> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paradime.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ask Mode

> Learn how to use DinoAI's Ask Mode for conversational assistance with your dbt™ development

**Ask Mode** provides a simple, conversational way to use DinoAI without changing any files in your project. It’s ideal for quick questions, learning dbt™, and getting high‑level guidance.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/paradime-docs/_V48tdxcy1g_Y-dv/images/image-233.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_V48tdxcy1g_Y-dv&q=85&s=91189a5799dd1be8f6b20a268cf8ff8d" alt="" width="2018" height="1214" data-path="images/image-233.png" />
</Frame>

***

### Opening Ask Mode

1. Click the **DinoAI icon** (🪄) in the right panel of the Code IDE.
2. At the top of the DinoAI panel, click on the **Agent Mode On** Button to toggle **Ask Mode**.
3. Type your question in natural language and press **Enter**.

You can paste code snippets, SQL queries, error messages, or short pieces of documentation directly into the chat for DinoAI to review.

***

### What Ask Mode is Best For

Use Ask Mode when you want DinoAI to:

* **Explain concepts** – e.g. dbt™ features, Paradime workflows, or SQL patterns
* **Review pasted code** – by copying a model, macro, or YAML snippet into the chat
* **Help debug errors** – by pasting terminal output or stack traces
* **Brainstorm approaches** – for model design, testing strategy, or project structure
* **Answer “how do I…?” questions** – without touching your project files

Ask Mode is read‑only: it will never create, edit, or delete files in your repository.

***

### Credits and Limitations

Ask Mode is designed to be lightweight:

* **Ask Mode does *****not***** consume DinoAI credits.**
* Because it is credit‑free, **Ask Mode also does *****not***** use tools or integrations**.

In Ask Mode, DinoAI:

* **Cannot read your project files automatically**
* **Cannot access added context** from File, Directory, or Terminal context
* **Cannot use tools** such as Warehouse, File System, PDF, Jira, Linear, Perplexity, or Terminal tools
* Only sees **what you type or paste** into the conversation

If you need DinoAI to:

* Inspect your project structure
* Read or modify files directly
* Use your data warehouse metadata
* Pull in external context (Jira, PDFs, web search, etc.)

…then switch to **Agent Mode**, which can use tools and will consume credits.

***

### Ask Mode vs Agent Mode

Choose the mode that matches your task:

* **Ask Mode**
  * No credits used
  * No access to files or tools
  * Best for learning, Q\&A, and reviewing copied snippets
* **Agent Mode**
  * Uses credits when processing text and calling tools
  * Can read and modify files, use warehouse metadata, and work with external systems
  * Best for automating dbt™ development and workflow tasks

You can switch between Ask Mode and Agent Mode at any time from the top of the DinoAI panel.


## Related topics

- [Copilot](/products/dino-ai/copilot/index.md)
- [Agent Mode](/products/dino-ai/copilot/agent-mode.md)
- [DinoAI Copilot](/products/code-ide/left-panel/copilot.md)
- [DinoAI: Accelerating Your Analytics Engineering Workflow](/guides/paradime-101/getting-started-with-the-paradime-ide/dinoai-accelerating-your-analytics-engineering-workflow/index.md)
- [Tools and Features](/products/dino-ai/tools-and-features/index.md)