Agent Profiles

Profiles bundle model choice, prompt behavior, tool access, read-only posture, turn limits, and reasoning effort. Pick the profile that matches the job.

Built-In Profiles

Profile	PromptKind	Tools	ReadOnly	MaxTurns	DefaultEffort	Use Case
`craft`	chat	general coding and extension tools	false	20	3	General coding, features, bug fixes
`quick`	quick	focused coding/search subset	false	10	2	Small, fast, well-defined tasks
`study`	study	extended reasoning and coordination tools	false	40	4	Architecture, debugging, multi-step changes
`review`	review	read-only review tools plus diagnostics	true	12	3	Code review (read-only)
`oracle`	oracle	read-only investigation tools	true	8	4	Advisory second opinion (read-only)
`find`	find	read, multi_read, finder, glob, grep, web_search, todo_read	true	8	2	Repository and manual/project-note discovery
`aggman`	aggman	configured: find_thread, read_thread, web_search, send_message, receive_messages, todo_read, todo_write, ask_user effective: find_thread, read_thread, web_search, receive_messages, todo_read	true	6	2	Multi-agent aggregation and status synthesis

Aliases:

Alias	Canonical
`smart`	`craft`
`rush`	`quick`
`deep`	`study`
`search`	`find`

Prompt Kinds

Each profile uses a promptKind that shapes the agent’s behavior:

chat - General-purpose assistant. Balances reasoning with action.
quick - Optimizes for small, fast tasks. Fewer tools, lower turn budget.
study - Uses deeper reasoning for architecture, debugging, and multi-step changes.
review - Reviews code and plans critically. Read-only posture.
oracle - Acts as an advisory second brain. Read-only, high reasoning effort.
find - Focuses on repository and manual/project-note discovery. Read-only.
aggman - Receives and synthesizes coordination messages in multi-agent setups. Because the built-in profile is read-only, configured state-writing and interactive tools such as send_message, todo_write, and ask_user are filtered out of its effective registry.

Switch Profiles

In the TUI

/config - open the profile and model picker.
/mode - cycle through craft -> quick -> study.

From the CLI

anode -x --profile study "debug this crash"
anode execute --profile quick "add input validation to signup handler"
anode review --profile review
anode tools list --profile review

The --profile flag is wired into root -x, anode execute, daemon runs start, anode review, and anode tools inspection/use commands.

Custom Profiles

Define custom profiles in your config.json under profiles:

{
  "profiles": {
    "security-review": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
      "promptKind": "review",
      "systemPrompt": "You are a security-focused code reviewer. Flag injection vulnerabilities, auth bypasses, data exposure, and unsafe deserialization. Cite CWE IDs where applicable.",
      "tools": ["read", "finder", "web_search", "todo_read"],
      "readOnly": true,
      "maxTurns": 15,
      "defaultEffort": 4
    }
  }
}

Use it:

anode review --profile security-review

Profile Fields

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	Profile name
`model`	string	Model override (e.g., `"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6"`)
`promptKind`	string	Prompt kind: `chat`, `quick`, `study`, `review`, `oracle`, `find`, or `aggman`. Aliases: `rush` -> `quick`, `deep` -> `study`, `search` -> `find`.
`promptPath`	string	Path to a custom system prompt file
`systemPrompt`	string	Inline custom system prompt text
`tools`	string[]	Allowed tools. Supports glob patterns. `["*"]` means all
`readOnly`	bool	Read-only posture. Omits mutation tools from the model’s view
`maxTurns`	int	Maximum model/tool turns per run
`defaultEffort`	int	Default reasoning effort (1-5)

Profile Merging

Custom profiles merge over built-in defaults. If you define a profile named quick, your fields override the built-in quick values. Missing fields keep their defaults.

Profile names are case-insensitive. When you define a new custom profile name, Anode uses craft as its merge base. When you request a profile at runtime, that name must exist as either a built-in, configured custom profile, or alias. Alias names are resolved before lookup.

Read-only profiles

Profiles with readOnly: true omit mutation tools from the model-visible registry. The agent cannot see or call edit_file, create_file, or bash with write operations. This is enforced at the tool registry level - the model never receives these tools in its schema.

The built-in review, oracle, find, and aggman profiles are read-only.

Model Capabilities

Each model registers capabilities that interact with profiles:

Capability	Description
`SupportsReasoning`	Model supports extended reasoning/thinking
`DefaultEffort`	Default reasoning effort level (1-5)
`MinEffort`	Minimum supported effort
`MaxEffort`	Maximum supported effort
`ThinkingRequired`	Model requires thinking to be enabled

The profile’s defaultEffort is clamped to the model’s MinEffort-MaxEffort range. Cycle effort in the TUI with /effort.

Keep Going

Configuration - full settings reference including profile config
How It Works - the agent loop and tool execution flow
Tools - reference for all built-in tools
Plan and Execute - structured planning with any profile