Choose a mode for a new task

A mode is the setup a new task runs as: the tools Oda may use and the way it works. You pick one when you start a chat, and the chat keeps it for its whole life. Most tasks are fine in the default, Standard mode. Oda also calls these setups agent presets, and the full roster lives in Settings > Agent presets.

Pick a mode for a new task

Start a new chat and leave it blank. The mode button on the blank chat shows the mode that will apply, for example Standard mode.
Click the mode button and pick from the menu: Standard mode, Relentless, PTC mode, Minimal mode or Creator mode.
Your pick applies to the blank chat, and that is the mode the task runs in.

A chat keeps the mode it starts with. While it is still blank you can change the pick; once its first turn has started, the mode is set, and the chat header only shows it as plain text, for example Minimal mode (Sessions and the transcript).

What each mode is for

Mode	What it is for
Standard mode	Work with code, files, and information. Suitable for most tasks, with search, editing, terminal commands, and other tools available as needed.
Relentless	Works for hours until it is done, blocked, or needs a real decision. Best in Full access.
PTC mode	Includes all Standard mode capabilities. Better suited to tasks that call tools in batches and then filter, organize, deduplicate, count, or summarize the results.
Minimal mode	The agent works using only a terminal tool. Useful for testing and comparing its basic performance.
Creator mode	Customize DataMind through conversation. Let the agent write plugins that add features or UI, or combine tools and prompts to create your own mode.

Full access, named in the Relentless description, is the chat's access mode rather than a task mode: it sets how far Oda may change files and when it stops to ask (Permission presets).
A mode also shapes the chat's own controls: in Minimal mode the / menu leaves out the /compact, /plan and /goal commands while /model stays, and a Standard mode chat offers them again (Slash commands and references).
Each mode above has a guide, opened from its card in Settings > Agent presets: it explains the mode in more detail and shows example tasks. The PTC mode guide explains how that mode calls tools.

Set the default mode for new tasks

Settings > Agent presets holds the Choose a mode for new tasks switch, marked Beta:

When enabled, each new task can choose a mode and the default is set here. When disabled, new tasks use the application default preset. Existing tasks are unaffected.

To make a mode the one your new tasks start in, choose Set as new task default on its card (for example, Set as new task default: Minimal mode); the card then shows New task default.
New tasks fall back to the application default, shown as Application default: Standard mode.
Turning the switch off hides the mode choice on new tasks: they start in the application default. Turning it back on restores the default you had saved.
Scheduled tasks choose a mode on the task itself rather than from this default; see Schedule recurring tasks.
See Presets for the full roster and the rest of the preset settings.

Questions, answered

Can I change a chat's mode after it starts?

No. While a chat is still blank you can change the pick, but once its first turn has started the mode is set, and the chat header only shows it as plain text, for example Minimal mode. To work in another mode, start a new chat and pick it there.

Why can't I see the mode choice on a new chat?

The picker is switched off. While Choose a mode for new tasks in Settings > Agent presets is off, new tasks run on the application default, Standard mode, without offering a choice. Switch it back on to bring the picker back, and the default you had saved returns with it.

Which commands does Minimal mode leave out?

A Minimal mode chat runs with a smaller / menu: the /compact, /plan and /goal commands are not offered there, while /model stays. A chat in Standard mode offers them again.

What is PTC mode?

PTC mode suits tasks that call tools in batches and then filter, organise, deduplicate, count or summarise the results. Its guide, opened from the mode's card in Settings > Agent presets, explains how that mode calls tools and how to use it.

What is Creator mode for?

Extending Oda itself. It customises DataMind through conversation: Oda can write plugins that add features or UI, or combine tools and prompts to create your own mode. The Let the agent help me create a preset row in Settings > Agent presets starts a task in Creator mode; while the mode picker is switched off, that row is disabled and explains: Turn on mode selection for new tasks to start Creator mode.

Does "Best in Full access" mean I need Full access for Relentless?

It is a recommendation, not a requirement. Relentless is built for long unattended runs, and those get further when steps do not stop for approval. Full access is the access mode in which Oda runs without stopping to ask, so the two pair well; Permission presets explains the access modes.

Is a mode the same as an access mode?

No. A task mode, like the five on this page, shapes how Oda works. The access mode (Read Only, Workspace Write, Full access) sets how far Oda may change files and when it asks first. The two are separate settings; Permission presets covers access modes.

Can I make a mode of my own?

Yes. Modes are agent presets, and you can create your own preset in Settings > Agent presets; it appears under Custom and can be picked for new tasks like the shipped ones. Create a custom preset covers the editor, and Creator mode is the conversational way to build new capabilities.