# Modes

V3Code's mode picker changes what the agent is allowed to do with a turn. Your selected
model, keys, and project stay the same; the tool and approval boundaries change. Open
the picker in the chat composer to switch modes.

## Built-in modes

| Mode          | What it does                                                                                                                                            | Reach for it when                                                                             |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Chat**      | Conversation without callable tools.                                                                                                                    | You want a quick answer or want to discuss attached context without the agent taking action.  |
| **Read**      | Read-only investigation with search, index, memory, and structural tools but no source edits or terminal commands.                                      | You want the agent to inspect the real project and report back.                               |
| **Plan**      | Read-only investigation plus Markdown plan documents.                                                                                                   | You want a grounded implementation plan before execution.                                     |
| **Debug**     | Reproduces, localises, proves, fixes, and guards one bug with a bounded tool surface.                                                                   | A failure needs evidence and a minimal verified repair. See [Debug mode](/editor/debug-mode). |
| **Multitask** | Acts as a foreman: plans, dispatches work agents, and reconciles their results. The coordinator does not directly edit source or run terminal commands. | A larger job can be divided into independent pieces.                                          |
| **Agent**     | Full execution — reads, edits, runs commands, the whole tool set.                                                                                       | You're ready to ship a change end to end.                                                     |

Custom agents appear below the built-in modes. **Configure Custom Agents** opens the
agent setup screen, including compatible ACP agents. See
[External agents in native chat](/connect/agent-client-protocol).

## Approvals: what needs your OK

Modes control *what class* of action the agent takes; **approvals** control whether a given action runs automatically. Reads are automatic. Actions that change things ask first, grouped into a few classes:

- **Edits** — creating, deleting, rewriting, or editing files, renaming symbols, generating images.
- **Terminal** — running commands, the test runner, the sandbox, and any git write (commit, push, checkout…).
- **Browser & notes** — navigating/typing/clicking in the browser, and saving persistent notes.

Read-only tools (reading files, searching, structural lookups, git status/diff) do not
prompt. Modes can narrow the available tools further. Debug, for example, allows a
small approval-gated repair surface but withholds deletes, git writes, browser mutation,
and MCP tools.

## Modes vs. the V3 / IDE layout

Don't confuse the agent's modes with the **V3 / IDE** pill in the title bar — that switches the *layout* (full-screen chat vs. classic editor), not the agent's behavior.

> Note:
>
> **Design** and **Cyber Protection** are composer options, not modes. Design activates
> the [design workflow](/editor/design-mode); Cyber Protection activates the
> [security workflow](/editor/cyber-protection).