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Plan mode lets an agent propose a plan of action before touching any files. You review the plan, refine it, and then approve — at which point the agent re-spawns with write access and executes.

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How it maps to each provider

ProviderPlan mode implementation
ClaudeNative plan mode. The CLI exits plan mode on ExitPlanMode.
CodexMaps to read-only sandboxing (-s read-only). Continuum seeds a synthetic planText so the plan card renders without changes. Codex does not emit ExitPlanMode.
Both providers use the Approve & Run button. The approve path branches by agent: Claude respawns with --accept-edits; Codex respawns with workspace-write.

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The plan tracker pane

The Plan tab in the review pane (Code) and on iPhone (Plan tab in session detail) shows a step timeline. Steps are derived from two sources:
  1. The planText emitted by the agent.
  2. Numbered “Step” lines in assistant turns throughout the conversation.
Steps auto-complete as the agent works through them. Tap any step to toggle it manually.

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Approving

You can approve from:
  • Mac — the Approve & Run button in the Plan pane.
  • iPhone — the Approve button in the Plan tab of the session detail workbench.
  • Watch — the Approve button on the WatchSessionDetailView.
When you approve, the daemon:
  1. Kills the plan-mode pane.
  2. Respawns the agent with write access in the same working directory.
  3. Records a (plan-approve agent=…) entry in the swaps audit log.

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Refining before approving

Send a message instead of approving to give the agent feedback on the plan. It will revise and present an updated plan. The plan card reflects the latest version.

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Enabling plan mode

Toggle Plan mode from:
  • The Mode chip in the Mac composer header (Plan / Code).
  • The mode picker in the new-session sheet on iOS.
Plan mode can be changed mid-session — the daemon kills the current pane and respawns in the new mode. This swap is rate-limited at 1 per 5 seconds and recorded in the audit log.
  • Sessions — spawn options, mode picker, worktrees.
  • Code — the Plan pane in the review panel.
  • Mobile — Plan tab and Approve button on iPhone and Watch.