Quick tips

Practical habits for steadier, faster agent work — from plain-language prompting to managing extensions, protecting files and staying updated.

Prompt like a colleague

No special syntax needed — describe the task in plain language: "refactor the components in src to function style", "find the cause of this error". The more specific the goal, files and expected outcome, the better the result.

Keep sessions short

Context windows are finite; very long conversations dilute attention. One task per session; start a new one when a task finishes; compact promptly when the prompt appears (see Session management).

Enable only the extensions you need

Too many enabled extensions add tool-selection burden and crowd the context. In "Settings → Extensions" keep only what the current task needs — fewer tools mean sharper choices (see Extensions (MCP)).

Persist your preferences

• Project conventions go into hint files (.cyhints), personal preferences into persistent instructions in Settings — applied automatically every session (see Context control);
• Domain knowledge becomes skills, invoked on demand (see Skills).

Protect sensitive files

For files and directories you do not want touched, use the Allow / Ask / Deny permission modes: the agent asks before sensitive operations, and you can tighten defaults in permission settings (see Permissions & safety).

Commit early, roll back easily

Commit before letting the agent change code — unexpected edits can always be rolled back. Use the diff indicator to review what changed (see Session management).

Plan before big tasks

For large multi-step work, ask the agent for a plan first (steps, blast radius) and confirm before executing — less rework than running blind.

Make workflows safe to re-run

When turning a routine into a workflow, have it check current state before acting (idempotent) so re-runs cause no side effects; log each key step for easier debugging (see Workflows).

Stay updated

In-app auto-updates are signature-verified; updating promptly brings the latest fixes and improvements (see Install & update).

Embrace iteration

Prompt and tool combinations rarely work on the first try — iterating is part of the workflow. Add constraints and run it again.

This page is adapted from upstream open-source documentation (Apache-2.0) with modifications; see /legal/provenance for sources and changes.