Drafts first, or replies by itself
You decide exactly how much the agent may do without you.
On this page
Before you start
- The choice is on the automation, not the agent.
- A draft waits for you; a reply is posted as your page.
- 5 AI credits an answer or draft.
Open the automation that places the agent.
The agentWhere it answersOpen
You will see The automation and its four steps.
Start with Write a draft for me.
How it answersWrite a draft for me
You will see A draft by your agent, waiting for you.
Read the drafts in the inbox.
Inboxa comment with the Draft chipReply
You will see Nothing goes out until you press Reply.
Change to Reply by itself when the drafts stop surprising you.
How it answersReply by itselfSave
You will see The place reads replies by itself.
Stop it any time.
The pageAutomationthe switch on the row
You will see The row reads Paused.
If something is off
- It replied to something it should not have
- Skip the case, and go back to drafts for a few days.
- Drafts are not appearing
- Check Live, Where, and that the comment asks something.
- It stopped answering
- AI credits ran out; top up or wait for the month.
- A reply failed to send
- Meta refused it; the row keeps the words for you.
Common questions
Where did Agent mode go?
An agent no longer has a mode. Each automation that places it has its own choice under How it answers: Write a draft for me, or Reply by itself. One agent can draft in one place and reply by itself in another.
How long should I keep the agent on drafts before letting it reply by itself?
About a week. Write a draft for me is marked Best for the first week: read the drafts, correct the knowledge or the rules where one is off, and change to Reply by itself when they stop surprising you.
Can I stop an AI agent without losing what it knows?
Yes. Switch off the automation that places it, on the page's Automation tab. The agent keeps its knowledge and its voice, and answers again when you switch the automation back on.
Does a draft cost the same as a reply?
Yes. Each answer or draft uses 5 AI credits. A question the agent could not answer uses none.
For agents: plain text of this guide · all guides
For agents
Guide: Drafts first, or replies by itself
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: An agent has no mode of its own. Each automation that places it chooses how it answers there: Write a draft for me, where the reply waits on the comment until you send it, or Reply by itself, where it is posted under the comment. So the same agent can draft on one page and reply by itself on another. Most pages start on drafts and change after a week.
Before you start
1. The choice lives on the automation, under How it answers, not on the agent.
2. A draft is never posted without you. A reply by itself is posted as your page, and you see every one in the inbox.
3. A real answer or draft uses 5 AI credits, whichever agent writes it; a question nobody could answer uses none.
Steps
Step 1 of 5: Open the automation that places the agent.
Where: Settings, AI agents, the agent, then the Where it answers tab. Each row is one automation: Comments or Messages, the page, and drafts for you or replies by itself. Press Open on the row.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/agents (Open AI agents)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-where.en.webp (Where it answers: each place says drafts for you or replies by itself.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-where-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The automation, with its steps: Where, Which comments, Who answers, How it answers.
Step 2 of 5: Start with Write a draft for me.
Where: Step 4, How it answers. Write a draft for me: the reply waits on the comment, and you send it, edit it or throw it away. It is marked Best for the first week, because this is where you learn whether the knowledge and the voice are right.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode.en.webp (How it answers: Write a draft for me.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode-how-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The picture under the two cards plays it out: a draft by your agent, waiting for you, then sent by you.
Step 3 of 5: Read the drafts in the inbox.
Where: The inbox. A comment with a draft carries the Draft chip; open Reply and the words are already in the box, with the agent's name over them. Send, edit or clear it.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the inbox)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox.en.webp (The Draft chip on a comment the agent wrote a draft for.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Replies that go out only when you press Reply.
Step 4 of 5: Change to Reply by itself when the drafts stop surprising you.
Where: The same step, the second card: Reply by itself. It posts the reply under the comment, marked Once you trust the drafts. Save. The pause before replying, the mention and the daily limit are under Advanced settings.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode.en.webp (How it answers: Reply by itself.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-mode-how-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The place reads replies by itself on the agent, and new answers appear under the comments on their own.
Step 5 of 5: Stop it any time.
Where: The Automation tab of the page. The switch at the start of the automation's row turns it off; the agent keeps everything it knows, and other automations that use it carry on.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home-ai.en.webp (The switch at the start of the row of AI barista on comments.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-home-ai-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The row reads Paused, and the agent writes nothing there until you switch it back on.
If something is off
Problem: It replied to something it should not have
Fix: Open the automation, Advanced settings, Skip some comments, and add the case. Go back to Write a draft for me for a few days while you read what it writes.
Problem: Drafts are not appearing
Fix: Check the automation is Live, that its Where covers the post, and that the comment asks something: with Any question, thanks and emoji get no draft.
Problem: It stopped answering
Fix: When AI credits run out the agent writes nothing and comments wait for you. The account page shows the meter; Auto top-up keeps it running.
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.
Common questions
Question: Where did Agent mode go?
Answer: An agent no longer has a mode. Each automation that places it has its own choice under How it answers: Write a draft for me, or Reply by itself. One agent can draft in one place and reply by itself in another.
Question: How long should I keep the agent on drafts before letting it reply by itself?
Answer: About a week. Write a draft for me is marked Best for the first week: read the drafts, correct the knowledge or the rules where one is off, and change to Reply by itself when they stop surprising you.
Question: Can I stop an AI agent without losing what it knows?
Answer: Yes. Switch off the automation that places it, on the page's Automation tab. The agent keeps its knowledge and its voice, and answers again when you switch the automation back on.
Question: Does a draft cost the same as a reply?
Answer: Yes. Each answer or draft uses 5 AI credits. A question the agent could not answer uses none.
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
AI credits for DM answers: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/ai-credits-for-dm-answers
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