Noodling is fine, but treat it like any chainsaw cut.

Yes, it’s safe—as long as you follow the same rules you would for any cut. Noodling (cutting along the grain) actually reduces kickback because you’re not hitting the nose tip against anything, but the saw can still grab if you let it.

The real technique for avoiding kickback: keep the chainsaw’s nose out of the wood. That’s where kickback happens. When noodling, you’re typically plunging the bar straight into the cut, so the nose is buried in waste wood anyway. But if you’re cutting a large log and the nose exits the side or catches a branch, that’s when you get bit. So keep the nose pointed away from your body and don’t let it touch anything it shouldn’t.

A sharp chain and proper raker depth help too. Dull chains make you push harder, which makes kickback more likely. So sharpen often, and don’t force the saw.

You’re doing fine. Noodling is one of the safer things you can do with a chainsaw, but it’s still a chainsaw—respect the teeth.