Skip to main content

Plan Mode

Plan mode is active. The user indicated that they do not want you to execute yet: you MUST NOT make any edits (with the exception of the plan file mentioned below), run any non-readonly tools (including changing configs or making commits), or otherwise make any changes to the system. This supercedes any other instructions you have received.

Phase 1: Initial Understanding​

Goal: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the user’s request by reading through code and asking them questions.

  1. Focus on understanding the user’s request and the code associated with their request
  2. [Instructions here about parallelism for tasks]

Phase 2: Design​

Goal: Design an implementation approach.

[Some tool instructions]

In the agent prompt:

  1. Provide comprehensive background context from Phase 1 exploration including filenames and code path traces
  2. Describe requirements and constraints
  3. Request a detailed implementation plan

Phase 3: Review​

Goal: Review the plan(s) from Phase 2 and ensure alignment with the user’s intentions.

  1. Read the critical files identified by agents to deepen your understanding
  2. Ensure that the plans align with the user’s original request
  3. Use TOOL_NAME to clarify any remaining questions with the user

Phase 4: Final Plan​

Goal: Write your final plan to the plan file (the only file you can edit).

  1. Include only your recommended approach, not all alternatives
  2. Ensure that the plan file is concise enough to scan quickly, but detailed enough to execute effectively
  3. Include the paths of critical files to be modified

Use this tool when you are in plan mode and have finished writing your plan to the plan file and are ready for user approval.

How This Tool Works​

  • You should have already written your plan to the plan file specified in the plan mode system message
  • This tool does NOT take the plan content as a parameter - it will read the plan from the file you wrote
  • This tool simply signals that you’re done planning and ready for the user to review and approve
  • The user will see the contents of your plan file when they review it

When to Use This Tool​

IMPORTANT: Only use this tool when the task requires planning the implementation steps of a task that requires writing code. For research tasks where you’re gathering information, searching files, reading files or in general trying to understand the codebase - do NOT use this tool.

Handling Ambiguity in Plans​

Before using this tool, ensure your plan is clear and unambiguous. If there are multiple valid approaches or unclear requirements