When you send a message in the chat panel, Caffeine can either build immediately or ask you clarifying questions first. This behavior is controlled by the build mode setting inside the model picker, which you open from the chat bar.
There are two modes: Direct and Guided. Your selection is saved in your browser and persists between sessions.
Direct
This is the default mode. Caffeine builds immediately without asking questions.
Use this mode when your request is clear enough that you don't need the AI to check its understanding first — or when you prefer to iterate quickly and course-correct after seeing the result.
The only exception is if your request is unsafe or genuinely impossible to build without clarification. In those cases, the AI will ask regardless of mode.
When it does ask, the question appears in the chat and waits for your answer.
Guided
Caffeine asks clarifying questions before building, then confirms it's ready before starting.
After you send your message, the AI responds with questions about anything that's ambiguous in your request — up to three rounds. Once it has enough context, it confirms with you before proceeding. Even if your request is clear, Guided mode always checks in before building.
While the AI is waiting for your answers, the build is paused — not cancelled and not running. When you reply, the AI delivers your answer directly to the paused session and the build continues from where it left off. If you do not reply within 5 minutes, the AI proceeds on its own using its best judgment. If you decide to abandon the original request entirely, say so explicitly (for example, "cancel this" or "let's start over") and the AI will discard the paused session.
Use Guided when your request has real design decisions buried in it: which user can do what, how should conflicts be handled, what should happen in edge cases. Surfacing those questions before the build tends to produce a more accurate first result.
Overriding the mode mid-conversation
In any mode, if you tell the AI to skip the questions — "just build it", "stop asking and build", or similar — it will proceed to build immediately regardless of the current mode setting. The mode selector is a default behavior, not a hard constraint.
Switching modes
Open the model picker in the chat bar — the button shows the current model and mode together (for example, Default · Direct or Claude Sonnet 5 · Guided). Inside the panel, a Mode section at the bottom shows the two options and describes the one you have selected. Select a different mode — it takes effect immediately for your next message.
Your selection is saved in your browser and persists between sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Does the build mode affect credit usage?
The mode does not change the rates. In both modes you pay for the tokens the AI uses, at the rates of your builder model. Guided mode's question rounds use a small number of tokens before the build starts. See How AI usage is priced.
Does build mode affect build quality?
The same builder model generates the code regardless of mode. Guided gives the AI more information to work with before building, which can improve accuracy for complex or ambiguous requests. Direct is just as capable — it simply skips the question step.
What if I'm in Direct mode but my request is genuinely unclear?
The AI uses judgment. Even in Direct mode, it will ask if your request is unsafe or impossible to build without knowing more. For most clear requests, it builds directly.
Can I switch modes mid-conversation?
Yes. You can change the mode between any two messages. The mode you select applies only to the next message you send and all subsequent messages until you change it again.