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

# Set a Default Compute Pool

> Choose the compute pool your jobs run on when they do not name one, from the data plane page in the platform

A default compute pool is where a job runs when it doesn't name a pool itself. You can set two levels of default from the data plane page: your company's default for the data plane, and — if you own the data plane — the data plane default that applies to everyone collaborating on it. See [Compute Pools › Default compute pool resolution](/concepts/primitives/compute-pools#default-compute-pool-resolution) for how the levels rank and how to set them through the API.

## Prerequisites

* A Narrative account with access to the [data plane](/concepts/primitives/data-planes)
* At least one active compute pool on that data plane
* To set the data plane default: ownership of the data plane

## Set a default

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the data plane's Compute Pools tab">
    The tab lists the active pools on the data plane, including pools your company reaches as a collaborator.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the action on the pool's row">
    * **Set as My Company's Default** appears on any active pool the tab lists, whether your company owns it or reaches it as a collaborator.
    * **Set as Data Plane Default** appears on the data plane owner's own active pools.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the change">
    The **Default** column marks the pool each level has named. When your company's default supersedes the data plane's, the data plane's mark is greyed out.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Setting or clearing either default also moves the compute pool selected in the [context selector](/guides/platform/using-the-context-selector) onto whichever pool now resolves. The selector's pool is sent as the job's `compute_pool_id` — level 1 of the chain — so a session left pinned to the previous pool would outrank the default you just set.
</Note>

## Check the defaults in force

The data plane's **Overview** tab reports both levels side by side:

| Row | What it holds | Who can change it |
| - | - | - |
| **Default Compute Pool (your company)** | The level-3 default your company's jobs fall through to on this data plane | Any company that can reach the data plane |
| **Default Compute Pool (data plane)** | The level-4 default the data plane's owner set for everyone collaborating on the plane | The data plane's owner |

Because level 3 outranks level 4, the data plane's default stays on the page even when your company's own default is the one in force. It renders read-only for a collaborator, so you can still see what you would fall back to if you cleared yours.

## Related content

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Compute Pools" icon="microchip" href="/concepts/primitives/compute-pools">
    How the default resolution chain decides where a job runs
  </Card>

  <Card title="Using the Context Selector" icon="hand-pointer" href="/guides/platform/using-the-context-selector">
    Choose the data plane and compute pool for your session
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive a Compute Pool" icon="box-archive" href="/guides/data-planes/archive-compute-pool">
    Clear a pool's default references before retiring it
  </Card>
</CardGroup>