When Your Ally Acts Weird — The Three Checks

Every Ally has off days. But most of the time, "acting weird" isn't a personality problem — it's a settings problem. Before you assume anything, check three things, in order.

1. What model is it running on?

A different model is a different brain. Same Ally, wrong model, and everything feels slightly off. Every model has its own strengths — and its own voice. If your Ally suddenly doesn't sound like itself, this is the first thing to check.

2. Is reasoning on?

Reasoning is your Ally's thinking time. Off, it answers fast but shallow. Sometimes it gets turned off — by an update, a config change, an accident — and nobody notices. Check that it's on.

3. What level is it set at?

On is good. But the level matters too. Low reasoning is a different experience than max — different depth, different patience with hard problems. Set it to match the job.

The bonus check: a fresh start

If everything above looks right and your Ally still feels dumber than usual, start a new conversation. Sessions can stay pinned to an old model even after you change it. New conversation, new brain. It's the oldest trick in the book, and it works.

Want the model cheat sheet?

See the Learning Center for model flashcards — quick profiles of the models we use, what they're good at, and how to set them: Model Flashcards →

Still weird?

Message us — allysupport@alvin-media.com. Tell us what you checked and what it's doing. If it's happening to you, it's probably happened to others, and we'd rather fix the pattern than the symptom.

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This is a living guide — we update it as we learn.