Plan mode is a chat setting that has the agent write a plan before it changes any code. The agent stops when the plan is ready, and nothing in your worktree changes until you decide what to do with it.
Code projects only. Plans belong to a worktree, so Work projects don't have Plan mode.
When to use it
Plan first when a wrong start would cost you time: a new feature, a change across many files, or a change to your data model. Reading a plan is faster than reading a finished diff, and it's the cheapest moment to change direction.
For a small fix, skip it and ask the agent directly. When you type a long, multi-step request, the composer may suggest Plan first? so you can turn Plan mode on before you send.
What a tracked plan is
Every plan the agent writes in Plan mode is saved as a tracked plan in its worktree. The worktree's Plans card lists them, and each one opens in a plan panel beside your chat.
A tracked plan is more than the text in the chat:
- Revisions. Each time the plan changes, the app saves a new numbered revision. You can open an older one to see how the plan changed.
- Diagrams. The Diagram tab can draw the plan's steps, the code before and after the change, and any data model changes.
- Comments. Select a passage or a diagram node to comment on it, then send your comments to the agent so it revises the plan.
- Sharing. Share a plan with your team, and teammates can comment on it from the web.
You can also track a plan you wrote elsewhere by importing a Markdown or text file.
Three ways to act on a plan
When you're happy with a plan, you choose how it becomes code:
- Implement has the agent build the plan in the worktree's chat. It suits smaller, contained changes.
- Workflow runs the plan through a workflow, a saved series of steps that runs as one job. The built-in Implementation (Autopilot) workflow refines the plan, implements it, and tests the result. It suits bigger changes.
- Copy copies the plan's Markdown so you can use it anywhere.
When the plan is ready, the chat asks Implement this plan? and offers Yes, implement this plan or Run it as a workflow. The same choices are in the plan's Execute menu.
There's no separate approve step. Implementing a plan or running it as a workflow marks it approved. The plan's status then follows the work: Pending while it waits for you, Implementing in chat or Implementing in workflow while the work runs, and Finished in chat or Implemented in workflow when it succeeds. If the work fails or is stopped, the plan shows Approved, with a note such as "Workflow failed" or "Chat failed". If you turn off Plan mode while a plan is waiting, it shows Dismissed.
Which agents can plan
Plan mode works in Claude, Codex, Cursor, and Ollama chats. You can read, comment on, and share a plan from a Cursor chat, but you can't implement it or run it as a workflow from the app. Use Copy instead.