Selection Mode turns something you select in the editor into a precise reference in the current Agent draft. Use it when a request such as “change this,” “start here,” or “remove these words” would otherwise be ambiguous.
Turn on Selection Mode
- Open the AI panel and keep the composer in Agent mode.
- Select the pointer button labeled Selection Mode below the Prompt field. The tooltip also shows the shortcut Option-S.
- Select the project content you want ChatCut to understand.
- Confirm that a reference chip appears in the Prompt field, then describe the requested change and select Send message.
Select the button again to leave Selection Mode. Leaving the mode does not remove reference chips already attached to the draft.
What can I select?
- Select a clip or other item on the Timeline.
- Select media in My Assets.
- Drag a box over a region in the Viewer.
- Select a point on the Timeline ruler to reference a specific time.
- Select words or a passage in the Transcript panel.
The resulting chip records the kind of reference and enough project context for the Agent to resolve it when the message is sent.
Selection Mode versus normal editor selection
Normal selection chooses an item for manual editing in the Inspector or Timeline. Selection Mode additionally inserts that selection into the AI draft. Turning it on does not ask the Agent to do anything by itself; the Prompt still needs an instruction.
If a reference is stale
Before sending, reselect the content when you have switched Timelines, deleted or replaced a referenced asset, or substantially changed the referenced Transcript passage. If ChatCut says the reference can no longer be resolved, remove that chip, select the current content again, and resend the request.
For files that are not yet in the project, use Prompt Composer → Upload attachments. For reusable project media, import it through My Assets.