pages/agent/plan-mode.txt

route: /docs/agent/plan-mode
title: Plan Mode
description: Create detailed implementation plans before writing code. Agent researches your codebase, asks clarifying questions, and generates a reviewable plan.

Plan Mode
Plan Mode creates detailed implementation plans before writing any code. Agent researches your codebase, asks clarifying questions, and generates a reviewable plan you can edit before building.
Press Shift+Tab from the chat input to rotate to Plan Mode. Cursor also suggests it automatically when you type keywords that indicate complex tasks.
How it works
Agent asks clarifying questions to understand your requirements
Researches your codebase to gather relevant context
Creates a comprehensive implementation plan
You review and edit the plan through chat or markdown files
Click to build the plan when ready
Plans are saved by default in your home directory. Click "Save to workspace" to move it to your workspace for future reference, team sharing, and documentation.
When to use Plan Mode
Plan Mode works best for:
Complex features with multiple valid approaches
Tasks that touch many files or systems
Unclear requirements where you need to explore before understanding scope
Architectural decisions where you want to review the approach first
For quick changes or tasks you've done many times before, jumping straight to Agent mode is fine.
Starting over from a plan
Sometimes Agent builds something that doesn't match what you wanted. Instead of trying to fix it through follow-up prompts, go back to the plan.
Revert the changes, refine the plan to be more specific about what you need, and run it again. This is often faster than fixing an in-progress agent, and produces cleaner results.
For larger changes, spend extra time creating a precise, well-scoped plan. The hard part is often figuring out what change should be made. With the right instructions, delegate implementation to Agent.
Switching modes
Use the mode picker dropdown in Agent
Press Shift+Tab for quick switching