Plan mode¶
Plan mode lets the agent research and propose an approach before it changes anything. It's the safe way to tackle a large or unfamiliar change: you review the plan, and only then does gdc start editing code or running commands.
What plan mode does¶
While in plan mode, the agent can:
- read your files and search the project, and
- write its plan to a dedicated plans folder.
It cannot edit your code or run shell commands until the plan is approved. When it's ready, it presents the plan and waits for you to approve it — at which point it's free to carry the plan out.
Starting in plan mode¶
Plan, then implement, unattended¶
You can run the whole flow — plan and then carry it out — without a human present by combining plan mode with auto-approval. The agent produces the plan, approves its own transition out of plan mode, and implements it.
Auto-approval acts without asking
--auto-approve lets the run take sensitive actions on its own. Use
it only in environments you trust — a disposable checkout, container,
or CI sandbox. See Permissions.
Why use it¶
- Review the approach first. Catch a wrong direction before any code changes.
- Scope large work. A written plan makes a big task reviewable and reveals hidden steps.
- Safer automation. Even unattended, the plan is produced explicitly and recorded in the session.
Where plans are written¶
The agent writes its plan into a .gdc/plans/ folder inside your
project. The plan is a normal file you can read, keep, or discard.
Combine with an output style¶
Pair plan mode with the verbose output style when you want the agent to spell out trade-offs and alternatives it considered: