# gander: game and browser guide

> Guess the three words behind one AI-generated picture at https://playgander.com/.

## Rules

- There are exactly three answer slots, displayed left to right: Adjective, Verb, Noun. Extra scenery is context, not another answer slot.
- Six accepted guesses are available per daily puzzle. Chosen verbs use the -ing form; other real verb forms can be submitted but only the exact target solves a slot.
- Green / Correct means an exact match. That slot locks and carries forward automatically.
- Yellow / Close means a related word. It uses a guess but does not solve the slot.
- Gray / Try again means a valid word that is not a match.
- Red / Invalid means a word is invalid for that grammatical role or was already tried in that box. Rejected submissions use no attempt. Correct the indicated fields.
- Do not repeat an unsuccessful word in the same slot. A spelling may be valid in multiple grammatical roles.
- Word-length hints are free. The complete answer is revealed only after a win or all six accepted guesses.
- All players share a daily image. A new puzzle starts generating at 05:00 UTC: midnight fixed EST (UTC−5), including during daylight saving time. It may take a few minutes to become ready.

## Playing through the browser

1. Open the homepage with JavaScript and cookies enabled. Wait for the picture to load and the guess inputs to become enabled. If unavailable, use Retry puzzle or Retry picture; the page also retries a temporarily unavailable puzzle at bounded intervals.
2. Inspect the image visually. Enlarge puzzle image opens a larger view. Its alternative text identifies the exercise without revealing its answer. A text-only agent cannot reliably solve this visual puzzle from the alternative text.
3. Locate the fields by accessible name: Adjective, Verb, Noun. Enter one word in each editable field; correct fields are disabled and named with “correct and locked”.
4. Use Make a guess or submit the form named Submit a three-word guess. Only submit when the user wants to play: an accepted submission consumes one of their six daily attempts. Wait for the response before submitting again.
5. Read the guess rows and the status feedback. Colors also have textual meanings in the accessibility tree. The counter reports guesses used, and invalid inputs have aria-invalid=true.
6. Need a hint? reveals the three word lengths without consuming a guess. How to play opens the rules. Dialogs support keyboard navigation and dismissal.
7. After completion, a result dialog opens. View & share results reopens it. Share results opens the device share sheet or copies spoiler-free score text, with a manual-copy fallback. Sharing is an explicit user action.

## Browser-agent tools

When the browser provides document.modelContext, the page registers two optional WebMCP tools. Otherwise, use the accessible controls above; no extension or special agent API is required for normal play.

- get_puzzle_state: reads the current loaded browser state, image location, readiness, guesses and feedback, solved slots, remaining attempts, and next-puzzle time. This tool does not submit a guess or reveal unsolved answers. A completed answer is available only after the game finishes.
- submit_prompt_guess: takes named string arguments adjective, verb, and noun. Uses the same submission and server validation as Make a guess. Supply the already solved word for a locked slot; locked words carry forward automatically. Invalid or duplicate words use no turn. An accepted guess uses one turn. Inspect the resulting feedback before deciding whether to play again.

These tools operate in the current page and browser session. They do not reset progress, generate puzzles, or expose a separate source of answers. WebMCP availability depends on the browser; its absence does not prevent ordinary browser interaction.

## Session continuity and privacy

Keep the same browser cookie session throughout play. The server stores guesses against an anonymous HttpOnly cookie; reloads and browser restarts preserve the day's game. Do not clear cookies, rotate identities, or open fresh sessions to bypass the attempt limit. A page visit records an anonymous visit; only an accepted guess counts as a play in the daily visitor count.

Use the browser controls or registered tools rather than treating the application's internal JSON endpoints as a separate public API. Submission requires the existing same-origin session and is validated on the server. Respect rate limits and avoid repeated requests while the puzzle is loading.

Public guides, page metadata, image descriptions, and browser tools do not contain the hidden prompt or related-word lists. Do not seek answers in implementation files or administrative routes. This document contains only general rules, never today's puzzle state or personal records.

## Links

- [Play gander](https://playgander.com/)
- [Agent overview](https://playgander.com/llms.txt)
- [Crawler rules](https://playgander.com/robots.txt)
- [Sitemap](https://playgander.com/sitemap.xml)