# Agent mode

Read when `--agent` appears in skill arguments or the user explicitly requests machine-readable JSON. This mode never grants browser-cookie consent. Skip interactive questions only when doing so is compatible with the root's consent requirements; use the cookie-free path when consent is absent.

## Agent Mode (--agent flag)

If `--agent` appears in ARGUMENTS (e.g., `/last30days plaud granola --agent`):

1. **Skip** the intro display block ("I'll research X across Reddit...")
2. **Skip** any `AskUserQuestion` calls - use `TARGET_TOOL = "unknown"` if not specified
3. **Run** the research script and WebSearch exactly as normal
4. **Skip** the "WAIT FOR USER RESPONSE" pause
5. **Skip** the follow-up invitation ("I'm now an expert on X...")
6. **Output** the complete research report and stop - do not wait for further input

When the resolved directory is nonempty, agent mode saves raw research data to `LAST30DAYS_MEMORY_DIR` (defaults to `~/Documents/Last30Days`) automatically via `--save-dir` (handled by the script, no extra tool calls). An empty directory disables these saves and their footer pointer. Use `--output <file>` only when a caller needs the rendered stdout artifact at an exact path, with the format controlled by `--emit`.

**Machine-readable JSON exception:** If the user explicitly asks for structured JSON for an agent, script, or workflow, replace the normal `--emit=compact` engine invocation with `--emit=json` and pass the engine's stdout through verbatim instead of synthesizing the report format below. The default `--json-profile=agent` is the stable, versioned flat contract; use `--json-profile=raw` only when the user explicitly requests the full internal `Report` dump. `--preflight --emit=json` is a separate permission-preflight contract and is not affected by `--json-profile`. Full field documentation and the versioning policy live in `docs/reference/json-export.md` in the repository.

Agent mode report format:

```
## Research Report: {TOPIC}
Generated: {date} | Sources: Reddit, X, Bluesky, YouTube, TikTok, HN, Polymarket, Web

### Key Findings
[3-5 bullet points, highest-signal insights with citations]

### What I learned
{The full "What I learned" synthesis from normal output}

### Stats
{The standard stats block}
```

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