This page describes a feature that is still in beta. Behavior, flags, and configuration may change before the next stable release.
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
The first time you launch Friday, it asks which mode you want — Dispatch or Classic. Pick Classic to start there, and Friday remembers the choice for later sessions.
To switch afterward, open /settings and choose Agent Mode, then pick Classic or Dispatch. Your conversation history carries over, and Friday remembers the new choice for next time.
If you dismiss the first-launch prompt without choosing, Friday starts in Dispatch and asks again next session.
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
Switching through /settings → Agent Mode only takes effect 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.