Acquia AI operates in two modes. Advisor mode answers questions. Work mode performs tasks. The mode determines accessible resources, modification capabilities, and AI credit consumption.
Comparison
Feature
Advisor mode
Work mode
Agent action
Answers a question and displays sources.
Proposes a plan for approval, produces a draft, and waits for a separate approval to publish.
Access requirements
Active by default for every user with access to Acquia Source.
An administrator grants Work mode through a role permission on Cloud Platform, DAM, or Web Governance, or through the administrator role on Source CMS.
Accessible resources
Acquia product documentation and basic account or subscription details.
Assigned applications, sites, and assets, plus added project context.
Access to sites, applications, and environments
No.
Yes, within administrator assignments.
Access to logs
No.
Yes, for diagnosis tasks within a specified environment and time window.
Modification capability
No.
Yes, upon approval. Drafts require plan approval, and publication requires a second approval.
AI credit usage
Does not consume AI credits.
Consumes AI credits.
Agent identity
User identity.
Scoped agent identity.
Permissions
User permission set.
Dedicated Agents Team role, which an administrator can edit per environment on Cloud Platform or maintain as fixed on Source CMS.
Advisor mode
In Advisor mode, the agent functions in read-only status to answer questions without action. The conversation remains fully interactive, so users can submit follow-up questions at any point.
Advisor mode utilizes user identity. The agent reads only Acquia product documentation and basic account or subscription details, which enables subscription content statements without access inside sites or applications.
Advisor mode offers a safe entry point. Because the agent accesses documentation and account details rather than live sites and consumes no AI credits, users can explore agent knowledge before task delegation.
Typical Advisor mode questions include:
How do I create a site in Source CMS?
What does this Source CMS setting control?
Which Acquia products does my subscription include?
Work mode
In Work mode, the agent operates through the Agents Team identity rather than user permissions. An administrator assigns the agent to target applications and sites in the same manner as human team members. For additional details, visit Delegate and approve a task in Work mode.
Agent reach remains separate from user reach. An administrator configures access separately to apply to all project users.
The agent maintains a dedicated role. On Cloud Platform, an administrator configures Agents Team role permissions to permit actions on specific environments. On Source CMS, the agent maintains a fixed member role without separate permission controls, which limits administrator configuration to site selection.
Work mode follows a consistent workflow:
A user describes the required work.
The agent proposes a plan for user review. The agent takes no action until plan approval.
The agent performs the authorized work and generates a draft result.
Publication requires a second approval before content goes live.
The agent can reach resources beyond direct user access. Because the agent maintains a separate identity, it can access applications or sites that specific users cannot access directly. Any user with Acquia AI access can interact with those resources through the agent.
Assign access with care, and grant access only to applications and sites that all Acquia AI users must affect.
Boundaries between modes
The boundary between modes provides structured governance. Advisor mode queries do not access log contents. Tasks delegated in Work mode analyze application or platform logs only for the specified environment and time window. Diagnosis tasks return identified patterns and evidence rather than raw log entries. For additional details, visit Diagnose a slow or failing application.
Choosing a mode
Select an operational mode based on task goals:
Use Advisor mode to gain information or avoid AI credit consumption.
Use Work mode to generate or modify resources under review approval.
Modes in Acquia AI
Acquia AI operates in two modes. Advisor mode answers questions. Work mode performs tasks. The mode determines accessible resources, modification capabilities, and AI credit consumption.
Comparison
Feature
Advisor mode
Work mode
Agent action
Answers a question and displays sources.
Proposes a plan for approval, produces a draft, and waits for a separate approval to publish.
Access requirements
Active by default for every user with access to Acquia Source.
An administrator grants Work mode through a role permission on Cloud Platform, DAM, or Web Governance, or through the administrator role on Source CMS.
Accessible resources
Acquia product documentation and basic account or subscription details.
Assigned applications, sites, and assets, plus added project context.
Access to sites, applications, and environments
No.
Yes, within administrator assignments.
Access to logs
No.
Yes, for diagnosis tasks within a specified environment and time window.
Modification capability
No.
Yes, upon approval. Drafts require plan approval, and publication requires a second approval.
AI credit usage
Does not consume AI credits.
Consumes AI credits.
Agent identity
User identity.
Scoped agent identity.
Permissions
User permission set.
Dedicated Agents Team role, which an administrator can edit per environment on Cloud Platform or maintain as fixed on Source CMS.
Advisor mode
In Advisor mode, the agent functions in read-only status to answer questions without action. The conversation remains fully interactive, so users can submit follow-up questions at any point.
Advisor mode utilizes user identity. The agent reads only Acquia product documentation and basic account or subscription details, which enables subscription content statements without access inside sites or applications.
Advisor mode offers a safe entry point. Because the agent accesses documentation and account details rather than live sites and consumes no AI credits, users can explore agent knowledge before task delegation.
Typical Advisor mode questions include:
How do I create a site in Source CMS?
What does this Source CMS setting control?
Which Acquia products does my subscription include?
Work mode
In Work mode, the agent operates through the Agents Team identity rather than user permissions. An administrator assigns the agent to target applications and sites in the same manner as human team members. For additional details, visit Delegate and approve a task in Work mode.
Agent reach remains separate from user reach. An administrator configures access separately to apply to all project users.
The agent maintains a dedicated role. On Cloud Platform, an administrator configures Agents Team role permissions to permit actions on specific environments. On Source CMS, the agent maintains a fixed member role without separate permission controls, which limits administrator configuration to site selection.
Work mode follows a consistent workflow:
A user describes the required work.
The agent proposes a plan for user review. The agent takes no action until plan approval.
The agent performs the authorized work and generates a draft result.
Publication requires a second approval before content goes live.
The agent can reach resources beyond direct user access. Because the agent maintains a separate identity, it can access applications or sites that specific users cannot access directly. Any user with Acquia AI access can interact with those resources through the agent.
Assign access with care, and grant access only to applications and sites that all Acquia AI users must affect.
Boundaries between modes
The boundary between modes provides structured governance. Advisor mode queries do not access log contents. Tasks delegated in Work mode analyze application or platform logs only for the specified environment and time window. Diagnosis tasks return identified patterns and evidence rather than raw log entries. For additional details, visit Diagnose a slow or failing application.
Choosing a mode
Select an operational mode based on task goals:
Use Advisor mode to gain information or avoid AI credit consumption.
Use Work mode to generate or modify resources under review approval.
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