempo builds up from one record of what customers said:

1. **Observations** are the foundation of the intelligence layer: every statement, typed and cited.
2. **Themes** show what is recurring and what is growing, with no definition from you.
3. **Signals** count a subject on your terms: you draw the boundary and set the cutoff. When a theme matters, promote it to a signal.
4. **Plays** are where this is heading: stacking several signals with CRM filters into one list the team acts on. Plays are not available yet.

Everything you define in the Tempo app is delivered to sellers through MCP, in the AI tools they already use.

![Diagram: four steps in a row, Observations, Themes, Signals, and Plays, with Plays drawn dashed and labeled not available yet, under the heading The intelligence layer, defined in the Tempo app and delivered through MCP.](https://mintcdn.com/temposystemsinc/jIUOUy086qMWXbUt/images/context-layer/ladder.svg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=jIUOUy086qMWXbUt\&q=85\&s=f6bf5c220a18917a459317471d987009)

The intelligence layer builds up in order. Observations are found for you, Themes are found for you, Signals are yours to define, and plays are where this is heading.

## Key terms

| Term | Means |
| - | - |
| **Theme** | A specific recurring subject, built from observations of the same kind across your deals. A theme has a name, a description, one or more observation types, a status, and counts for the selected period. |
| **Topic** | A broad area that groups related themes, such as contract terms or a security review. When topic grouping is on, themes without a topic are listed under **No topic yet**. |
| **Observation** | A cited claim Tempo derived from an artifact. Observations are the members of a theme. See [Observations](https://docs.findtempo.co/context-layer/observations.md). |
| **Occurrence** | The share of accounts with analyzed activity in the period that raised the theme. |
| **Growth** | How occurrence changed compared with the equal period just before, in percentage points. |

## How themes relate to the rest of Tempo

* **Observations.** Every theme is a group of observations. Open a theme to read them as quotes, each with its deal, its date, and a link to the source artifact.
* **Accounts and deals.** Each observation belongs to a deal, and each deal belongs to an account. Occurrence, growth, and status count distinct accounts. Deal, artifact, and observation counts are supporting detail.
* **Observation types.** A theme can span several observation types, for example an objection and a pain about the same subject. The type badges on a theme show which types it holds.
* **Signals.** Themes show you what is being said. [Signals](https://docs.findtempo.co/signals.md) count a subject you choose to track, with a boundary you draw. When you create a signal, Tempo suggests related themes as a starting point. See [Promote a theme into a signal](#promote-a-theme-into-a-signal).

## Statuses

Tempo assigns each theme a status for the selected period by comparing it with the equal period just before.

| Status | Meaning |
| - | - |
| **New** | First seen during this period, with no observations earlier in the longer range. |
| **Growing** | Observations from a clearly larger share of accounts than in the previous period. |
| **Steady** | Observations from a similar share of accounts as in the previous period. |
| **Declining** | Observations from a clearly smaller share of accounts than in the previous period. |
| **Quiet** | Seen in the longer range, but not in this period or the one before. |

When too few accounts were active in either period to compare, the theme shows no growth value and no status badge. The tooltip reads "Too few accounts were active in this period or the one before to compare."

## Metrics

Each theme and topic row shows:

* **Occurrence** as a percentage of active accounts, for example "12% of active accounts".
* **Growth** as a change in percentage points, with an arrow, for example "+4 pts".
* **Accounts** and **Observations** in the period.
* **First seen** and **Last seen** dates.

First and last seen use a longer range than the selected period. See [Choose a period](https://docs.findtempo.co/themes/explorer.md#choose-a-period).

Counts are organization-wide. Every member sees the same numbers and can open the observations behind them, except evidence on deals hidden in Tempo.

## Tempo produces themes for you

You do not create, edit, rename, merge, or delete themes or topics. Tempo groups observations, names each theme, and writes its description. Themes change as new observations arrive and as groupings are refreshed. The newest artifacts can be analyzed before their observations are grouped, so a very recent period can look quieter than it is.

## Availability

Themes is available by default for your organization. After Tempo extracts observations from your source context, it can prepare your first themes. The **Themes** page shows **No themes published yet** until then.

Tempo generally updates themes as new observations arrive and refreshes groupings daily. Updates can be delayed. If **Themes** does not appear under **Build**, or the page says **Themes isn’t available yet**, Themes is turned off for your organization. Ask your Tempo contact to turn it on.

Topics are also enabled by default. When topic grouping is turned off, the page lists themes without the **Topics | Themes** toggle.

## Promote a theme into a signal

A theme tells you a subject is recurring. A signal lets you redraw its boundary in your own terms and count it, account by account, week over week. This is the main way signals get discovered. Only organization admins can create signals.

**1. Open the new signal page**

In the sidebar, under **Build**, click **Signals**, then click **New Signal**.

**2. Describe the subject**

Start typing what a customer says when this is happening. After two characters, Tempo lists up to five related themes from the last 90 days under the composer.

**3. Pick a suggestion or keep writing**

Click a suggested theme to use it as your definition, or finish your own wording. Then continue with [Create a signal](https://docs.findtempo.co/signals/quickstart.md).

## Reach Themes from your tools

Your AI tools and integrations can read the same themes the page shows.

* Over MCP, `search_themes` browses or searches themes and topics, and `get_theme` reads one theme or topic by ID with its timeline and evidence. Both are read-only. See the [MCP tool catalog](https://docs.findtempo.co/developers/mcp-tools.md).
* Over REST, `GET /api/v1/themes` and `GET /api/v1/themes/{id}` return the same fields with the same filters. See the [API introduction](https://docs.findtempo.co/api-reference/introduction.md).

Browsing and `get_theme` default to the last 30 days; the Themes page defaults to 90 days. A nonempty `search_themes` query without a window, status filter, or growth sort defaults to 365 days. Counts stay organization-wide; evidence follows the access of the user the call acts as.

Despite their names, `all_time_observation_count`, `all_time_deal_count`, and `all_time_account_count` cover the [longer range](https://docs.findtempo.co/themes/explorer.md#choose-a-period), not all history. The `related` section uses the last 90 days ending today.

## Where to go next

> [card] [Explore themes](https://docs.findtempo.co/themes/explorer.md)
>
> Filter, search, and read the evidence behind a theme on the Themes page.

> [card] [Create a signal](https://docs.findtempo.co/signals/quickstart.md)
>
> Turn a recurring subject into something you count.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.