# Questions, runs, and replays

Answer a bot's multiple-choice questions, read the line under a finished reply, replay or share a run, and save a run that worked as a reusable skill.

Canonical page: https://themachine.myapps.ai/docs/desktop/models/questions-and-runs

## Questions from a bot

![A question card with lettered options, Skip, and a box for your own answer](/images/docs/desktop/question-card.webp)

Sometimes a bot needs you to make a choice before it can carry on. It shows a
**question card**: a short heading, the question, and lettered options. If
the bot didn't give a heading, the card says *The agent has a question*.

> **Report format**
> Which format do you want for the report?
> A. PDF
> B. Word document
> C. Markdown
> D. Skip

To answer:

- **Click an option.**
- Or type your own answer in **Type your own answer** and press **Enter**.
- Or click **Skip** to let the bot decide.
- Clicking **×** in the corner dismisses the question.

If Machine Desktop is in the background, you get a notification: *"Scout has
a question"*. The bot waits for you.

If you see *"The agent's question could not be reached to answer it"*, just
type your answer as a normal message instead.

**Want fewer questions?** Put your preferences in the bot's
[Soul](/docs/desktop/bots/soul), like *"Always deliver reports as PDF."* Or,
to get *more* questions, add *"Ask me before you start anything long."*

## The run footer

![The line under a finished reply: how long it worked, the steps, the model, the cost, and Replay and Share](/images/docs/desktop/run-footer.webp)

When a bot finishes a reply that took real work, a quiet line appears under
it:

> Worked 1m 05s · 6 steps · $0.04 · Replay · Share

| Part | Means |
|---|---|
| **Worked …** | How long the turn took, from your message to the reply. |
| **… steps** | How many actions the bot took, like searches, commands, and file changes. |
| The cost | What the turn cost, when there was a cost. |

The line doesn't name the model. To see which model a thread runs on, look at
the model chip in the chat header.

There's no line for a plain reply where the bot didn't need to do anything.

### Replay

Click **Replay** to open the [Live view](/docs/desktop/live/live-view), the
bot's computer shown as a desktop, where you can watch the steps it took. See
[Replay a turn](/docs/desktop/live/live-view#replay-a-turn).

### Share

Click **Share** to save the run as **one web page** anyone can open in a
browser, like *scout-replay.html*. It downloads to your computer, with the
screenshots inside it, so you can send the file to a colleague. It contains
what the bot did in that turn, so check it before sending it on.

## The run card

![Answering a bot's question by choosing an option](/images/docs/desktop/anim-question.webp)

When a bot ran several commands to complete your request, a small **run
card** appears beside the message box **after the turn finishes**. While the
bot is still working, the live work card in the chat already shows what it's
doing.

The run card starts **folded**: a slim pill with a summary like *3 steps · 1
failed*. Click **Expand the run** (the arrow) to see each step, under the
heading **This run**:

| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **✓** | The step worked. |
| **✗** | The step failed. |

Steps may also be tagged **verified** (the bot checked the result) or **dry
run** (a test that didn't change anything).

- Click **Collapse the run** to fold it again.
- Click **×** (**Dismiss the run**) to close it. It comes back the next time
  the bot runs a command.

A failed step doesn't always mean the task failed. Bots often try something,
see it fail, and fix it. Read the bot's reply for the outcome.

## Save a run as a skill

When a bot does something well that you'll want again, like *"pull last
week's sales numbers and make a chart"*, turn it into a **skill**: a saved
recipe the bot can reuse in future threads.

### Click Save as skill

On the run card, click **Save as skill**. It's there when at least one step
worked and the bot isn't busy. It's on the folded pill too.
### Add notes

The run and your original request are added to your message box. Nothing is
sent yet. Add anything the skill should always do, like *"Always use Monday
to Sunday"* or *"Save the chart as sales-chart.png."*
### Send

The bot drafts the skill. Check it in **Bot settings → Skills**: click its
name to read it.

You can also draft a skill at any time by sending `/learn`. See [Skills and
memory](/docs/desktop/bots/skills-and-memory).

To stop bots from drafting skills, turn off **Settings → Experimental → Bots
may draft skills for your review**. **Save as skill** then disappears.