# Choose an Agent mode and approve actions > Learn how Nodespell Agent's Ask, Plan, and Edit modes control graph changes, and which actions always wait for you to approve or deny them. Source: https://docs.nodespell.com/agent/behavior-modes-and-approvals/ · Last updated: 2026-11-10 Agent modes in Nodespell control what Agent may do to your graph during a request. **Ask** only answers. **Plan** proposes changes without making them. **Edit** makes the changes. In every mode, Agent still stops and asks before higher-impact actions, such as deleting nodes or starting a paid generation. ## What does each Agent mode do? The mode menu sits next to the **+** button below the message box. Each option shows a short summary. Hover over an option to see its full description. | Mode | Summary in the menu | What Agent may do | | -------- | ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Ask** | Answers only | Answers questions about your project. Never changes it. Agent can read the graph, search catalogs and Assets, look at results, and estimate costs. | | **Plan** | Proposes first | Reads your project and proposes changes. The graph does not change. | | **Edit** | Edits directly | Makes graph edits during the request. Still asks before spending credits, and before the other actions listed below. | **Edit** is the default. Nodespell remembers the mode you choose in this browser. The mode applies to each message when you send it. A follow-up that you queue keeps the mode that was selected when you queued it. You can't change the mode while Agent is working. ## Change the mode before a request 1. Open the mode menu. It shows the current mode, for example **Edit**. 2. Choose **Ask**, **Plan**, or **Edit**. 3. Type your request and send it. If Agent tries to change the graph in **Ask** or **Plan**, Nodespell refuses the change and Agent reports that it can't make it. To carry out a plan, switch to **Edit** and ask Agent to apply the plan it proposed. ## Which actions always need your approval? In **Edit**, Agent makes reversible graph edits on its own. The actions in the table below always pause for your decision, even in **Edit**. | Action | Applies without asking in Edit | Needs approval | | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------- | | Create, duplicate, or rename nodes | Yes | No | | Change parameter values | Yes | No | | Connect or disconnect nodes | Yes | No | | Create a Creative Tool, or place Assets on the graph | Yes | No | | Delete nodes | No | Yes | | Switch a Creative Tool's model | No | Yes | | Prepare a run (a paid generation) | No | Yes | | Start a prepared run | No | Yes | | Cancel a run | No | Yes | Reading, searching, inspecting results, and estimating costs never change anything, so they never ask. ## Approve or deny an action When Agent reaches one of these actions, the conversation shows a **Needs your approval** card that names the step. Agent waits until you decide. - Select **Approve** to let Agent continue with that exact step. - Select **Deny** to refuse the step. Agent continues without it, or explains what it couldn't do. After you decide, the card becomes a single line: **Approved**, **Denied**, or **Expired**. Each approval covers one action, based on the graph as it was when Agent asked. If the graph changes before that action runs, Nodespell rejects the action. Agent has to check the graph again and ask again. For generation approvals, see [Generate with Agent](https://docs.nodespell.com/agent/generate-with-agent/). Sometimes Agent needs more information instead of an approval. It then shows a **Needs your input** card with up to six choices. Select one of the choices, or type your own answer in the message box. ## How do you undo what Agent changed? Each graph edit Agent makes goes into your normal undo history. Press `Cmd/Ctrl+Z` to step back through Agent's changes, the same way you undo your own edits. Selecting **Stop** keeps any changes Agent already made. Undo them if you don't want them. > **Caution:** Undo does not reverse a generation that has already started. Credits are used once a run is submitted. Ask Agent to cancel the run, or cancel it from the [Tasks panel](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/tasks/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the default Agent mode? **Edit** is the default. After you choose a different mode, Nodespell remembers it in the same browser. ### Can Agent change my graph in Plan mode? No. In **Plan**, Agent reads the graph and describes the changes it would make. Switch to **Edit** and ask Agent to apply the plan. ### Does Edit mode let Agent spend credits without asking? No. In **Edit**, Agent asks for approval before it prepares a run and again before it starts the run. Agent's own reasoning still uses credits for each request. ### Why did my approval stop working? An approval covers one action, based on the graph as it was when Agent asked. If you or Agent change the graph first, Nodespell rejects that approval. Agent has to check the current graph and ask again. ## Related - [Agent overview](https://docs.nodespell.com/agent/) — open Agent and send a first request. - [Generate with Agent](https://docs.nodespell.com/agent/generate-with-agent/) — estimates and run approvals step by step. - [What Agent can do](https://docs.nodespell.com/agent/what-agent-can-do/) — every action and whether it changes the graph. - [Run nodes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/run-nodes/) — how runs work when you start them yourself. - [Tasks panel](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/tasks/) — watch and cancel running work.