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Plan Mode

Plan mode turns ambiguous scope into an inspectable plan before execution. Use it when the main risk is misunderstanding what should be built, changed, or verified.

When To Use It​

Use plan mode when:

  • the request has unclear scope, sequencing, or tradeoffs;
  • you want the agent to ask clarifying questions before implementation;
  • a human should approve the plan before execution;
  • the plan should become durable session context.

Do not use plan mode for routine one-turn work. Do not use it as the main progress tracker for long execution; after approval, use Goal mode when the work should continue until completion.

Basic Commands​

/plan set Design the docs sidebar before writing new pages.
/plan show
/plan approve
/plan pause
/plan resume
/plan drop

How It Works​

Plan mode stores:

  • the plan objective;
  • the current draft body;
  • summary and approval state;
  • feedback from declined approval;
  • a durable record of when the plan was approved.

The drafting behavior is instruction-driven. The agent is expected to inspect, ask concise clarifying questions when needed, update the plan, and request approval before execution. The runtime does not treat plan mode as a filesystem sandbox; it is a workflow contract for scope control.

Approval​

/plan approve asks the user whether to execute the current plan or revise it. If approval is declined, the agent should incorporate the feedback and ask again. If there is an active goal, an approved plan can be attached to that goal so the execution checklist and goal context stay aligned.

Relationship To Other Modes​

Plan mode answers "what should we do?" Goal mode answers "keep working until it is done." Research goals answer "which measured change is better?" A common flow is plan first, approve, then execute under a goal.