AI Modes Comparative Table

ai_modes_comparative_table.md

Aspect	Edit Mode	Chat Mode	Agent Mode
Purpose	Code/text modification	Discussion and explanation	Autonomous problem-solving
Interaction Style	Directive	Conversational	Delegative
Input Format	Specific edit instructions	Questions and discussion points	Task descriptions and goals
Output Format	Modified code snippets	Explanations and examples	Analysis, solutions, and recommendations
Scope	Narrow, focused changes	Conceptual understanding	End-to-end solutions
Use Cases	Bug fixes, refactoring, ownership issues	Learning concepts, brainstorming	Crate architecture, performance analysis
User Involvement	High (specific instructions)	Medium (ongoing dialogue)	Low (initial direction only)
Contextual Needs	Existing code/content	Problem description	Problem and environment context
Ideal For	Known issues with clear solutions	Exploration of concepts	Complex multi-step tasks
Code Example	"Fix this lifetime annotation"	"How should I implement this trait?"	"Find and fix memory issues in this codebase"
Learning Curve	Low - straightforward instructions	Medium - requires conversational skills	High - needs clear problem definition
Task Complexity	Simple to moderate	Moderate	Moderate to complex