---
title: "Noema Autopilot"
description: "Configure Noema Autopilot to route each request between an everyday local model and a stronger local or remote model."
version: "Noema 3.5+"
platforms: ["iPhone", "iPad", "Mac", "Vision Pro"]
reviewed: "July 20, 2026"
canonical: "https://noemaai.com/docs/autopilot"
---

# Noema Autopilot

Per-message routing, Phone a Friend, escalation policy, privacy, fallbacks, and receipts.

## Two routing systems

Smart Router can use Apple’s on-device Foundation Model, keeping the routing decision local, or a small configured remote model that receives the message and limited routing context.

| System | How it decides |
| --- | --- |
| Smart Router | Evaluates each message before generation and selects the everyday or stronger model. |
| Phone a Friend | Lets the local tool-capable model begin the turn and request a handoff only when needed. |

## Set up Autopilot

1. Open Settings → Autopilot and choose Smart Router or Phone a Friend.
2. Select the everyday local chat model.
3. Choose a configured stronger remote model or, on supported Macs, a second installed local model that fits alongside it.
4. For Smart Router, select an on-device or remote router.
5. Review the privacy disclosure, test the configuration, and turn on Autopilot.

## Escalation levels

| Level | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| Conserve | Keeps nearly everything on-device. |
| Balanced | Escalates when the stronger model is likely to make a meaningful difference. |
| Frontier | Escalates more readily when answer quality may benefit. |

## Privacy controls

Pause cloud escalation keeps answers on-device. With a remote Smart Router, that router may still evaluate the message even though the answer is not handed to the stronger cloud model.

Knowledge-base excerpts stay local by default. They are included in a remote escalation only when you enable Allow escalation for knowledge-base chats.

## Failure behavior and receipts

If routing is unavailable, times out, or produces an unreadable decision, Noema falls back to a local heuristic. If escalation is blocked by Off-grid Mode, unavailable, or incompatible with an attachment, the turn stays local.

- The response can show where the answer ran and why.
- Receipts identify local fallbacks, the stronger model, and user overrides.
- Totals can summarize local, cloud, and override behavior together with estimated energy or remote-cost savings.
- Use message actions to retry or reroute when you want a different model.

> Autopilot improves model selection; it does not guarantee factual accuracy. Review citations and source material for important decisions.

## Related documentation
- [Privacy & Network Activity](https://noemaai.com/docs/privacy-and-network-activity)
- [Remote Endpoints](https://noemaai.com/docs/remote-endpoints)
- [Chat Interface](https://noemaai.com/docs/chat-interface)