Queue, steer and stop

In DataMind Oda, work happens in a chat. You can send a message at any time, even while Oda is busy with a task: it either waits in the queue, or steers the work that is already running. This page covers both, and how to stop a running turn.

Send while Oda is busy

A message you send during a run takes one of two paths:

• A queued message waits, and runs when the current turn ends, in the order you sent it.
• A steering message joins the work that is already running, and Oda takes it at its next step.

Which path it takes depends on a setting. Open Settings > General and find Send behavior while busy. The row reads What Enter and the Send button do while the agent is running; Cmd/Ctrl+Enter uses the other behavior, and offers Queue and Steer.

By default, Enter steers while Oda is busy and Cmd/Ctrl+Enter queues. Choose Queue and the two swap: Enter queues, and Cmd/Ctrl+Enter steers. The two keys always do opposite things, and the send button follows the same choice: while Oda works it reads Queue message or Steer message.

When Oda is not working, Enter sends as usual.

Messages that are waiting

A message that waits appears in the queue under the message box.

• A single waiting message shows directly; when several wait, they start folded under a heading that counts them, for example 2 queued messages.
• Each waiting row offers Edit queued message, Remove queued message and Steer queued message.
• While you edit, Save queued message keeps the change and Cancel editing leaves the message as it was.
• Editing keeps to text: a message that carries an image or a file cannot be edited, and the action's tooltip reads Contains non-text content; editing is not supported yet.
• A message that has not been accepted yet shows Sending…, with its actions disabled. When the chat accepts it, the temporary copy is replaced by the accepted message, so it never appears twice.
• Steer queued message is available while Oda is still running; if the run it could join has ended, the action is unavailable (its tooltip reads Steering is available only while the agent is running).

Waiting messages run in the order you sent them, oldest first. For prompt basics and what an edit accepts, see Prompts, queue and steering.

Steer a message into the running work

There are three ways to steer:

• On a row in the queue, choose Steer queued message: that message moves into the running work and shows as pending until Oda takes it.
• With a draft in the box, press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter (with Queue chosen): the message steers directly and never joins the queue.
• To steer everything that is waiting, leave the box empty and press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter: every waiting message moves into the running turn, oldest first. The empty box hints Cmd/Ctrl+Enter steers all queued messages.

A steered message appears once, at the end of the running turn, as a normal message.

Stop a running turn

Press Stop generating in the message box to stop the turn that is running.

• The turn ends as stopped: whatever reply had already appeared stays in the chat, marked as stopped, and Oda does not continue it. The message box returns to its usual state.
• The messages that were waiting stay in the queue, in the order you sent them. Nothing starts them on their own: the next message you send sets the queue moving again.
• In a subagent's chat, Stop generating works even when sending is unavailable, for example while the chat that started it is offline, and any messages waiting there stay usable. See Continuable subagents: follow-ups and control.

For everything else a stop settles, see Stopping Oda and queued messages.

When a send is refused

• If the chat does not accept your message, a notice reads Queue submission failed. Nothing is added to the chat, and your text returns to the message box so you can send it again.
• If another running copy of Oda is using the same chat, the send is refused: This session is already in use, possibly by another running DataMind instance (such as the web app or the desktop app). Quit the other running instances and try again.

Questions, answered

How do I choose whether my message waits or steers?

In Settings > General, the Send behavior while busy row offers Queue and Steer. By default, Enter steers while Oda is busy; choose Queue if you would rather have Enter queue. Either way, Cmd/Ctrl+Enter does the other one.

Which key queues and which key steers?

It depends on the chosen behaviour. With Steer (the default), Enter steers and Cmd/Ctrl+Enter queues; with Queue, Enter queues and Cmd/Ctrl+Enter steers. The two keys always do opposite things.

Where do the messages I queue wait?

In a queue under the message box. One waiting message shows directly; several fold under a heading that counts them, for example 2 queued messages.

What happens to my message while it is still sending?

It shows Sending… with its actions disabled. When the chat accepts it, the temporary copy is replaced by the accepted message, so it never appears twice.

Where does a steered message appear?

While it waits to be taken, it shows as pending. Once Oda takes it, it appears once, at the end of the running turn, as a normal message.

How do I steer everything I queued at once?

Leave the message box empty and press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter. Every waiting message moves into the running turn, oldest first. The empty box hints Cmd/Ctrl+Enter steers all queued messages.

Can I queue an image while Oda is working?

Yes. The message waits with a thumbnail in the queue, and when its turn comes, the image arrives with it, intact.

Do waiting messages run in order?

Yes, oldest first. After you stop a run they stay parked, and the next message you send sets the queue moving again, in the same order.

Why did my send fail and put my text back in the box?

The chat did not accept the message, and a notice reads Queue submission failed. Nothing was added to the chat, and your text is back in the message box. If another running copy of Oda was using the chat, the message says so; quit the other copy and send again.

What does Stop generating do?

It stops the turn that is running: the turn ends as stopped, the reply keeps what had already appeared, and the message box returns to its usual state. Waiting messages stay in the queue and move on with your next send.