Agent Mode

In Agent Mode, MAIA doesn't answer your request in a single step. She plans the research herself, searches several knowledge sources, checks interim results and keeps going until the answer is complete. This pays off for larger questions, for example when you:

• need every product type from a large product catalog
• want to compare color codes or standards across many documents
• are researching competitors and want the results checked right away

Agent Mode works with and without selected documents.

Requirements

• Agent Mode has to be enabled for your workspace. New workspaces have it on by default.
• If you don't see the “Agent-Mode” toggle, contact your workspace admin or support@getmaia.ai.

Turn Agent Mode on or off

1. Click “+” below the chat input.

   

2. Switch “Agent-Mode” on or off.

3. Type your request and send it.

Your setting is saved, also for new chats, until you change it yourself. Agent Mode is on by default, and we recommend leaving it on in most cases.

The same menu has the toggles “High Precision Mode” and “Web Search”. Use them to balance how thorough and how fast MAIA is. The icons at the bottom right of the input box, next to the model selection, show which modes are on. See Web search and MAIA High Precision Mode.

How to recognize Agent Mode

• Step display: Below your question, a line shows what MAIA is doing right now, such as planning the next step, searching the web or thinking, along with the number of steps and the time so far. Once the answer is ready, the line reads “Agent activity”, for example “Agent activity · 7 steps · 22 s”. Click it to see all steps as a timeline.
• Frame: Question and answer sit in a frame labeled “Agent”. With documents selected it's in MAIA's color, without documents it's gray.
• Model: Each answer shows which model produced it, for example “Model: GPT-5.6 Luna”.

View the agent activity details: Click the “Agent activity” line to expand it. You then see every step with its time, for example “Looking into your glossary”, “Selecting the best model for your question” or a search in the Insight Hub. For many steps, MAIA also shows what she found. This lets you follow what the answer is based on.

Quick answer

Sometimes what MAIA has found so far is enough. You don't have to wait for the research to finish.

The button only appears for Agent Mode requests with High Precision Mode turned off, while MAIA is working on the answer. It disappears once the answer is finished.

1. While MAIA is researching, click “Quick answer”. The button sits centred above the input box.

   

2. MAIA lets the steps already running finish, but starts no new research.

3. She answers with the information gathered up to that point.

The answer includes a note that you cut the research short. MAIA also explains which research was finished and what the answer is based on: selected documents, web results or general model knowledge.

Check important details in a quick answer with extra care.

Good to know:

• “Quick answer” only appears if High Precision Mode was off when you sent the request. Switching it during the research has no effect.
• The button disappears as soon as MAIA starts writing the answer.
• The stop icon cancels the request. You won't get an answer then.

What only works in Agent Mode

• Analyzing Excel spreadsheets: MAIA reads .xlsx files when you select them in Agent Mode. She backs every figure with the cell it comes from and recalculates sums and counts herself. Older .xls files, files with macros and password-protected files are not supported. More in Analyze Excel files.
• Creating files: On request, MAIA creates a PDF, a Word document or a simple Excel spreadsheet. See Upload and create files in chat.

How it differs from regular chat

Without Agent Mode, MAIA writes her answer in one pass from the passages she found. That's faster and enough for simple questions, short texts or emails.

In Agent Mode, MAIA works in several steps. The answer often takes a little longer, but for complex questions it's more complete. You can combine Agent Mode with High Precision Mode. MAIA then also checks her statements against the sources.

FAQ

Do I have to select documents? No. Without a selection, MAIA uses the sources available to her, for example web search if it's switched on. If you select files, MAIA sticks to your selection.

Why does the answer take longer than usual? In Agent Mode, MAIA searches more sources and checks interim results. If the research so far is enough for you, click “Quick answer”. For simple tasks you can also switch Agent Mode off.

Questions or feedback about Agent Mode? Write to support@getmaia.ai.