← Documentation

Hints

Updated on August 5, 2026

When you have been working on a problem for a while and cannot find a way in, hints help you see which concepts are behind it and how they connect. They do not give you the answer; they show you the path.

How to request hints

Open the Hints tab on the solving screen. If the problem already has hints generated, you will see a concept map. If not, you will see the Generate hints button: press it and the AI will build the map for this problem.

Generation usually takes less than a minute. You can stay on the page while you wait.

What the concept map shows

The map is an interactive graph where each node is a concept related to the problem. Nodes are grouped into three categories:

  • Foundation — the fundamental concepts you need to understand the problem.
  • Concept — the intermediate ideas that connect the foundation to the solution.
  • Application — how those concepts apply to the specific situation in the problem.

You can pan the map by dragging and click any node to see its explanation. Some nodes show the sources the AI used to generate that hint.

Hints do not give away the answer

Hints are designed to guide you, not to reveal the solution. If you understand the concepts in the map, you will be in a better position to solve it on your own.

Hints consume AI tokens from your plan. If you reach the limit, you will not be able to generate new hints until the quota renews or until you upgrade your plan.

Frequently asked questions

Are hints the same for everyone solving the same problem? Yes. Hints are generated once per problem and saved. Everyone who opens that problem will see the same map.

Can I see hints before attempting an answer? Yes. You can check hints at any time; you do not need to have submitted first.

What happens if generation fails? A notice appears with the Try again button. Try again or wait a moment if the service was busy.

Do hints affect my score? No. Viewing or requesting hints does not affect your score on submissions.

Next step