Selecting Agents

Four methods to select agents — badge, view, @mention, or automatic Smart Detection.

There are four ways to select an agent in Vocoding. You can pick the method that best fits your workflow.

Method 1: Agent Badge (Chat Header)

Look at the agent badge in the chat header bar
Click it to open the agent selector dropdown
Browse or search for an agent
Click to select

Method 2: Agents View

Go to Agents view (Cmd + 2)
Browse or search agents
Click an agent card to view details
Click Select to make it active

Method 3: @Mention in Chat

Type @ in the chat composer to see agent suggestions:

@react-expert Create a login form with validation

Method 4: Smart Detection (Automatic)

When Smart Detection is enabled (Settings > Smart Detection), Vocoding automatically selects the best agent based on your input. See the Advanced Features guide for details.

Agent Locking

Auto-Detection vs Locked

By default, Vocoding may suggest different agents based on your input context.

Suggested (Unlocked): Agent badge shows a suggestion; it may change based on your next input
Locked: Agent stays fixed regardless of input

When to Lock

Working on a specific project type for an extended session
You don't want agent switching mid-conversation
Using a custom agent consistently

How to Lock

Click the lock icon on the agent badge in the header
Or select "Lock agent" in the agent dropdown

Enable Cascade (3 Levels)

Agents can be enabled or disabled at three levels:

Global toggle -- Turn all agents on or off (Settings > Agents)
Category toggle -- Turn all agents in a category on or off (click category pill toggle)
Individual toggle -- Turn a specific agent on or off (toggle on agent card)

Disabled agents will not appear in suggestions or auto-detection results.

Pinning Favorites

Pin your most-used agents for quick access:

Find the agent in the grid
Click the star icon on the agent card
Pinned agents appear in a dedicated "Pinned Agents" section at the top

Limit: Maximum 20 pinned agents.

Pinned agents appear first in the agent selector dropdown and in the Agents view.

Agent + Profile Interaction

Agents work with Optimization Profiles to shape the output:

Your Voice Input
       |
   [Agent]   <-- Determines expertise & focus (237+ specialists)
       |
  [Profile]  <-- Determines cognitive approach (implement, architect, debug, etc.)
       |
   [Mode]    <-- Determines processing (Transcribe, Optimize, Chat)
       |
 Optimized Output

Example Combinations

Agent	Profile	Result
React Expert	`implement`	React code with structured task sections
API Designer	`architect`	Architecture overview with endpoint design
Blog Writer	`expand`	Detailed content with full structure
DevOps Expert	`compress`	Compact infrastructure instructions
Prompt Engineer	`quick`	Fast, focused prompt refinement

Smart Detection

Smart Detection uses AI to automatically select the best agent based on your input context. It goes beyond simple keyword matching.

How It Works

You speak or type your input
Smart Detection analyzes the content
It considers: keywords, context, domain signals, project stack
The best-matching agent is suggested with a confidence score
If confidence exceeds the threshold, the agent is auto-applied

"Why This Agent" Panel

In the agent detail drawer, the "Why This Agent" section shows:

Matched triggers -- Which words in your input triggered this agent
Detection method -- Keyword match, smart detection, or manual selection
Confidence score -- How confident the system is in this match

Configuring Smart Detection

Settings > Smart Detection:

Enable/Disable toggle
Scope: All (agents + profiles), Agents only, or Profiles only
Auto-Apply Confidence: Minimum confidence to auto-apply (default: 0.82)

See the Advanced Features guide for detailed Smart Detection configuration.