Understanding Agent Modes

These three modes apply to the fullscreen WingMind AI agent (the admin chat UI). They control what the AI can do, not just what it can say. Modes stack: Site Editor includes everything in Agent; Agent includes everything in Ask (plus write tools).

Quick Selection Guide

Ask Mode

When you want to inspect or inquire:
“What pages mention pricing?” or “How is this page built?”

Agent Mode

When you want to edit content:
“Write a new About page” or “Update this post’s copy and publish it”

Site Editor Mode

When you want site-wide changes:
“Change the header layout”, “Update brand colours site-wide”, or “Rebuild the main menu”

Feature Comparison Overview

Ask Mode

Purpose: Inspect and advise

Writes: None
Who can use: Anyone with agent access
Search & Context: Yes
Screenshots: Yes
Destructive actions: N/A

Agent Mode

Purpose: Create and edit content

Writes: Yes (content-focused)
Who can use: Anyone with agent access
Search & Context: Yes
Screenshots: Yes
Destructive actions: Confirmation required

Site Editor Mode

Purpose: Global & structural site changes

Writes: Yes (content + site-wide)
Who can use: Administrators only (manage_options)
Search & Context: Yes
Screenshots: Yes
Destructive actions: Confirmation required

Ask Mode — Read-Only Inspection

Use when: You want answers, audits, or recommendations without anything changing on the site.

Available Capabilities

Site discovery: Search and list posts/pages/CPTs, read post content and metadata, preview rendered HTML, count posts, list revisions.
Media library: Browse and inspect images/attachments (no uploads).
Taxonomies: List, count, and retrieve terms and term meta.
Users: List and inspect users and user meta (no create/delete).
Site registry: Inspect post types, taxonomies, post statuses, site settings, and WordPress options (via get_options).
Templates & design (read-only): List and get block templates, template parts, global styles, themes, plugins, reusable blocks, and navigation menus.
Block reference: Block type metadata and guides.
WooCommerce (if active): All list, get, and report tools (products, orders, customers, coupons, webhooks, shipping, tax, payment gateways).
Gravity Forms (if active): List, get, and validate tools only (forms, entries, feeds, field types).
WordPress Abilities: Read-only abilities.
Admin-only read: Read llms.txt (site root AI discovery file).

Not available in Ask Mode: Creating or editing anything — no new posts, no media uploads, no status changes, no block edits, no term/user/post meta writes.

Agent Mode — Content Updates

Use when: You want the AI to create, edit, or publish pages, posts, and everyday site content.

Everything in Ask, plus:

Content creation & editing: Create posts/pages/CPTs (via create_wordpress_*), open the remote block editor (via edit_post_by_id), use live in-editor block tools (insert, replace, update, delete blocks; set title/meta description; update metabox form fields), trash posts, change publish status, assign categories/tags, set page templates, restore revisions, and manage post meta.
Media: Upload images/PDFs from URLs or chat attachments, and update or delete media items.
Taxonomies: Create, update, and delete terms and term meta.
Users (limited): Update user profiles and roles, and manage user meta (cannot create or permanently delete users).
Integrations: Full management for WooCommerce (products, orders, customers, coupons) and Gravity Forms (forms, fields, entries, feeds), plus read/write WordPress Abilities.
Audit rollback: Mark an AI change as rolled back after a successful undo.

Still reserved for Site Editor Mode: Structural changes like headers, footers, block templates, global styles, theme/plugin switches, navigation menu structures, site-wide settings, and llms.txt writes.

Site Editor Mode — Structural Changes

Use when: You need site-wide or architectural changes — header/footer, global design, navigation, themes, plugins, or templates.

Access: Administrators only (manage_options). Includes everything in Agent Mode, plus:

Site Editor canvas: Open and edit block templates (edit_template), template parts (edit_template_part), and reusable blocks (edit_reusable_block) on block themes.
Global design & branding: Manage global styles (colours, typography, theme.json), font libraries, site identity (logo, favicon, tagline), WordPress options (front-page/posts page settings), and write to llms.txt.
Templates & patterns: Create, duplicate, delete, and restore revisions for block templates, template parts, and synced patterns.
Navigation: Create, update, and delete navigation menus and menu items (FSE wp_navigation on block themes, or classic nav_menu).
Themes & plugins: Switch or update the active theme, and install, activate, deactivate, or update plugins.
Users: Create new users or permanently delete users with content reassignment.

Cross-Cutting Rules to Remember

Theme type matters: Block themes expose FSE templates, template parts, and wp_navigation menus. Classic themes receive classic nav_menu tools instead.
Editor must be open for block edits: Document tools (replace_block, insert_after, etc.) only activate after edit_post_by_id or a Site Editor opener opens the remote iframe canvas.
Destructive actions ask first: High-impact operations like trashing published posts, deleting terms, switching themes, or modifying global styles prompt a user confirmation step before running.
Plugin-gated tools: Integration tools for WooCommerce and Gravity Forms automatically activate only when those plugins are enabled.
Block editor sidebar vs. fullscreen agent: The Ask / Agent / Site Editor mode switcher is a feature of the fullscreen agent UI. The Block Editor sidebar assistant operates strictly within a content-editing context with instant undo capabilities.

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