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Odin is now Silk. Some videos may still show or mention Odin while we update them — the information in them still applies.

Using Silk Effectively

Silk 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 Silk 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 — Silk 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 Silk 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 Silk?”

“How do I upload a YouTube video?” (Silk 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 Silk over Telegram
  • Speak it — but you must say “start a background agent” in the sentence

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 Silk correctly

A common mistake: Silk’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 Silk 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? Ask Silk for an instant answer from these docs, or talk to a human if that doesn’t solve it.

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