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Hands-On Mode

Shared control — the AI suggests code, edits, and analyses, but you explicitly choose what context it sees and approve what gets added or executed.
Best for: Users who want AI assistance without giving up fine-grained control. Perfect when you need to review and approve every change before it’s applied.

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How Hands-On Mode Works

Hands-On Mode gives you granular control over the AI’s actions. Unlike Agent Mode where the AI works autonomously, here you’re actively involved in every step:
1

You control the context

Explicitly choose what the AI can see:
  • Select specific cells to add to context
  • Choose which datasets to share
  • Decide which database connections to expose
  • Use @mention to add specific elements
Selecting cells to add to AI context in Hands-On Mode
Only share the minimum context needed for your current task. This keeps the AI focused and prevents unintended changes.
2

The AI suggests code

Based on your request and the context you’ve shared, the AI proposes:
  • New code cells
  • Edits to existing cells
  • Visualizations
  • Data transformations
The AI does not automatically execute anything. It shows you the suggested code first.
3

You review and approve

For each suggestion, you can:
  • Accept — add the code to your notebook
  • Reject — discard the suggestion
  • Modify — edit the suggested code before accepting
  • Ask for alternatives — request different approaches
You maintain full control over what enters your notebook.
4

You execute manually

After accepting code, you run cells yourself using standard Jupyter controls:
  • Shift+Enter to run and advance
  • Ctrl+Enter to run in place
  • Run All, Run Selected, etc.
This gives you complete visibility into execution order and results.

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Example Workflow

Scenario: You want to modify a planning cell without affecting other cells.
You select only the planning cell and add it to context using the SignalPilot panel.
Adding only the planning cell to context
Context shared with AI:
  • One specific cell (the planning cell)
  • Current kernel state (optional)
  • No other cells or data

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Key Differences from Agent Mode

Agent Mode

Autonomous execution
  • AI manages all context automatically
  • Creates and executes full plan
  • You approve the plan upfront
  • Agent handles all code execution

Hands-On Mode

Manual control
  • You choose what context to share
  • AI suggests one change at a time
  • You approve each suggestion individually
  • You execute code manually

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When to Use Hands-On Mode

When you need strict control over what the AI can access, Hands-On Mode lets you share only specific cells or datasets. Perfect for:
  • Financial data with privacy requirements
  • Customer PII that needs careful handling
  • Proprietary business logic
Even in Hands-On Mode, SignalPilot follows a zero data retention policy. No data is stored outside your notebook.
If you’re learning data analysis or want to understand what the AI is doing, Hands-On Mode lets you:
  • Review each suggestion before applying it
  • Modify code to understand different approaches
  • Execute step by step to see intermediate results
  • Learn coding patterns from AI suggestions
When troubleshooting a particular cell or function:
  • Share only the problematic code
  • Get focused suggestions without affecting other cells
  • Test fixes incrementally
  • Maintain full control over execution order
When working in a shared notebook:
  • Review all changes before applying them
  • Ensure suggestions align with team standards
  • Document why certain approaches were chosen
  • Avoid unintended modifications to shared cells

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Context Management

One of Hands-On Mode’s most powerful features is explicit context control:

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Adding Context

Click the checkbox next to specific cells to add them to AI context.Use case: Focus the AI on a specific part of your analysis without exposing unrelated code.

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Removing Context

You can remove items from context at any time by:
  • Unchecking selected cells
  • Clearing the context panel
  • Starting a new conversation thread
Keep your context minimal. Only share what’s needed for the current task. This makes AI suggestions more focused and relevant.

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Switching Modes

You can switch between modes anytime using the mode selector in the SignalPilot panel:
1

Click the mode selector

Located in the bottom-right corner of the notebook interface
2

Choose your mode

  • Agent Mode — Autonomous execution with plan approval
  • Hands-On Mode — Manual control (current)
  • Ask Mode — Read-only questions
3

Continue working

SignalPilot adapts immediately. Your notebook state is preserved.
Your context selection persists when switching modes. If you had specific cells selected in Hands-On Mode, they’ll remain in context when you switch.

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FAQ

Yes. You can start in Hands-On Mode to carefully build your analysis, then switch to Agent Mode when you want the AI to handle repetitive tasks autonomously.Your notebook state, context, and conversation history are all preserved when switching.
Only the data you explicitly share via context selection or @mention. The AI cannot access:
  • Cells you haven’t selected
  • Datasets you haven’t mentioned
  • Database connections you haven’t added to context
And as always, SignalPilot follows a zero data retention policy.
Only if you explicitly allow it. You can:
  • @mention specific MCP resources (e.g., @dbt-models)
  • Grant permission when the AI requests external context
  • Deny requests if you want to keep the AI focused on local context

Learn about MCP

See how SignalPilot connects to external tools via Model Context Protocol
The SignalPilot panel shows your active context at all times:
  • List of selected cells
  • Mentioned datasets
  • Active database connections
  • MCP resources in scope
You can review and modify this list anytime.
Yes. You can ask the AI to create a plan, review it, and then execute steps manually. The AI will suggest code for each step, but you approve and run it yourself.This combines the structure of planning with the control of manual execution.

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Next Steps

Try Agent Mode

Switch to fully autonomous execution with plan approval

Explore Ask Mode

Read-only mode for questions without modifications

MCP Integration

Connect to dbt, Slack, Jira for richer context

Cell-Level Editing

Learn about inline edits and tab autocomplete