Using Odin Effectively

Odin has three modes — Guide, Act, and Background — plus an Auto setting that picks the best one for you. Knowing what each is for is the difference between fighting Odin and flying with it.

Leave the mode selector on Auto

At the top of the panel there’s a mode selector: Guide, Act, Background, and Auto. We recommend leaving it on Auto — Odin then chooses whichever mode fits the request, so you rarely have to think about it.

The three modes

Guide

Guide mode answers questions and explains things without touching your computer. Ask about what’s on your screen and Odin responds — and when there’s something specific to look at, the cursor overlay points right at it.

“How do I integrate the High Level MCP into Odin?”

“How do I upload a YouTube video?” (Odin points at the Create button.)

Background

Background mode runs a headless agent that works while you keep using your computer. This is the right choice for the vast majority of real work — research, publishing content, multi-step tasks, anything you’d rather not babysit.

You can start a background task three ways:

• Type the task into the panel
• Send it to Odin over Telegram
• Speak it — but you must say “start a background agent” in the sentence

Caution

If you speak a task without saying “start a background agent”, Odin runs it in Act mode instead — which takes control of your computer, so you can’t use it while Odin works. Say the magic words to keep it in the background.

Act

Act mode takes over your mouse and keyboard to do the task in your own browser session. Reserve it for things that genuinely need your live browser and logins, and that you want to watch happen. For everything else, prefer a background agent.

Speaking to Odin correctly

A common mistake: Odin’s push-to-talk is press-to-toggle, not hold.

1. Press Ctrl+Space once to start listening.
2. Speak your request.
3. Press Ctrl+Space again to stop.

That second press is how Odin knows you’re finished and registers what you said. See Push-to-Talk for more.

Rule of thumb

• A quick answer or explanation? Guide mode (leave it on Auto).
• Actual work — research, content, multi-step tasks? Background agent. ~99% of tasks belong here.
• Something that needs your live browser while you watch? Act mode.

Still stuck? Reach out from the support link in the panel.