Hint Mode & Cues

Hint Mode

While Hefty is actively processing your request, the command bar switches to hint mode. Instead of starting a new message, anything you type and submit becomes a cue — a short piece of guidance injected into the agent's next reasoning loop.

  • The terminal icon in the command bar is replaced with a lightbulb icon.
  • A Stop button appears, allowing you to halt processing at any time.

How Cues Work

If the activity is still running, the cue is injected into the agent's next reasoning loop. If the activity finishes before the cue can be injected, the cue is saved and automatically prepended to your next message in that conversation.

When to Use Cues

Cues are useful for redirecting Hefty when it heads in the wrong direction, providing additional context mid-task, or clarifying requirements. For example: "Focus on the CSS file", "Try using curl instead", or "The file is in /src".

Steering Hefty with Cues

While Hefty is working, you can send cues to steer its thinking. A cue is a short message that gets injected into Hefty's next reasoning loop - like tapping it on the shoulder mid-task.

Use cues when you see Hefty heading in the wrong direction:

  • "Focus on the CSS file, not the JavaScript"
  • "Try using curl instead"
  • "The file is in the /src directory"

Cue Display in the Activity Stream

Cues appear as colored badges within the activity item so you can track their status at a glance:

  • Pending cues — displayed as yellow warning-style badges with the text "Hint pending: ...". These are cues that have been submitted but not yet consumed by the agent.
  • Consumed cues — displayed as green success-style badges with the text "Hint applied: ..." along with the reasoning loop number where the cue was injected. These show that the agent has incorporated the hint.

If an activity completes before your cue is injected, you won't see a consumed badge — instead, the cue is saved and automatically prepended to your next message as described in the Hint Mode section above.