Choosing the Right Mode
Pick a mode from the mode selector in the Assistant composer. Auto is the default and handles most work on its own; switch to Manual when you want to choose exactly which actions August takes on a turn.
Mode comparison
The selector lists Auto first and Manual last. Some firms see only Auto and Manual; others also see Agent and Genius Mode, which now run the same way as Auto. If your firm doesn't have Auto enabled, the selector shows Agent, Genius Mode, and Manual, and new chats start in Agent.
Mode | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Auto (default) | Chooses the tools each task needs from everything available to you | Day-to-day questions, research, drafting, documents, and multi-step work |
Manual | Uses only the actions you switch on in the Create and Research menus | Turns where you want a specific output, such as a tabular review or a draft |
Agent and Genius Mode | Run as Auto in new chats | Nothing extra: choose Auto instead |
Auto
Auto reads your request and decides which tools to use, so you don't need to switch modes for different kinds of work. In one chat it can:
Search and read your attached documents, folders, and connected integrations
Run web research and, if your firm has it enabled, legal research on official sources
Create tabular reviews, playbooks, editable drafts, and translations
Produce downloadable Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files
Some actions, such as creating a draft or a tabular review, moving files, or deleting a draft, pause for your approval first. You control which tool groups Auto can use in your user profile under Chat Features, where each group is set to Block, Ask, or Allow. See Tool Approval in Assistant Chat.
If your firm has legal research enabled, click Research in the composer to choose the countries and official sources August searches. Once you limit the sources, August stays within them. To search the open web as well, turn on Web Research in that dialog, mention @Web Search in your message, or paste a URL.
Manual
Manual gives you two menus in the composer. Every action you switch on is one August must carry out on that turn, and anything you leave off is not used.
Create: Tabular Review, Playbook, Draft, and Translation. Turning on Tabular Review switches off Web Research.
Research: Web Research, plus Legal Research and any research sources your firm has enabled.
With Draft on, August writes an editable August draft even for a short clause, unless you ask for a different format such as a Word file. Attached documents and folders work in Manual just as they do in Auto. Connected integrations, such as Outlook or iManage, are used in Manual only when you switch them on with the paperclip button (Connect external services) in the composer.
Agent, Genius Mode, and Deep Thinking
Agent and Genius Mode remain in the selector for firms that had them, but new chats with either selection run as Auto. If you pick one, the selector keeps showing it when you reopen the chat. Deep Thinking is no longer available; older chats that used it still open from Chat History.
Change your default mode
New chats start in Auto unless you choose a different default.
Open your user profile and choose Settings.
Under Default Mode, pick the mode new chats should start in.
No matter which mode you use, validate the output against cited source material before relying on it. Every output traces back to its source documents through citations.
What to read next
Assistant Overview for the main workspace.
Genius Mode Overview for creating Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files.
How August Handles Sources and Citations for validation guidance.