> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.docwriter.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Steering the agent
> Auto-wake, inline feedback, typed prompts, critique passes, autonomy, and models.
The agent wakes on its own when you stop typing. You can also start a
turn in four ways:
* Click the **Agent** button in the history pane.
* Give inline feedback on a passage.
* Type a prompt in the chat popover.
* Choose a reviewer under **Settings → Critique pass**.
## Auto-wake on idle
Three seconds after your last keystroke in the editor, the agent wakes
on its own. It reads the open tabs, picks up any [inline
directives](/agent/inline-directives), reacts to anything you changed
since the last turn, and proposes edits or comments based on the
current [autonomy level](#autonomy-levels).
Each new keystroke restarts the countdown, so the agent only runs when
you've actually stopped. While the agent is rendering, the countdown is
paused, so typing during a run does not queue another one.
`Cmd+Enter` (macOS) or `Ctrl+Enter` (Linux/Windows) in the editor skips
the countdown and triggers a review immediately — unless the agent is
[paused](#pausing-the-agent).
You can also click the **Agent** button at the top of the history
pane (the sleeping-cat icon). Clicking it wakes the agent on demand —
useful when you want it to read your files right now without waiting
for the idle timer or typing a prompt.
## Pausing the agent
When you need room to think — refactoring a passage, drafting without
interruption — **double-click the Agent pill** (the sleeping-cat button
in the floating dock, collapsed or expanded). The pill shows **Paused**.
While paused:
* The 3-second idle auto-wake does not run.
* Clicking Wake up, sending a chat message, and `Cmd/Ctrl+Enter` do nothing.
* An in-flight turn is cancelled, and any queued messages are dropped.
Double-click the pill again to resume. Pause is separate from **Mute**,
which only hides the green/red diff overlay; mute does not stop the agent
from running.
## Inline feedback
When you select a passage with the mouse or keyboard, you can type your
feedback without another click. Type what is wrong and press Enter.
You can also use one of the quick actions. Read
[The feedback popup](/agent/feedback-popup) for details about its modes,
quick actions, and keyboard controls.
## Questions from the agent
When the agent needs you to choose between several options, it pauses
its turn. You then see a question card over the editor. For example,
the agent may ask which of two tones you want. The agent may ask up to
four questions on one card.
For one question, click an option to send your answer immediately. For
several questions, answer every question before you submit the card.
You can see the number of completed answers in the footer. When you may
choose more than one answer, select the checkboxes you want. The agent
receives your choices in a list separated by commas.
The agent waits up to 15 minutes for your answer. If you do not answer
in that time, the agent continues without your input.
## Sending a typed prompt
For things that don't anchor to a spot in the document ("research X
and pull citations in," "restructure across files," "summarize what
changed since yesterday"), open the chat popover with the **Send**
button in the top-right of the editor. Type a message and submit with
`Cmd/Ctrl+Enter` (or the Send button).
You can also queue a message while a render is in flight; it runs after
the current one finishes. The Send button shows a queue count when
something is already running.
There's a **Plan first** toggle in the popover. With it on, the agent
produces a written plan you approve before any edits land.
## Running a critique pass
Use a critique pass when you want a reviewer to read the active file
with a specific goal. Choose **Settings → Critique pass**, then choose
a reviewer. If the agent is already working, it runs the critique pass
after the current turn.
The reviewer reads the whole active file before leaving feedback. It
ranks the most important problems and leaves no more than six findings.
If the reviewer does not find a problem, it leaves one comment about
what works instead of inventing a finding.
You can choose one of four built-in reviewers:
| Reviewer | What the reviewer checks |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **PhD Advisor** | Checks whether the argument, evidence, structure, and scope hold together. |
| **Copy Editor** | Fixes errors and inconsistencies without changing the author's style. |
| **Skeptic** | Raises counterexamples, alternative explanations, and unsupported claims. |
| **Fresh Eyes** | Marks places where a first-time reader may become confused. |
To create your own reviewer, choose **Settings → Critique pass → New
reviewer**. Give the reviewer a name, mascot, color, and prompt. In the
prompt, say what the reviewer should check and what it should leave
alone. After you save the reviewer, you can choose it from the same
menu as the built-in reviewers.
Every reviewer writes in the language of the document and follows your
writing rules. A reviewer does not keep a separate conversation or
remember earlier passes. Run another critique pass after you revise the
file if you want the reviewer to check it again.
The reviewer leaves each finding as a [comment](/agent/comments) on the
relevant passage. When a small change can fix the problem, the reviewer
may also propose an edit. With track changes on, you can [accept or
reject the edit](/agent/reviewing-edits) through the normal review
controls.
## What the agent sees
When you send a prompt, the agent receives:
* The file paths of every open tab (which is active, which changed since
it last looked).
* A diff of any tab that changed since the last turn.
* Your writing rules and writing references.
* Any open comment threads it might want to respond to.
It does not get tab contents inlined. It calls `read_doc` on the files it
needs. This keeps prompts small and lets the agent decide what to look at.
## Multi-tab work
If you have several files open, the agent sees all of them as candidates
to read or edit. A typical multi-tab prompt:
> Move the example from `outline.md` into `essay.md` as a new section.
The agent reads both files, writes the new section into `essay.md`, and
optionally removes it from `outline.md`. Each tab gets its own pending
review.
## Model selection
In the menu bar, the Settings menu has a **Model** submenu:
* **Opus.** Slowest, most capable. Use for restructuring and long-form
rewriting.
* **Sonnet.** Middle of the road. Good default.
* **Haiku.** Fastest. Good for short, local edits.
You can also pass `--model opus` on the command line to set a default for
the session. The CLI flag takes precedence over the menu selection.
## Autonomy levels
Settings, then **Agent behavior**, opens a panel with an autonomy
selector:
| Level | Behavior |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Conservative | Default to no edits. Only acts on inline directives, on changes you made, or on explicit asks. |
| Balanced | One focused improvement per round. Acts on directives, your changes, asks, and clear clarity problems. |
| Aggressive | Proactive. Looks for tightening, weak verbs, and broken flow, even without an ask. |
The autonomy level rewires the agent's prompt; it does not constrain its
tool access. Track changes is still on by default, so you stay in
control of what lands.
## Track changes
The same Agent behavior panel has a **Track changes** toggle. When on
(default), agent edits land as pending reviews you accept or reject. When
off, agent edits land directly in the document. With track changes off,
the agent's edits are still tagged as agent-origin, so the editor's undo
stack still groups them separately from your own typing.
## Cancelling a turn
To stop the agent mid-run, click the agent pill at the top of the history
pane. It returns to the sleeping state. Any pending review the agent
already proposed remains. Cancellation only stops further tool calls.
## Where to go next
* [The feedback popup](/agent/feedback-popup). Give feedback on a
selected passage.
* [Inline directives](/agent/inline-directives). Leave `[[ ... ]]`
notes in the prose for the agent to pick up.
* [Reviewing edits](/agent/reviewing-edits). Accept and reject in
detail.
* [Delegating tasks](/agent/delegating-tasks). Longer-running,
multi-step work.
* [Comments](/agent/comments). When the agent leaves feedback instead
of editing.