Draft mode or auto mode

For agents

Guide: Draft mode or auto mode

This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/draft-mode-or-auto-mode

Topic: AI agents

Time: about 3 minutes

Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager

Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)

Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/agents

Result when done: You decide exactly how much the agent may do without you.

Context: There are three modes and they are a ladder. Off labels and powers Generate. Auto-drafts writes a reply for every matching comment and waits for you. Auto-replies sends by itself. Most pages climb the ladder over a week.

Before you start

1. Off is not idle: the agent still labels what needs a reply and powers Generate.

2. Auto-drafts writes but never sends; the row carries a Draft chip.

3. Auto-replies sends without you, so read a week of drafts before you switch to it.

Steps

Step 1 of 4: Find Agent mode.

Where: Settings, AI agents, the agent. The three modes each carry one line saying what they do.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/agents (Open AI agents)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode.en.webp (Agent mode.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: Off, Auto-drafts and Auto-replies, with their consequences named.

Step 2 of 4: Start with Auto-drafts.

Where: It writes a reply for every comment that matches your audience setting and leaves it in the row. You read, edit and send. This is where you learn whether the persona and the knowledge are right.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/ai-draft.en.webp (A draft waiting in the composer.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-phone-sheet.en.webp (On a phone.)

You should see: Rows carrying a Draft chip, with words already written.

Step 3 of 4: Move to Auto-replies when the drafts stop surprising you.

Where: The same switch. From then on the agent sends by itself, following your audience, delay and archive settings.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode.en.webp (Agent mode: auto-replies.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: Replies go out on their own, and the row shows who replied.

Step 4 of 4: Pause it any time.

Where: The pause control on the agent in the list. A paused agent stops writing immediately and keeps everything it has learned.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agents.en.webp (The switch on the agent list pauses it.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agents-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The agent shows Paused and writes nothing until you resume it.

If something is off

Problem: It replied to something it should not have

Fix: Narrow the audience, and add the case to Do not reply to. Then read a few days of drafts before returning to auto.

Problem: Drafts are not appearing

Fix: Check the mode is Auto-drafts, the agent covers that page, and the comment matches your audience setting.

Problem: A reply failed to send

Fix: Meta refused it. The row keeps the words and shows Auto-reply failed, so you can send it yourself.

Problem: I want it to answer only some questions

Fix: Use the audience and Do not reply to settings, and keep the agent in Auto-drafts for anything sensitive.

Common questions

Question: Does the AI agent do anything while its mode is Off?

Answer: Yes. Off is not idle: the agent still labels the comments that need a reply and powers Generate in the composer. It writes nothing on its own.

Question: How long should I keep the agent on Auto-drafts before letting it send?

Answer: Read a week of drafts first. Auto-drafts is where you learn whether the persona and the knowledge are right; move to Auto-replies when the drafts stop surprising you.

Question: Can I pause an AI agent without losing what it has learned?

Answer: Yes. The pause control on the agent in the list stops it writing immediately and keeps everything it has learned. It shows Paused until you resume it.

Question: How can I tell whether a reply was sent by the agent or by a teammate?

Answer: The row shows who replied. In Auto-replies mode the replies go out on their own and are credited to the agent.

Related guides

Who gets a reply, and who never does: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/who-gets-a-reply-and-who-never-does

Tone, delay, mention and archive: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/tone-delay-mention-and-archive

How the agent decides Needs reply: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/how-the-agent-decides-needs-reply

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/draft-mode-or-auto-mode.md

All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt