Plan mode

Plan mode is a Claude Code mode that separates thinking from doing. In it, the agent reads the code and writes a plan for what it will change, but makes no edits until you approve.

Enter it with Shift+Tab, which cycles the permission modes until the indicator reads plan. Describe what you want, and the agent comes back with a plan instead of a diff. Approve it and Claude Code leaves plan mode and starts making the changes; if the plan is wrong, you fix it before a line of code is written. It earns its place on anything non-trivial, where a wrong approach is expensive to unwind. Pair it with the feature-plan template so the plan has a shape.