Agent Mode
Agent mode lets Second Seat take actions on your behalf — creating cases, searching documents, linking conversations, and more — all from the chat interface.
Chat vs Agent vs Research
Second Seat has three modes, selectable from the mode dropdown next to the send button:
| Chat Mode | Agent Mode | Research Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Legal research, analysis, drafting | Taking actions, multi-step tasks | Deep case law research |
| What it does | Answers questions using AI | Executes actions using your data | Searches CourtListener and writes memos |
| Speed | Instant streaming | Slightly longer (runs tools) | 1-3 minutes (multi-step pipeline) |
| Examples | "What is the standard for a Mapp hearing?" | "Create a case called People v. Smith" | "Research case law on warrantless car searches" |
Chat mode is the default. It works exactly as before — fast, streaming responses for legal questions and analysis.
Agent mode gives the AI access to tools that can read and modify your data. Use it when you want Second Seat to do something, not just answer something.
Research mode runs a full research pipeline — planning search strategies, searching CourtListener, analyzing cases, and writing a structured memo. See Research Mode for details.
What Agent Mode Can Do
Case Management
- Search cases — "What cases do I have?"
- Create cases — "Create a case called People v. Smith with docket number 2024-CR-1234"
- Update cases — "Change the status of People v. Smith to active"
- Delete cases — "Delete the test case I just created"
Document Management
- Search documents — "What documents are in the Smith case?"
- Search document content — "Find mentions of witness testimony across my uploaded documents"
- Assign documents to cases — "Move the arrest report to the Smith case"
Conversation Management
- Link conversations to cases — "Link this conversation to the Smith case"
- Rename conversations — "Rename this conversation to 'Suppression Research'"
- Unlink from cases — "Remove this conversation from the Smith case"
Compound Tasks
You can ask the agent to do multiple things in a single message:
- "Create a case called People v. Jones and link this conversation to it"
- "Find all my documents related to DWI and tell me which cases they're in"
- "Search for the Smith case and show me what documents are attached"
How It Works
When you send a message in Agent mode:
- The AI reads your request and decides which tools to use
- You'll see a status indicator showing what the agent is doing (e.g., "Searching cases...")
- Result cards appear inline showing what was found or created
- The AI summarizes the results in a natural response
Confirmations
Some actions require your approval before they execute:
- Updating existing cases
- Deleting cases
- Unlinking conversations from cases
When the agent needs to perform one of these actions, a confirmation card appears with the details of what will happen. Click Approve to proceed or Reject to cancel.
Actions like searching, creating cases, and linking conversations run automatically without confirmation.
Tips
- Switch modes freely — You can switch between Chat, Agent, and Research within the same conversation. Use Agent mode to set things up, Chat for quick questions, and Research for deep case law dives.
- Be specific — "Create a case called People v. Smith with case number 2024-1234" works better than "make a new case."
- Review confirmations — Read the confirmation card details before approving destructive actions.
- Check results — The inline result cards show exactly what the agent found or created. Review them to make sure everything looks right.