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Claude CodeIntermediate

How to Make an Agent Plan Before It Edits

Ask for a written plan first so you can correct the approach before any file changes, saving rework on bigger tasks.

7 minIntermediate

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For anything bigger than a one-line fix, the cheapest correction is one made before the agent writes any code. Asking for a plan first turns a vague request into a checklist you can approve or redirect, which is far faster than reviewing edits you then have to throw away.

What you need

An agent session in a real project
A task that touches more than one file
About 6 minutes

Step 1: Ask for a plan, not edits

State clearly that you want a plan only. The agent should list the files it will change and the approach, and then wait.

Agent - plan request

You

Plan only, no edits: how would you add rate limiting to the public API? List files and the approach, then wait.

Agent

Plan: 1) add a token-bucket helper in lib/ratelimit.ts, 2) wrap the public routes in middleware, 3) add 429 handling, 4) a test. Awaiting your go.

No edits yet; the agent proposes an approach.

Step 2: Correct the approach

Read the plan like a design doc. Redirecting one step here costs a sentence; redirecting it after the edits costs a full re-do.

Cheap to change now

A wrong assumption in a plan is a one-line correction. The same wrong assumption baked into five edited files is a cleanup job.

Step 3: Approve, then let it build

Once the plan looks right, give a short go-ahead. The agent now executes a path you already agreed to, so the diffs need far less back-and-forth.

prompt

Plan looks good. Use step 1 through 4 as written. Add the test in tests/ratelimit.test.ts. Go ahead.

Keep plan mode for the big ones

Tiny fixes do not need a plan first. Reserve this for multi-file work, migrations, and anything you cannot easily revert.

Result: you catch wrong turns while they are still words, and the edits that follow land closer to right on the first try.

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