Classic mode

Classic mode turns off Friday's Dispatch-and-threads model. The conversation you type into is the agent doing the work: it reads code, writes code, runs commands, and commits directly on your current branch. No Dispatch handoff, no worker threads, no merge queue, no thread list.

It's the closest behavioral match to Claude Code or Codex. Reach for it when the multi-thread model is more machinery than the task needs.

How to enter classic mode

At startup:

friday --classic

Mid-session, switch with the slash command:

/mode

You'll get a picker with Classic and Dispatch. Pick the other one to switch. Your conversation history carries over.

The default is Dispatch. Without --classic, every session starts in Dispatch mode.

What changes

	Dispatch mode (default)	Classic mode
Who edits files	A worker thread Dispatch spawns	The agent you're chatting with
Thread list	Visible on the left, one row per thread	Hidden — there are no worker threads
Branches	Each thread on friday/thread/<id>	Edits and commits land on your current branch
Merge queue	Threads call AcceptThread; commits cherry-pick over	None — work lands as it happens
Parallel work	Multiple threads in parallel	One conversation at a time
/fork, ThreadList + New Thread	Available	Disabled — no worker threads

Slash commands, settings, working style, approval mode, checkpoints, skills, MCP servers, and custom commands all behave the same in either mode.

When to use classic mode

• You want the working-copy-edits flow you're used to from Claude Code or Codex.
• The work is a single scoped change and the thread isolation is overhead.
• You want to keep typing in the same conversation that does the editing.
• You're in a directory where worktree creation isn't useful.

Stay in Dispatch mode when you want parallel threads, isolated branches per change, or PR-style review of finished work before it merges to your branch.

Switching mid-session

/mode only switches when:

• No worker threads are outstanding. Accept or abandon them first.
• The agent isn't currently processing. Wait for the current turn to finish.

When the switch succeeds, your conversation moves into the new mode's main thread. Anything the previous mode said is still visible above. Checkpoints saved in one mode load fine in the other.

Read next

• Dispatch, threads, and subagents: the model classic mode opts out of.
• GIT mode and Cowboy mode: a different axis — controls git workflow, not agent topology. You can combine either git mode with either agent mode.
• Working style: how Collaborative / Supervised / Autonomous shape behavior in both modes.