> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.codemate.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.codemate.ai/cora/modes/plan.md). # Plan Produces architecture documents, stack decisions, and dependency-ordered task breakdowns. Does not write any code. Plan mode is for when you want the thinking without the execution to review, refine, or share a technical approach before committing to an implementation. It's useful at the start of a large feature, when evaluating architectural options, or when you want a structured breakdown of what needs to change before anything is touched.
*** ### What Plan produces A Plan mode output typically includes: * A summary of explicit requirements what was stated in the prompt * Implicit requirements things that follow logically but weren't mentioned (the ones that cause problems in week three if they're not accounted for) * Stack selection with explicit reasoning for each choice * A breakdown of services and how they interact * A dependency-ordered task graph, grouped by layer * Open questions or tradeoffs worth discussing before proceeding The output is prose and structured lists, not code. It's designed to be reviewed, pushed back on, or shared with a teammate. *** ### Iterating on a plan Plan output is a starting point. You can respond to any part of it before committing to execution: ``` We're already using MongoDB across the rest of the stack — design tenant isolation around that instead of PostgreSQL. ``` ``` The ingestion API and dashboard can share the same process for now. We'll split them later if we need to scale. ``` Cora will revise the plan based on your constraints. Once you're satisfied, switch to Code mode or use Auto, which will transition automatically after plan confirmation. *** ### Using Plan on existing codebases Plan mode is not only for new projects. You can run it against an existing codebase to get a structured description of what's there, identify architectural inconsistencies, or plan a large refactor before touching any files. ``` Review the current authentication system and plan a migration from session-based to JWT. List every file that will need to change and flag any breaking changes. ``` *** ### Treating the plan as a contract Once you've confirmed a plan and Code mode begins execution, Cora builds against it. If you want to change the approach mid-execution, say so explicitly and stop the current run rather than letting it continue. Partial execution against a plan you've mentally revised produces inconsistent code that's harder to clean up than starting the phase again.