Using Operator Mode to configure your Knowledge Agent

Operator Mode gives your Knowledge Agent the tools to configure itself and take action in Guru, right from the chat you're already in. Turn it on to build and edit skills, update your agent's system prompt, find out why a specific answer went wrong, and handle everyday Guru tasks like commenting on a Card or reorganizing folders. You describe what you want in plain language, and the agent does the rest.

Turning on Operator Mode

The Operator Mode toggle sits on the chat box in the Guru web app, in both main chat and the chat side panel. It's off by default whenever you start a new chat, so your agent behaves normally until you choose otherwise.

1. Open a chat with a Knowledge Agent you manage.
2. Turn on the Operator Mode toggle on the chat box.
3. Describe what you'd like the agent to do.

Operator Mode stays on for the rest of the conversation until you turn it off. You can switch it on or off at any point, including partway through a conversation. That means you can go from asking your agent a question to fixing the skill behind its answer without starting a new chat.

Messages sent in Operator Mode appear in purple, with markers in the thread showing where the mode was turned on or off.

Some entry points open the chat with Operator Mode already on, like launching chat from Agent Settings or clicking Analyze in the AI Agent Center. The toggle stays visible there too, so you can turn it off if you don't need it.

Understanding what Operator Mode can do

With Operator Mode on, your agent keeps running its skills as usual and gains an extra set of tools for configuring itself and working in Guru.

• Build and edit skills. Describe a new behavior or a change to an existing skill, and the agent drafts it for you.
• Update the system prompt. Ask for a change to your agent's overall instructions in plain language.
• Analyze answers and threads. Give the agent an answer or thread and ask why it responded the way it did.
• Take action in Guru. The agent can handle everyday tasks like adding a comment to a Card, searching in the Card Manager, or reorganizing folders. If you can do it yourself in Guru, the agent can usually do it for you.

Approving changes

Operator Mode is built so you stay in control of every change.

• It acts as you. Every action uses your own Guru permissions, so the agent can't see or change anything you couldn't see or change yourself.
• Changes wait for your approval. Looking things up happens automatically. Anything that creates, edits, or deletes data pauses first and asks you to approve it in plain language, for example "Allow Guru to create card comment?"
• Always allow covers one action. Selecting Always allow applies only to that specific action, not to everything Operator Mode can do.
• Sensitive areas are off limits. Admin, sign-in, and billing actions are blocked in Operator Mode.

Once you approve a change, it saves to your agent's live configuration right away.

Building and editing skills

Describe what you want in plain language, and the agent drafts a new skill or edits an existing one in the same conversation.

Example: "I want you to be able to answer questions about our leave policy."

The agent proposes the skill and asks for your approval before saving it. Once you approve, the change appears on your agent's Skills page.

Editing the system prompt

Describe the change you want in plain language. The agent drafts an update to the system prompt and asks for your approval before it goes live.

Inspecting and fixing a bad answer

The fastest way to start is from the AI Agent Center. Hover over any row in the Questions or Threads table and click Analyze. Guru opens the chat with Operator Mode turned on and starts the analysis right away.

• From the Questions table. Guru opens the thread the question belongs to, scrolls to that question, and passes along its Answer ID so the analysis targets the right answer.
• From the Threads table. Guru opens the full thread for analysis.

You can also turn on Operator Mode in any chat and paste in a thread ID or Answer ID.

Either way, the agent traces which skills fired, which sources it pulled, and where the response went wrong. From there, you can ask it to fix the underlying skill. The agent regenerates the answer in a test context, and if the new answer is correct, the fix persists so future questions on the same topic get a better response.

Using Operator Mode in automations

You can also turn on Operator Mode when setting up a Knowledge Agent Automation. This lets a scheduled automation take actions in Guru, not just answer questions. Operator Mode is off by default for automations too, so you choose which ones need it.

Frequently asked questions about Operator Mode

Does Operator Mode change how my agent works for everyone else?
No. Every chat starts with Operator Mode off, and only people with permission to manage the agent see the toggle. Everyday chats aren't affected.

Can I turn Operator Mode on partway through a conversation?
Yes. Turn it on or off at any point. Once it's on, it stays on until you turn it off.

Does my agent still run its skills in Operator Mode?
Yes. Your agent keeps using its skills as normal. Operator Mode adds tools on top of them.

Are changes live immediately?
Yes. Approved changes save to your agent's configuration right away. There's no native undo, though version history exists across agent configuration.

Can I use Operator Mode in the browser extension or Slack?
No. Operator Mode is only available in the Guru web app, in main chat, the chat side panel, and the Automations configuration.

Why don't I see the Operator Mode toggle?
You need Manage Questions or Manage Settings permission on that Knowledge Agent. If you can analyze answers but can't edit skills, you likely have Manage Questions only. Check with your Knowledge Agent Owner or Admin.