Chat, Cowork or Code: which mode should you use?
More AI has three modes — Chat for thinking out loud, Cowork for real work in a folder, and Code for your repositories. Here is what each is best at, how they share the same engine, and how the app nudges you to the right one automatically.
The More AI team · Updated July 15, 2026
Three modes, one assistant
More AI is organised around three modes you switch between at the top of the sidebar: Chat, Cowork and Code. They share the same engine, the same provider keys and the same privacy model — the difference is how much reach the assistant has into your files and how it saves its work.
You don’t have to decide up front. Most people live in Chat and step up to Cowork or Code the moment a task grows into files or a repository. Here’s how to tell which fits.
Chat — think, ask, draft
Chat is the fast lane: ask a question, talk through an idea, draft an email, explain a snippet, brainstorm names. Nothing touches your disk — it’s a conversation, saved locally with an automatic title, and you switch models per message to match the task.
Reach for Chat when the answer is the deliverable. If you find yourself pasting the same files in again and again, or asking it to “save that,” it’s time to move up to Cowork.
Cowork — get real work done in a folder
Cowork binds the assistant to a folder on your machine — a thesis, a research project, a report, a pile of notes. It reads and edits the files in that folder (with visible diffs), keeps a live checklist, and can build real deliverables: Word documents, spreadsheets and slide decks that land right in the folder.
Each project keeps its own instructions and its own memory, so a long-running piece of work remembers how you like it done. Choose Cowork when the work lives in documents rather than code.
Code — build in your repository
Code is a planning coding agent for your repositories. It explores the codebase, proposes a plan, makes the changes across files, runs your commands and tests, and shows every edit as a diff — with real git branches, a built-in terminal and a browser to preview the result.
An autonomy ladder (Plan → Read-only → Accept edits → Auto → Full access) decides how much it may do on its own, and risky commands always pause for approval. Choose Code when the task is a change to a codebase.
Not sure? The app points you to the right one
You don’t need to memorise any of this. As you type, the assistant quietly offers a one-click suggestion card when another mode fits your request better — “this looks like a coding task,” “want a real file?” — and moves your prompt across for you. It’s deliberately calm: at most one card at a time, and it stays out of the way once you dismiss it.
A fresh chat also shows a few starter prompts to get going, and a command like /commit or /code-review is suggested exactly when it would help.
Mixing modes
The modes aren’t walls. Turn a promising chat into a project with “Add to project,” and its files come along. Hand a Cowork discussion over to Code when it becomes a code change. Everything you do stays searchable together — one shortcut finds any chat, project or coding session at once.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between Chat and Cowork?
Chat is a plain conversation — nothing touches your disk. Cowork binds the assistant to a folder so it can read and edit your files, keep a checklist and produce real Word, Excel and PowerPoint deliverables. Move from Chat to Cowork when the work lives in files.
When should I use Code instead of Cowork?
Use Code when the task is a change to a codebase — it works on your git repository with branches, a terminal, tests and a permission ladder. Cowork is for documents and general project work; Code is for software.
Do I have to choose a mode before I start?
No. Start in Chat and switch any time. The app even offers a one-click card that suggests a better-fitting mode as you type, and carries your prompt over for you.
What are the suggestion cards?
A gentle nudge: when your request would fit another mode or a command better, the assistant shows a single one-click card during its reply — with no extra cost or delay. Dismiss it twice and it stops offering that one.
Can I move work between modes?
Yes. “Add to project” turns a chat into a Cowork project with its files attached, and you can continue in Code when a task becomes a code change. Search spans all three modes, so nothing gets lost in the move.