Choosing your response quality

Response quality, on your agent’s Setup tab, sets how hard it thinks before answering, and is the biggest cost lever within one AI company.

What the three settings change#

All three use the same AI account, skills, memory, and routines. Only the work put into each reply changes.

Which setting to use#

A new agent starts on Economy, to keep your first week cheap. Once you use it for real, move to Balanced. Stay on Economy if it mostly does small, repetitive jobs.

When Best is worth it#

• Several steps, each depending on the one before.
• You want it to weigh things up.
• It’s writing something you’ll send to someone.
• Balanced already tried and missed the point.

Use Best for an afternoon, then switch back. If one skill needs it, set just that skill to Best, using its own Response quality setting.

Skills that pick their own quality#

Nearly every Marketplace skill uses a quality its author chose, so this setting mostly governs ordinary conversation; the line under the buttons counts them. Check “Use this for every skill” to override them, though a skill that searches the web moves up to Balanced if you picked Economy.

Effect on your bill#

On most AI accounts, each step up costs more per reply. With “Use this for every skill” checked and Best picked, routines run at Best every time too, whether or not you read them. To cap spending, see the guide What your agent costs to run.

Choosing the models yourself#

Know which model you want? Open Choose the models yourself under the buttons and name one for any setting; it runs everywhere at that setting, schedules included. Empty boxes stay Archie’s pick. The list shows what your AI account can reach.

Changing response quality#

1. Open your agent’s page, go to Setup, and pick Response quality in the list on the left.
2. Tap Economy, Balanced, or Best.
3. If the agent is running, Archie restarts it so the new setting takes hold.