# Plan Mode > Structured planning mode for AI agents working on coding and development tasks. Produces a comprehensive plan BEFORE any code is written or changed, including task decomposition, architecture decisions, risk assessment, and approval gates. Use this skill whenever the user says "/plan", "plan mode", "plan first", "think before coding", "make a plan", or asks the agent to plan before executing. Also trigger when the user describes a complex multi-step development task and would clearly benefit from structured planning before implementation — especially for tasks involving new features, refactors, migrations, infrastructure changes, or multi-file edits. When in doubt, plan. A few minutes of planning prevents hours of rework. - Skill: `espennilsen/plan-mode` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add espennilsen/plan-mode` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/espennilsen/plan-mode/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: espennilsen (https://skillmd.com/u/espennilsen) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/espennilsen/plan-mode --- # Plan Mode When triggered, switch into **planning mode**: analyze the task, produce a structured plan, and wait for explicit user approval before writing any code or making changes. The core philosophy: **think deeply, communicate clearly, execute only when aligned.** ## When to Enter Plan Mode - User explicitly requests it (`/plan`, "plan this", "think first", etc.) - Task touches 3+ files or components - Task involves architecture decisions, new patterns, or breaking changes - Task is ambiguous and could be approached multiple ways - Task involves infrastructure, CI/CD, database changes, or migrations - You're unsure about the right approach ## Plan Output Structure Produce a plan with these sections. Adapt depth to task complexity — a small bug fix needs a lighter plan than a new feature. ### 1. Understanding (What) Restate the task in your own words to confirm understanding. Call out any ambiguities or assumptions you're making. This catches misalignment early. ``` ## Understanding [Restate the goal in 2-3 sentences] **Assumptions:** - [List anything you're assuming that wasn't explicitly stated] **Open questions:** - [List anything you need clarified before proceeding] ``` If there are open questions that would significantly change the approach, STOP here and ask the user before continuing with the plan. Don't build a full plan on shaky assumptions. ### 2. Approach Options (How) For non-trivial tasks, present 2-3 distinct approaches. For simple tasks, present one recommended approach with brief justification. For each option include: - **Summary**: One-line description - **How it works**: Key implementation steps (keep high-level, not line-by-line) - **Pros**: Why this approach is good - **Cons**: Tradeoffs and risks - **Effort estimate**: Relative complexity (small / medium / large) End with a clear recommendation and why. ``` ## Approach Options ### Option A: [Name] **Summary:** [One line] **How it works:** [3-5 bullet points, high-level] **Pros:** [What's good about this] **Cons:** [Tradeoffs] **Effort:** [small / medium / large] ### Option B: [Name] ... **Recommendation:** Option [X] because [reason tied to project context]. ``` ### 3. Task Breakdown (Steps) Break the chosen (or recommended) approach into concrete, ordered steps. Each step should be small enough to verify independently. Group related steps into phases. ``` ## Task Breakdown ### Phase 1: [Name, e.g. "Setup / Preparation"] - [ ] Step 1.1: [Concrete action] - [ ] Step 1.2: [Concrete action] **Checkpoint:** [What should be true after this phase — a testable condition] ### Phase 2: [Name, e.g. "Core Implementation"] - [ ] Step 2.1: [Concrete action] - [ ] Step 2.2: [Concrete action] **Checkpoint:** [Testable condition] ### Phase 3: [Name, e.g. "Verification & Cleanup"] - [ ] Step 3.1: [Concrete action] - [ ] Step 3.2: [Concrete action] **Checkpoint:** [Testable condition] ``` Guidelines for good steps: - Each step modifies 1-2 files at most - Steps are ordered so the project stays in a working state after each phase - Include test/verification steps, not just implementation - Checkpoints are concrete and testable ("tests pass", "server starts", "endpoint returns 200") ### 4. Risk Assessment Identify what could go wrong and how to mitigate it. Focus on risks specific to *this* task, not generic software risks. ``` ## Risks | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | |------|-----------|--------|------------| | [Specific thing that could go wrong] | low/med/high | low/med/high | [How to prevent or handle it] | ``` Always consider: - **Breaking changes**: Will this break existing functionality? Which consumers/callers are affected? - **Data implications**: Any database migrations, data loss risk, or state changes? - **Rollback**: If this goes wrong, how hard is it to undo? - **Dependencies**: External services, libraries, or team coordination needed? ### 5. Files & Scope List the files that will be created, modified, or deleted. This helps the user understand the blast radius. ``` ## Affected Files - **Create:** `path/to/new-file.ts` — [purpose] - **Modify:** `path/to/existing-file.ts` — [what changes] - **Delete:** `path/to/old-file.ts` — [why] ``` ### 6. Approval Gate Always end the plan with an explicit request for approval. Never proceed to implementation without it. ``` ## Ready to Execute? Plan is complete. Please review and let me know: - ✅ **Approve** — proceed with implementation - 🔄 **Revise** — adjust the approach (tell me what to change) - ❓ **Clarify** — answer open questions first - ❌ **Cancel** — abort this task ``` ## Saving the Plan After generating the plan, save it to a `plans/` directory in the project root before requesting approval. **File naming convention:** `plans/YYYY-MM-DD-.md` Examples: - `plans/2026-02-25-auth-refactor.md` - `plans/2026-02-25-add-search-endpoint.md` - `plans/2026-02-25-fix-race-condition.md` The slug should be a concise, kebab-case summary of the task (3-5 words max). **File contents:** The full plan output (all sections) as a markdown document. Add a YAML frontmatter block at the top: ```yaml --- task: "[One-line task description]" status: proposed # proposed → approved → in-progress → completed → cancelled created: YYYY-MM-DD approach: "[Name of chosen/recommended approach]" --- ``` **Status updates:** Update the `status` field in the frontmatter as the task progresses. If the plan is revised after feedback, append a `## Revision Log` section at the bottom rather than overwriting the original plan — this preserves the decision history. Create the `plans/` directory if it doesn't exist. If a `.gitignore` exists and the user hasn't indicated whether plans should be tracked in git, ask. ## Execution After Approval Once approved, follow the task breakdown step by step. After each phase checkpoint: - Briefly report what was completed - Confirm the checkpoint condition is met - Proceed to the next phase (or flag if something unexpected came up) If during execution you discover something that contradicts the plan (unexpected complexity, a better approach, a blocker), **pause and re-plan** rather than silently deviating. ## Scaling the Plan to Task Size Not every task needs a full plan. Scale the depth: **Small tasks** (bug fix, config change, typo): - Understanding + single approach + file list + approval gate - Skip options comparison and risk table - 1-2 minutes of planning **Medium tasks** (new endpoint, component, small feature): - Full plan structure - 2 approach options - Basic risk assessment - 3-5 minutes of planning **Large tasks** (new feature, refactor, migration, infrastructure): - Full plan with detailed options - Comprehensive risk table - Consider suggesting the work be split into multiple PRs/phases - Include dependency graph if components interact - 5-10 minutes of planning ## Anti-Patterns to Avoid - **Plan theater**: Don't produce a 500-line plan for renaming a variable. Match depth to complexity. - **Vague steps**: "Implement the feature" is not a step. "Add `handleSubmit` function to `LoginForm.tsx` that validates inputs and calls `POST /api/auth`" is a step. - **Optimistic risk assessment**: If a migration could lose data, say so plainly. Don't bury risks. - **Planning in circles**: If you've laid out the plan and the user approved, execute. Don't re-plan unless something changes. - **Assumption hiding**: Surface your assumptions explicitly. The most dangerous assumptions are the ones nobody stated.