--- title: "New clarifying questions in Agent Runners" description: "Netlify Agent Runners can now ask clarifying questions before they build, helping you get better results faster while saving time, iterations, and credits." source: "https://www.netlify.com/blog/new-clarifying-questions-in-agent-runners/" last_updated: "2026-08-19T19:53:10.000Z" --- One of the best things about Netlify Agent Runners is how quickly you can go from an idea in your head to a real, deployed site or application. Describe what you want to build, and an agent can work inside a full production environment, build the application, and deploy the result. There’s no local environment to configure and no separate deployment step between the prompt and a working application. Amazing! But… sometimes the best response to a prompt isn’t to immediately start building. Sometimes it’s a handful of questions to sharpen the idea. Today, we’re adding **clarifying questions to Agent Runners**, giving agents a simple, interactive way to gather a few important details before they start building. ## Getting the details right (_before_ we build) Let’s start out with a deliberately broad prompt: ![Agent Runners clarifying questions mode](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/o0o2tn5x/production/0c78bebc6925f2f4537e68b35e35bbb246eab7b6-1414x600.png?auto=format) > Build a tracker dashboard. Love the enthusiasm, but we’re missing a bit of context here. What do we want to track? Habits? Customer feedback? Something else entirely? Previously, the agent had to guess at those decisions for you. Now, whenever a little more information would materially improve the result, the agent can just ask, and you’ll get an intuitive new UI to quickly provide the answers. ![Providing answers in Agent Runners](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/o0o2tn5x/production/f8a902edcc8c26b50f544d608a0b554914a9f3a5-1426x1040.png?auto=format) The questions are intentionally lightweight,. and you’re never locked into them. Answer the ones you have opinions about and skip the rest, skip a single question or all of them, and the agent decides for itself. You can always add context in your own words alongside your answers. In our testing, even a few quick answers can make the first build substantially sharper, and can save time and credits. Once you answer, Agent Runners gets to work as usual: writing the code, working with Netlify’s platform primitives, and taking the application all the way to a deployed preview. With a clearer picture of what you want, the agent can get closer on the first try, saving you time, iterations, and credits. ## Keep building from there The first deploy doesn’t have to be the final one. Maybe you want to change the visual direction, swap the placeholders out for real examples, or add another feature. Netlify provides you with a full deploy preview where you can review what it built, then immediately continue the conversation: > Replace the example projects with these three projects… Or: > Make the typography more editorial and reduce the amount of color. Or simply: > I don’t like where this is headed. Let’s try a different direction. Every iteration still produces a dedicated [Deploy Preview](https://docs.netlify.com/deploy/deploy-types/deploy-previews/). That gives you a durable history of what the agent built along the way, so you can review an earlier direction or return to it if the next experiment doesn’t work out. ![Deploy preview is ready](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/o0o2tn5x/production/0564c9e9d07fac67feef3909486720f65b449827-1414x506.png?auto=format) ## A few more nice improvements #### A faster experience As you work, you’ll notice we’ve also made consecutive Agent Runs faster. Behind the scenes, we’re keeping the infrastructure used for your run warm and ready for subsequent requests, reducing the time it takes to move through these iterations. #### More models to experiment with We’ve also recently expanded the models available through Agent Runners, including a growing collection of [new open models](https://www.netlify.com/blog/build-with-open-models-in-production/). You can experiment with different models and see how they approach the same problem, while the Agent Runner experience around them remains consistent. Regardless of the model you choose, it can ask clarifying questions when useful, work against the same Netlify context, and ultimately deliver its work as a deployed application. #### Build privately until launch day With [private projects](https://www.netlify.com/blog/new-netlify-projects-are-now-private-by-default/) collaboration can happen securely until you’re ready for the rest of the world to see your work. New teams now keep their deploys private by default, and existing teams can enable the setting as well. (Netlify Pro supports unlimited team members, making it easy to bring the right people into the process as you build.) And again, all of it happens against the same production environment your application will ultimately run on. #### New ask mode There are times you want an agent to do some investigation and return a response without making any changes to your project. Perhaps you have a question like: “What are some good options to make the homepage load faster?” [Ask mode in Agent Runners](https://www.netlify.com/blog/agent-runners-ask-mode/) is a fast way to explore a codebase, query databases, investigate issues, and better understand your project before making any changes. It’s guaranteed to be read-only and won’t spend the time or credits to create a new deploy. ## Agent Runners: The fastest path from an idea to a deployed application Tryout the new, smarter, faster [Agent Runners](https://app.netlify.com/start). Projects can be private by default, you can experiment with many more models, and now agents can stop for a moment and ask for the information they need before they build. Together, these improvements change what it feels like to build with an agent. Be sure to share with us what you build, and what you’d like your agents to be able to do next. ## More great Agent Runner resources - [Get started with Agent Runners](https://app.netlify.com/start) - [Deploy Previews](https://docs.netlify.com/deploy/deploy-types/deploy-previews/) — Learn how Netlify creates shareable, isolated previews for every iteration. - [Private Deploys by Default](https://www.netlify.com/blog/new-netlify-projects-are-now-private-by-default/) — Keep new projects and works in progress private until you’re ready to share them. - [Build with open models in production](https://www.netlify.com/blog/build-with-open-models-in-production/) — Explore the growing range of models available across Netlify. - [Netlify CLI](https://developers.netlify.com/cli/) — Work with Netlify projects and Agent Runners from your local development environment. ### Share - [X (fka Twitter)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=New clarifying questions in Agent Runners&url=https://www.netlify.com/blog/new-clarifying-questions-in-agent-runners/) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.netlify.com%2Fblog%2Fnew-clarifying-questions-in-agent-runners%2F) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.netlify.com/blog/new-clarifying-questions-in-agent-runners/) - [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=New clarifying questions in Agent Runners+https://www.netlify.com/blog/new-clarifying-questions-in-agent-runners/) * * * ### Tags - [Agent Runners](/blog/tags/agent-runners/) - [AI](/blog/tags/ai/) ## Keep reading ![](/_astro/91221aaf25205b0bd90884e21907f1acaed12694-3200x1800_ZkaVrQ.webp) News & Announcements August 6, 2026 [ ### Open models are having a moment. We’re all in. ](/blog/build-with-open-models-in-production) - ![Profile picture of Mathias Biilmann](/_astro/f193d4707a6391d843d5aaa73338b5a5971ec5cc-960x960_1Yylqm.webp) Mathias Biilmann ![](/_astro/0f9c08a36e3edef071b7808f4b957e1fa756902c-1800x1013_wFLnf.webp) News & Announcements July 31, 2026 [ ### Ask mode: consult an agent before making changes ](/blog/agent-runners-ask-mode) - ![Profile picture of Taylor Barnett-Torabi](/_astro/cf4624da8c1286738397b6fecb53bad504df140b-400x400_ZsvK0s.webp) Taylor Barnett-Torabi ## Recent posts Opinions & Insights August 14, 2026 [ ### The full power of Git, without the friction: A conversation with Netlify CTO Dana Lawson ](/blog/netlify-source-with-netlify-cto-dana-lawson) - ![Profile picture of Dana Lawson](/_astro/856bf146d0c05c9dc25d45b59f7eac955fbbd644-512x512_1n84rs.webp) Dana Lawson Opinions & Insights August 12, 2026 [ ### Choosing an AI model: one prompt, 11 models, very different results ](/blog/one-prompt-11-models-very-different-results) - ![Profile picture of Elad Rosenheim](/_astro/be563e8998105c7e95b4db9110fa16b47cb68acd-230x230_Z2hYOHp.webp) Elad Rosenheim News & Announcements August 6, 2026 [ ### Open models are having a moment. We’re all in. ](/blog/build-with-open-models-in-production) - ![Profile picture of Mathias Biilmann](/_astro/f193d4707a6391d843d5aaa73338b5a5971ec5cc-960x960_1Yylqm.webp) Mathias Biilmann ![](/_astro/3f255b372fa958df35802666ee33b4609b2d71bd-1200x1586_1VtE2D.webp) ### How do the best dev and marketing teams work together? [Access the report](https://www.netlify.com/reports/2024-leadership-trend-report/access/)