34 lines
1.3 KiB
Markdown
34 lines
1.3 KiB
Markdown
# Plan Mode
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Overwhelmingly the #1 specific technique across everything I've read about Claude Code.
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Shift+Tab forces Claude to outline its approach before acting. This is a design review — you would never ship a feature without reviewing the spec. Don't let Claude ship code without reviewing the plan.
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## The Pattern
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1. Hit Shift+Tab to enter plan mode
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2. Claude outlines what it will do
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3. You review, adjust, approve
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4. Claude executes
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Aakash Gupta calls this "Checkpoint + Iterate" — have Claude generate a plan, review it, create checkpoints, use Esc twice to rewind if it goes off track.
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## When to Use It
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- Any task touching multiple files
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- Architecture decisions
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- Anything you'd want to review before it happens
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- When you're not sure what the right approach is
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## When to Skip It
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0xDesigner's counter-signal: "you don't need a 'planning mode' or any fancy approaches" — for many tasks, just talking to Claude naturally is enough. I agree for small stuff.
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The rule I follow: if the task takes more than one prompt to describe, use plan mode.
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## Connection to [[Context Window Management]]
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Plan mode is also a context saver. A well-planned execution uses fewer tokens than a chaotic back-and-forth. Less context waste → longer productive sessions.
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See also: [[The Death Spiral]] for what happens when you skip planning.
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