> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lovable.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Set a goal for Lovable > Type /goal at the start of a Build mode message to set that message as a goal. Lovable works on it until the goal is achieved, so a large task can be finished completely in a single message. A goal is a [Build mode](/features/agent-mode) message that Lovable keeps working on until the goal is achieved. You can set one on any message: the first prompt of a new project or any message in an existing project. Set a goal for a large task that you want finished completely, such as a feature that spans several parts of your app. A goal can take hours to finish and use a large number of credits, so use it for work where a complete result matters more than speed or cost. A goal still pauses at your [credit check-in level](/introduction/credits-and-usage#build-costs) and asks whether to continue, like any long-running message. With the default level of 20 credits, a large goal pauses several times along the way. Adjust the level in [account settings](/introduction/lovable-account-settings#preferences) to check in less often. ## How Lovable works on a goal A goal changes how Lovable works on the message: * **Lovable works until the goal is achieved**, for up to [10 hours](/features/agent-mode#how-long-lovable-works-on-one-message) on the one message, and uses the final half hour to finish what is in progress and summarize what is done. * **Lovable doesn't pause to ask questions about the work.** It makes routine decisions itself, and stops early only when it needs something that only you can provide, such as access to another service. Because of this, [write the goal so Lovable can finish on its own](#write-a-goal-lovable-can-finish-on-its-own). * **Lovable still checks in about cost.** Like any long-running message, a goal pauses when it crosses your [credit check-in level](/introduction/credits-and-usage#build-costs) and asks whether to continue. Choose **Continue** and Lovable resumes where it left off. * **Lovable builds the finished version.** It completes what you asked for, rather than delivering a first version for you to review and refine. * **You can still guide the work.** [Send follow-up messages](/features/projects/chat#send-follow-ups-while-lovable-works) to adjust the direction, and they become part of the goal. Follow the progress in the [activity cards](/features/projects/chat#follow-the-work-in-activity-cards), or click the **stop button** to stop the work. ## Set a goal You set a goal in the message itself, with the `/goal` command: Type `/goal` at the very start of your message, followed by a [description of the goal](#write-a-goal-lovable-can-finish-on-its-own), or type `/` and pick **Goal** from the menu that opens. A banner above the chat input confirms the goal: "Lovable will work until your goal is achieved. This might take hours and use a large number of credits." Anywhere else in the message, the command has no effect, and a message with `/goal` and nothing else doesn't send. Lovable removes the `/goal` command from the message text, and the sent message is marked **Goal** in the chat so you can recognize it later. ```text wrap theme={null} /goal Refactor the checkout flow to support saved payment methods, update the database schema, and add tests for the new endpoints. ``` If your workspace has a [skill](/features/skills) named `goal`, `/goal` at the start of a message still sets a goal. You can still use the skill later in the message. ### Write a goal Lovable can finish on its own Lovable doesn't pause to ask you questions during a goal, so the message needs to include everything Lovable would otherwise ask about: * **What a finished result looks like.** Describe the parts you expect, such as the pages, flows, or data involved, and what the finished app should do. * **The decisions you care about.** Lovable decides anything you leave open, so state how you want the result to look and behave, and the edge cases it must handle. * **Access to other services.** If the work involves other services, set up the [connectors](/integrations/introduction) and [secrets](/features/secrets) it needs before you send the goal. Lovable stops early if it needs access that only you can grant. A goal still pauses at your [credit check-in level](/introduction/credits-and-usage#build-costs) like any long-running message. If you want fewer pauses on a large goal, adjust the level in [account settings](/introduction/lovable-account-settings#preferences) before you start. ## Goals run in Build mode Goals always run in [Build mode](/features/agent-mode). If the mode picker is on **Plan** when you send a `/goal` message, Lovable switches the picker to **Build**, and it stays on **Build** until you change it. If the message fails to send, the picker stays on **Plan**. The goal applies only to the message you send it with: your next message is a regular message, in the mode the picker shows. ## When you can't set a goal You can't set a goal while Lovable is already working. What happens to a `/goal` message you send during that time depends on what Lovable is working on: * **While Lovable works on a regular message**, no goal is set. A notice above the chat input warns you first, and the message is sent as a regular message: the `/goal` command has no effect and stays in the message as ordinary text. * **While Lovable works on a goal**, your message joins that goal as a [follow-up](/features/projects/chat#send-follow-ups-while-lovable-works) and becomes part of the work toward the same goal. No notice appears. ## What a goal costs A goal is billed on the work Lovable does, and it costs noticeably more than a regular Build mode message, for two reasons: the same work uses more credits, and a goal involves more work, because Lovable keeps working until the goal is achieved. You are charged for all of that work, from start to finish. [Credit check-ins](/introduction/credits-and-usage#build-costs) still apply: the work pauses when it crosses your check-in level, and choosing **Finish up** ends the goal early, with Lovable finishing the work in progress and stopping. The **stop button** stops the work at any time, and you are only charged for the work completed up to that point. Check your credit balance before you set a large goal. The [cost controls for Build mode requests](/features/agent-mode#control-the-cost-of-a-build-mode-request) all apply to goals too. ## FAQ Goals always run in [Build mode](/features/agent-mode), so if the mode picker is on **Plan** when you send a `/goal` message, Lovable switches the picker to **Build**, and it stays on **Build** until you change it. The goal itself applies only to the message you send it with: your next message is a regular message, in the mode the picker shows. The same is true for a project you create from the dashboard with a `/goal` prompt: the goal covers only that first message, and the editor opens in Build mode like any new project. Lovable was already working on a regular message when you sent it. You can't set a goal while a message is in progress, and a notice above the chat input warns you before you send. The message is still sent, but `/goal` has no effect and stays in the message as ordinary text. If Lovable is working on a goal instead, your message joins that goal as a follow-up. No. If a message you sent as a goal fails and you retry it from the chat, the retried message is sent as a goal again. A goal is billed on the work Lovable does, and it costs noticeably more than a regular Build mode message, for two reasons: the same work uses more credits, and a goal involves more work, because Lovable keeps working until the goal is achieved. [Credit check-ins](/introduction/credits-and-usage#build-costs) still pause the work at your check-in level, and the **stop button** stops it at any time. Messages you sent with `/goal` are marked **Goal** in the chat, so you can tell them apart from your other messages. ## Related topics - [Lovable changelog](/changelog.md) - [Add payments to your app](/features/payments.md) - [Chat with Lovable to build your app](/features/projects/chat.md) - [Implement changes in Build mode](/features/agent-mode.md) - [Brainstorm in Plan mode](/features/plan-mode.md)