Cockpit Mode
Cockpit is a specialized mode for software engineers. It's an AI-powered engineering copilot designed for code analysis, legacy modernization, and repository-aware assistance.
Switching to Cockpit
Click the mode switcher in the chat header and select Cockpit. The interface transitions to a full-width, sidebar-free layout with a distinct teal color scheme.
Setting up your workspace
The first time you use Cockpit, a workspace configuration modal appears:
- Select your project directory (the root of your repository or codebase)
- Confirm the selection
Kognar reads your project's git metadata — current branch, modified files, staged changes, and commits ahead/behind remote.
The status bar
At the bottom of the Cockpit interface, a status bar shows live information about your workspace:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Project name | The name of your project directory |
| Branch | Current git branch |
| Modified | Number of modified (unstaged) files |
| Staged | Number of staged files |
| Untracked | Number of new untracked files |
| Ahead/Behind | Commits ahead of or behind the remote branch |
Click the status bar to view a diff modal with the full list of changes.
Background knowledge extraction
When a workspace is set, Kognar automatically analyzes your codebase in the background to build a knowledge base about your project. This helps the AI understand your code structure, patterns, and conventions without you needing to explain them.
A progress indicator appears in the bottom-right corner showing the extraction status:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Idle | No extraction running |
| Starting | Extraction is about to begin |
| Running | Analysis in progress |
| Done | Knowledge base is ready |
| Error | An error occurred during extraction |
| Cancelled | Extraction was manually stopped |
Click the indicator to expand a progress log showing the last 200 lines of output from the extraction process.
Edit acceptance modes
In Cockpit, you can control how the AI handles proposed changes to your code:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Request permission | AI asks before making any changes |
| Accept edits automatically | AI applies changes without confirmation |
| Planning mode | AI creates a plan first, then executes |
| Ignore permissions | No confirmation required (advanced use) |
Select the mode from the dropdown in the Cockpit input bar.
Using Cockpit
Chat with the AI just like in Conversation mode — type your message and press Enter. The AI has access to:
- Your workspace files and structure (via background knowledge)
- Git status and diff information
- Web Search tools for looking up documentation, libraries, or APIs
- File attachment support (upload specific files for analysis)
Example tasks Cockpit is optimized for:
- "Analyze this legacy Java class and suggest a modern equivalent"
- "What does this function do and where is it called?"
- "Refactor this module to use dependency injection"
- "Find all places where we're directly accessing the database without using the repository layer"
- "What are the security vulnerabilities in this authentication code?"
Cockpit history
Cockpit conversations are stored separately from Conversation mode chats. They don't appear in the main sidebar but are saved and accessible when you return to Cockpit mode.
Switching back to Conversation mode
Click the mode switcher in the header and select Conversation to return to the standard chat interface. Your Cockpit session is preserved.