Core concepts
Agent modes
Choose how Flash approaches a task: plan, implement, debug on hardware or learn.
Four modes
A mode sets how the agent works. It is separate from the model you use and from your approvals.
| Mode | Best for | Changes files | Uses the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Implementing a well-defined change | Yes | Yes |
| Plan | Exploring and proposing an approach | No | No |
| Debug | Fixing a hardware problem with evidence from the device | Yes | Yes |
| Teach | Learning with explanations and exercises | When the exercise needs it | When the exercise needs it |
Keep in mind
Changing files or using the board still follows your tool approvals. A mode never grants permissions or installs tools.
Switch modes
Type /mode in any Flash tool. In Flash CLI, Alt+M cycles through Normal, Plan, Teach and Debug.
In Flash
/mode plan/mode normal/mode debug/mode teachAutomatic switch to Debug
When you ask Flash to program the board or to verify something on the device, it switches to Debug and stays there. It does not switch if you chose a mode yourself, or if you said not to touch the board.
How each mode works
- Normal: investigate → implement → build → verify.
- Plan: discover → analyse → design → review. It ends with a proposal, not a change.
- Debug: baseline → investigate → fix → build → deploy or attach → verify. It ends with evidence.
- Teach: assess → explain → practise → feedback.
Give Debug a result to check
Say what counts as fixed: a serial line, a register value, a device reply. Choosing Debug does not connect to, reset or program the board on its own.