What it does
In Plan Mode the agent does not start editing. It searches the codebase for the files that matter, reads the docs it finds, asks you clarifying questions about the requirement, and then produces a written plan with file paths and code references.
The plan is an interactive document, not a wall of chat text. You can edit it inline, add or remove to-dos, and save it to the repository as a Markdown file so the next person, or the next agent run, starts from the same brief.
Cursor says most new features at the company now begin with the agent writing a plan, and that doing so measurably improved the code that came out the other side. It is the mode to reach for when a task touches more than two or three files.
Using it
- Switch into Plan Mode. Press Shift+Tab in the agent input, or pick Plan from the mode dropdown. Cursor also suggests Plan Mode on its own when your prompt describes something complex.
- Answer the clarifying questions. The agent asks about requirements it cannot infer. Answering properly here is the single biggest lever on output quality, because every later step is generated from these answers.
- Edit the plan. Review the generated to-dos and file references. Delete the steps you do not want, reorder, and add constraints the agent missed.
- Build from it. Hand the approved plan back to the agent to execute. Optionally save it as Markdown in the repo first so the plan is reviewable alongside the diff.
Checked against Introducing Plan Mode on 25 September 2026.