# Plan-before-edit mode (`work.plan_mode`)

Feedback Bench, coding agents, built 2026-10-19, window 2026-08-31 to 2026-10-18. Web page: https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/#/criterion/work.plan_mode

Area: [Doing the work](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/criteria/work.md)

**Definition.** Whether a read-only planning phase exists, produces useful plans, and actually prevents edits.

**Boundary.** Not this: see work.task_completion for how well an approved plan is executed.

Rated user-weeks, all agents: 512. Complaint share: 42%.

## The brief

Written by large language models from this page's numbers and the posts it quotes, then checked: every number in the text is in the build. Interpretation, not measurement.

Claude Code and Cursor have the most useful plan modes. Their users describe plans they read, correct and approve before any code is written. Few users of coding agents rate plan mode: it is the 55th most rated of 63 criteria. OpenCode and Google Antigravity rank low. OpenCode users say its plan mode edits files anyway. Google Antigravity users rate plan mode 2.54 times as often as other users, and they write 28% of the category's complaints here.

### What separates the best from the rest

Users of Claude Code and Cursor describe plan mode as a review step. They read the plan, catch wrong assumptions and make small changes before execution starts. Users of OpenCode and Google Antigravity describe a planning phase that does not hold. On OpenCode, plan mode writes and commits files it should leave alone. Google Antigravity users say plan mode is hard to tell apart from normal mode, and that the agent starts implementing without waiting.

- **Ranks high**: [Claude Code](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/claude-code.md), [Cursor](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/cursor.md)
  - Claude Code, 2026-10-05, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “**i ask for a plan first and read it before anything gets written. half the time i catch a wrong assumption in the plan, which is much cheaper than catching it in the code.**” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1ws7gvb/is_plan_mode_still_worth_it/pe3znmy/)
  - Cursor, 2026-09-30, r/cursor (Reddit): “i personally use it for my own benefit. i manually review plans in full before pulling the trigger on execution. this way i can make minor tweaks and the like. i largely don't write any code anymore but i've still got full control and understanding because of how i use plan mode.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wugjkq/is_plan_mode_still_useful/pd2yuku/)
- **Ranks low**: [OpenCode](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/opencode.md), [Google Antigravity](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/antigravity.md)
  - OpenCode, 2026-10-14, @opencode (X): “hi @opencode, i’m not a harness expert, so i may be missing something. my agent committed 52 files (11,066 insertions) in plan mode, then admitted it violated the restrictions. is this a configuration/permissions issue or a bug? how can this be prevented? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1570598551440494593/status/2110430503614734522)
  - Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i have used skill /planning, however it still mostly had executed the codes.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wqb0ii/dedicated_planning_mode_in_antigravity_is_here/pc38u0q/)

## How it breaks

Rule: A separate pass sorts complaints into failure modes. For each criterion with at least 30 complaining user-weeks, a large language model reads 150 complaint posts drawn at random and names 4 to 8 failure modes; a second large language model then puts every complaint post on that criterion in one mode, or in Other when it fits none. Modes are fixed once named, and new posts are sorted into them each week. A mode counts distinct user-weeks with a complaint in it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Modes do not change the labels or the Feedback Score. Examples: up to 3 posts per mode from different users, chosen and checked as receipts are.

The largest failure mode is a plan mode that is missing, hidden or removed. It makes up 23% of complaining user-weeks, and Google Antigravity accounts for 42% of it. Two modes come mostly from one agent. OpenCode accounts for 50% of reports that plan mode edits files anyway. Google Antigravity accounts for 60% of reports that a finished plan moves into implementation before the user approves it.

218 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan mode missing, hidden or removed | 50 | 50 | Google Antigravity 21, Claude Code 9, OpenAI Codex 5, OpenCode 5, Cline 3, GitHub Copilot 2, Cursor 2, Amp 1, Pi 1, Zed 1 | The tool has no dedicated plan mode, has dropped one, or hides the toggle, command or plan tracking UI so users can't find or turn it on; this excludes plan modes that exist but behave badly. |
| Shallow, generic or misdirected plans | 46 | 47 | OpenAI Codex 18, Google Antigravity 9, Claude Code 7, Cursor 4, Pi 3, GitHub Copilot 2, OpenCode 2, Cline 1 | The plan is thin, vague, padded or misreads the request (it plans the wrong thing, touches unrelated files, or leaves big gaps for the implementer), so it is not useful as a spec; this excludes plans that are good but ignored later. |
| Plan mode edits files anyway | 26 | 29 | OpenCode 13, Google Antigravity 6, Cline 4, Pi 2, OpenAI Codex 1 | While in a declared read-only planning mode or under an explicit "plan only / no edits" instruction, the agent writes, creates or commits files (including through shell workarounds like sed or cat); this excludes stopping too late after a plan was approved. |
| Plan finishes then implementation starts unapproved | 20 | 20 | Google Antigravity 12, Claude Code 3, OpenAI Codex 3, Cursor 1, OpenCode 1 | The agent writes a plan but then moves straight into implementation, or skips approval gates, without waiting for user review or confirmation, even when settings or prompts require it to ask; this excludes edits made during the planning phase itself. |
| Plan mode UI broken or buggy | 19 | 21 | Google Antigravity 5, OpenAI Codex 4, OpenCode 4, Claude Code 2, GitHub Copilot 2, Cursor 2 | The plan mode interface malfunctions, for example crashes on send, plans won't open or disappear on accept, the proceed button doesn't show, panels stay stuck, or other modes override plan; this excludes the model's own decision to edit. |
| Planning burns excessive tokens or time | 17 | 19 | Claude Code 6, Google Antigravity 5, OpenAI Codex 2, OpenCode 2, Pi 2 | Planning eats a large share of usage quota or runs for very long periods (loops, over-narration, endless reconsideration) relative to the task; this excludes general model slowness outside planning. |
| Execution drifts from the approved plan | 10 | 10 | Claude Code 5, OpenAI Codex 4, Google Antigravity 1 | After a plan is agreed, the agent ignores, abandons or wanders from its steps during implementation, or loses the plan to context compaction; this excludes failures to produce a plan at all. |
| Planning rushes without clarifying questions | 9 | 9 | Claude Code 4, GitHub Copilot 2, Google Antigravity 1, OpenAI Codex 1, OpenCode 1 | Planning mode jumps to a solution or assumptions before investigating the codebase or asking the questions needed to resolve ambiguity, and offers no real discussion phase; this excludes plans that are wrong for other reasons. |
| Other | 23 | 24 | Claude Code 7, Cursor 7, OpenAI Codex 4, Google Antigravity 3, GitHub Copilot 1, Pi 1 | Complaints that fit none of the modes above. |

#### Plan mode missing, hidden or removed

- Claude Code, 2026-09-28, r/cursor (Reddit): “grok does ok for most things if i’m specific, maybe larger repos it struggles with, but claude code would be amazing if it had the debug/plan/ask modes like cursor.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wrx24u/1_year_of_cursor_switched_to_claude_best_decision/pckx7qv/)

#### Shallow, generic or misdirected plans

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-13, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “codex-cli /plan mode sometimes drops unrelated parts of the plan silently when i tell it to add more points” [source](https://twitter.com/1145312977073135616/status/2109917940258927031)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-28, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i haven't used plan mode since forever. it's spec driven development for beginners. once you start to explore other options it just doesn't offer the same.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1ws7gvb/is_plan_mode_still_worth_it/pcj1j7j/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-27, @antigravity (X): “@thsottiaux @antigravity never liked plan mode, you could just ask for a plan and get almost the same results (plus some unintended file edits)” [source](https://twitter.com/878722023970787329/status/2104266625373392975)

#### Plan mode edits files anyway

- OpenCode, 2026-10-14, @opencode (X): “hi @opencode, i’m not a harness expert, so i may be missing something. my agent committed 52 files (11,066 insertions) in plan mode, then admitted it violated the restrictions. is this a configuration/permissions issue or a bug? how can this be prevented? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1570598551440494593/status/2110430503614734522)
- OpenCode, 2026-10-06, r/opencode (Reddit): “i'm brainstorming with big pickle and deepseek and it started creating files while in plan mode. it did it 3 times. why? i thought no llm is allowed to do this?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wzevl3/llm_created_files_while_in_plan_mode/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i have used skill /planning, however it still mostly had executed the codes.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wqb0ii/dedicated_planning_mode_in_antigravity_is_here/pc38u0q/)

#### Plan finishes then implementation starts unapproved

- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-10, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “model is ignoring "plan review policy: always ask". i can clearly see it writes to the implementation plan file and then just... keeps going. without asking me to confirm it. the project config is set to "inherit global" and global is "always ask". agy version is 2.22.0.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wy3pjl/weekly_quotas_known_issues_support_october_05/pf3wthm/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-28, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i thought plan means first tell me about the plan before edit and this sht is not different from the normal mode are there any different meaning of plan mode idk” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wsj3ck/plan_mode_is_great/pclx306/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-27, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “you fixed the effect not the cause. it will make plan when i ask in /plan but will it still make plan in normal mode? \--- will it ever let me work my way? or will it impose its workflow(which sucks) and style?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wqb0ii/dedicated_planning_mode_in_antigravity_is_here/pcatyyg/)

#### Plan mode UI broken or buggy

- OpenCode, 2026-10-14, @opencode (X): “@yuhasbeentaken also i don't know if this is @opencode problem or the models, it gets confused about the agent in plan and build mode. i need to toggle it multiple times before it has any idea” [source](https://twitter.com/1543541226561241089/status/2110352522154225779)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-09, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “@thsottiaux can't turn on the plan mode on with the latest codex app update. please look into it” [source](https://twitter.com/1213705324961529856/status/2108468808025526503)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-04, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i have noticed that , now when i ask it to create implementation plan, it occasionally dump the plan in chat itself, instead of creating the artifact” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wxdxtj/flash_38_is_getting_worse_lately/pdus0zy/)

#### Planning burns excessive tokens or time

- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-18, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “for a simple fix it ran for 1hr 28mins just to give an implementation plan” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wjou5i/whats_wrong_with_38_high/)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-14, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i find out that plan is pure token wasting since sonnet 5. they can do it without plan perfectly. spec might help u reconsider the design but plan seems redundant now.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wfz1w3/whats_the_difference_between_claude_writing_a/p9q4d4w/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-05, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “you can't even plan - it ends way too quick. it eats like 30-40% of weekly quote per even planning, it's completely unusable.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wwko5h/no_opus_55_for_pro_users/pdywm22/)

#### Execution drifts from the approved plan

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-24, r/codex (Reddit): “it’s odd that it goes off the plan after plan mode. maybe it asks you 10 unrelated questions but that happens before” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wnto0j/sol_6_is_a_slop_fest/pbqn4j5/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-24, r/codex (Reddit): “plan mode genuinely doesn't change anything in my experience, it tends to wander off and just forget what it was doing” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wnto0j/sol_6_is_a_slop_fest/pbpq6cv/)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “plan mode is where it writes down what it agreed to do so you both have a record of what it ignored” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wdcoax/anyone_elses_claude_code_is_acting_like_it_is/p94t3f0/)

#### Planning rushes without clarifying questions

- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-17, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “grill me and plan doesn't go well as written in grill me skill's blog. plan mode makes model rush for a plan but you dont want that, you want model to extensively grill you so it can understand your intentions.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x8c6ro/adding_these_three_at_the_end_of_any_prompt_my/phczcc4/)
- OpenCode, 2026-09-07, r/opencodeCLI (Reddit): “i have the same problem. i also feel like planning mode works much better in codex, since it asks more important questions to fill in the blind spots in the prompt.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencodeCLI/comments/1w9b3eb/opencode_w_gpt_vs_codex_w_gpt/p8azfaq/)

#### Other

- Claude Code, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “try using it without plan mode. i know it sounds backwards, but mine has been so much better if i just use regular prompts” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x7zb75/impression_of_mine_or_is_opus_55_dumber/ph8r15r/)
- Cursor, 2026-09-24, r/cursor (Reddit): “for the same reason i don't use plan, no. at this point things like this are unnecessary restrictions, the models are smart enough to figure out how to handle things provided your prompt is explicit enough” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wow14z/does_anyone_use_goal/pbqqr39/)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-24, @ClaudeDevs (X): “claude should have a readonly mode, i don't want to plan, i don't want it to go off doing random things on its own. i just want to use it to analyze something without the risk of it deciding to delete or modify something in production or elsewhere. @claudedevs @claudeai” [source](https://twitter.com/255125937/status/2103224299532292380)

## Top requests

What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 127 user-weeks ask for something. Requests do not change the Feedback Score. Rule: A separate pass by a large language model reads every counted post and extracts what the user asks the agent or its vendor to add or change, with the criteria it maps to and a short normalised wording; it does not touch the labels or the Feedback Score. A large language model groups the wordings within each criterion (the first criterion the request maps to) into themes, and a second pass merges themes that ask for the same change under different criteria; a merged theme sits under the criterion most of its requests map to, and code counts it once. A theme counts distinct user-weeks that ask for it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Themes asked in fewer than 2 user-weeks, and requests that share no theme, are not shown. Examples: up to 3 posts per theme from different users, without slurs: whole posts of 60 to 450 characters with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, posts of at most 280 characters first, then the newest.

| Rank | Request | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dedicated plan mode across all surfaces | 27 | 27 | Google Antigravity 12, Claude Code 3, OpenCode 3, Cline 2, Cursor 2, Pi 2, Amp 1, GitHub Copilot 1, Zed 1 |
| 2 | Read-only chat mode without edits | 18 | 19 | Claude Code 6, Cursor 5, OpenAI Codex 4, Google Antigravity 1, OpenCode 1, Pi 1 |
| 3 | Visible toggle between plan and build | 10 | 11 | Google Antigravity 5, OpenCode 2, Conductor 1, GitHub Copilot 1, Cursor 1 |
| 4 | Reliable edit blocking in plan mode | 10 | 10 | OpenCode 4, Google Antigravity 2, Claude Code 2, Cline 1, OpenAI Codex 1 |
| 5 | Richer, more detailed plan content | 8 | 9 | Google Antigravity 3, Claude Code 3, OpenAI Codex 2 |
| 6 | Approval required before execution | 8 | 8 | Google Antigravity 5, Claude Code 2, Cursor 1 |
| 7 | One-click approve plan and start building | 5 | 6 | Google Antigravity 2, Claude Code 1, Cursor 1, OpenCode 1 |
| 8 | Editable plans before and during execution | 5 | 5 | Google Antigravity 3, OpenAI Codex 1, Pi 1 |
| 9 | Automatic planning decided by the model | 4 | 4 | Google Antigravity 3, OpenAI Codex 1 |
| 10 | Option to disable plan workflow | 4 | 4 | Google Antigravity 1, OpenAI Codex 1, Cursor 1, Kiro 1 |
| 11 | Plans saved as reusable files | 4 | 4 | Cursor 2, Google Antigravity 1, Claude Code 1 |
| 12 | Step-by-step collaborative execution mode | 4 | 4 | Claude Code 2, Google Antigravity 1, OpenAI Codex 1 |

### 1. Dedicated plan mode across all surfaces

- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-06, @antigravity (X): “@adhidesign @googledeepmind @antigravity please add plan mode and yolo mode and you are golden” [source](https://twitter.com/3396872953/status/2107427365030875309)
- OpenCode, 2026-09-29, @opencode (X): “@opencode can you pls add a tracking in ui for those using opencode zen free and paid version to track our usage and resets? also long text like logs copying in opencode cause no response for few seconds or crash, maybe just make it a file by default. also can you add plan mode?” [source](https://twitter.com/2085450705804972033/status/2104971890095763503)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “probably an actual plan mode, and not just prepending /plan to every prompt and hopping the plan skill covers it like they used to.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wqb0ii/dedicated_planning_mode_in_antigravity_is_here/pc3xv69/)

### 2. Read-only chat mode without edits

- Claude Code, 2026-10-09, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i dont think that's the answer. i already tell code not to code, only talk, when i want to talk about something. switching to chat, only to have to continue to tell it not to code, is just adding extra steps. this is not a prompting error, it's a tool error.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x1873d/why_does_chat_build_me_projects_unprompted/pereki9/)
- Cursor, 2026-09-29, r/ClaudeAI (Reddit): “sounds more like a /discuss mode or /ask mode. actually, cursor used to have this, but people criticised that it was "useless" and they depricated it. could it be time for a return?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wsyrf0/claude_code_desperately_needs_a_readonly_mode/pcrekj9/)
- Cursor, 2026-09-28, r/cursor (Reddit): “grok does ok for most things if i’m specific, maybe larger repos it struggles with, but claude code would be amazing if it had the debug/plan/ask modes like cursor.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wrx24u/1_year_of_cursor_switched_to_claude_best_decision/pckx7qv/)

### 3. Visible toggle between plan and build

- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@rodydavis @antigravity read: make /plan a toggle in antigravity 2.0.” [source](https://twitter.com/201846652/status/2103653717023350909)
- Conductor, 2026-09-24, r/conductorbuild (Reddit): “yeah i was sarcastic. it drives me crazy. the review button moves every update, the model selector changes, plan mode button is gone, etc. they keep changing shit that is fine and meanwhile there’s still no ios app 😭” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/conductorbuild/comments/1wp7deq/favourite_thing_in_conductor/pbszn7p/)
- OpenCode, 2026-09-20, r/opencodeCLI (Reddit): “opencode 2.0: how do i switch between plan and build mode? tab no longer works like in 1.8” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencodeCLI/comments/1wlbrn4/opencode_20_how_do_i_switch_between_plan_and/)

### 4. Reliable edit blocking in plan mode

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-09, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “@thsottiaux can't turn on the plan mode on with the latest codex app update. please look into it” [source](https://twitter.com/1213705324961529856/status/2108468808025526503)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-05, @antigravity (X): “hi @antigravity , when asking the model to only create an implementation plan, using `agy --dangerously-skip-permissions` causes it to immediately start implementing instead of stopping. is this expected behavior?” [source](https://twitter.com/292728009/status/2107123124420690343)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-23, @claude_code (X): “models don’t need plan mode. i do.i can live without the mode. i can’t live without a hard “read-only until i say go” switch. that’s the feature, not the branding. @claude_code @trq212 [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1933856179496656896/status/2102825115054403978)

### 5. Richer, more detailed plan content

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-13, r/codex (Reddit): “the full rewrite makes you re-review decisions you'd already settled. i'd want each revision to show the requested change and what else it forced to change—say, a storage change affecting migrations and tests. otherwise 'approve plan' turns into 'spot the differences'.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x4qz1t/how_do_you_review_and_incrementally_refine_plans/pggkbip/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-13, @ClaudeDevs (X): “default claude code mode do no spec, leaves a simple readme.md. c'mon @claudedevs this is ridiculous set some standard, you guys say no planning but the result of using bare is unmaintainable repo. can't believe what i am seeing.” [source](https://twitter.com/2019456800144183296/status/2110119682506146044)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-28, r/codex (Reddit): “in this case, what about a hook on plan mode to tell- before planning it out, suggest alternative routes” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wrrhpx/my_codex_never_says_that_gives_me_an_idea_what_if/pcja1ix/)

### 6. Approval required before execution

- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity first let it write down the drawing, let people take a look before letting it run. this step is quite crucial. in the future, handling things at home should be this worry-free.” [source](https://twitter.com/2066846388848308224/status/2103676277769273397)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-25, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity approval before execution should honestly be the default, not a mode. the 10 seconds reading a plan saves the 40 minutes of undoing a confident wrong turn does /plan ask clarifying questions first, or does it assume and let you correct the plan?” [source](https://twitter.com/4649043921/status/2103620490686509100)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-13, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity. your later version agent will automatically approve a plan that i am reading and start working on it. this is not funny.” [source](https://twitter.com/236029721/status/2099127040758952038)

### 7. One-click approve plan and start building

- Claude Code, 2026-09-29, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “why does plan disappear in vs code when i accept it? i want to keep that open - same like in cursor.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wt7sjd/why_does_plan_disappear_when_i_accept_it_i_want/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@rodydavis @gmosx @antigravity the issue is that we give the agent a task, and it creates a plan but there is no button to accept. without using /plan” [source](https://twitter.com/1641174277/status/2103857379993412067)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “all plan artifacts should have a button to execute them. often the 'proceed' button disappears in the chat. @antigravity @rodydavis” [source](https://twitter.com/2056251/status/2103848804495835394)

### 8. Editable plans before and during execution

- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-28, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity can the plan be edited before approval, then kept alongside the agent's tool actions? that would make review a real checkpoint, not just a yes or no before execution.” [source](https://twitter.com/225323876/status/2104360821384233354)
- Pi, 2026-09-26, @pidotdev (X): “@pidotdev you are wrong. editable plan mode in codex is perfect for making small manual adjustments that don't waste tokens and don't make you lose the context of what you are currently reading and aproving. you should rethink this.” [source](https://twitter.com/2038854587889647616/status/2103950931696181716)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity approval before execution is the right default. most of my plans need one step changed, not a yes or no, so editing the plan inline before it runs is what i'd use most.” [source](https://twitter.com/1983929673626382336/status/2103754862509146162)

### 9. Automatic planning decided by the model

- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-11, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “yeah that's a new command and i don't need it. i want the old behavior, which is the model judging for itself when a plan is necessary, not relying on me telling it every time.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wy3pjl/weekly_quotas_known_issues_support_october_05/pf7dd6v/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-13, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “does @openaidevs still use the "plan mode" in the codex app? previous versions had a "suggestion" ui to enable plan mode when you mentioned "plan" (or similar) in the prompt. now you can only manually enable it via the `/plan` command.” [source](https://twitter.com/14488050/status/2099067857539649588)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity kinda feels like going backwards. a lot of coding agents are moving away from explicit planning because they can just figure out the next steps while working. and now antigravity is adding a dedicated `/plan` mode with approval gates. i would rather tell the agent what i want and let it decide how much planning the task actually needs.” [source](https://twitter.com/1391307893308153858/status/2103934070053044241)

### 10. Option to disable plan workflow

- Kiro, 2026-10-14, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “after weeks of trying, i give an f to the new workflow mode - it burns credits in 5x speed, and most of them are used to produce trash and responses 5x hard to read. is there a way to force kiro don't use the disater workflow and just work as like as last month?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1x5iot0/is_it_still_possible_to_use_tranditional_vibe/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@thsottiaux @antigravity would be great if your agent didn’t f up without plan mode. oops sorry i didn’t read and have implemented a new work tree with the same code. let me just fix that now” [source](https://twitter.com/2265683454/status/2103992071161811276)
- Cursor, 2026-09-07, @cursor_ai (X): “@alexdanilowicz oh i hate when @cursor_ai ask me to use plan mode, we should have an option to get rid of it” [source](https://twitter.com/1932171601220374528/status/2096948744784658904)

### 11. Plans saved as reusable files

- Cursor, 2026-09-29, r/ClaudeAI (Reddit): “plan mode would die on the hill to create a "plan" as a result artifact. i (and i think op too) am looking for a cursor-like "ask mode" in claude.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wsyrf0/claude_code_desperately_needs_a_readonly_mode/pcqqzhh/)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-25, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “make it write the plan into a md or yaml. ui plan should include design decisions, tokens and other specifications.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wph3lh/need_suggestions_using_claude_to_plan_and_codex/pbwcsv0/)
- Cursor, 2026-09-16, @cursor_ai (X): “@cursor_ai pls give us back the option to save the plans to the workspace 😘 i'm mostly doing it via mcp to notion, or jira but some plans or original concepts would be great to be saved into git.” [source](https://twitter.com/2949655877/status/2100270249794773073)

### 12. Step-by-step collaborative execution mode

- Claude Code, 2026-10-12, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “a real slow mode should pause at decision points, not just type more slowly. in our mac app codebase, i’d use it if the agent proposed the next edit and waited, because paying for theatrical latency would be very ai.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x31amh/i_want_my_ai_coding_agent_to_be_slower_is_that/pfg05bt/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-04, @antigravity (X): “@_mohansolo @_mohansolo @antigravity one update needed in antigravity ide , i want plan , manual , auto mode like in claude to complete the task . feels like like i want to keep clicking submit and enter to proceed to next step of the coding task . big friction to overcome .” [source](https://twitter.com/2048299741960933376/status/2106595889779560914)

## Every agent

| Agent | Overall rank | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Claude Code](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/claude-code.md) | 1 | 1st of 5 | 0.552 | 0.521–0.581 | 141 | 98 | 43 |
| [Cursor](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/cursor.md) | 7 | 2nd of 5 | 0.532 | 0.513–0.554 | 62 | 47 | 15 |
| [OpenAI Codex](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/codex.md) | 10 | 3rd of 5 | 0.480 | 0.456–0.505 | 84 | 42 | 42 |
| [OpenCode](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/opencode.md) | 3 | 4th of 5 | 0.470 | 0.449–0.492 | 46 | 18 | 28 |
| [Google Antigravity](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/antigravity.md) | 14 | 5th of 5 | 0.466 | 0.436–0.494 | 116 | 56 | 60 |
| [Cline](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/cline.md) | 11 | Too few posts | – | – | 15 | 7 | 8 |
| [Pi](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/pi.md) | 4 | Too few posts | – | – | 14 | 5 | 9 |
| [GitHub Copilot](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/copilot.md) | 9 | Too few posts | – | – | 11 | 3 | 8 |
| [Kiro](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/kiro.md) | 13 | Too few posts | – | – | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| [Factory](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/factory.md) | 6 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| [Devin](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/devin.md) | 2 | Too few posts | – | – | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| [Amp](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/amp.md) | 5 | Too few posts | – | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| [Zed](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/zed.md) | 8 | Too few posts | – | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| [Conductor](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/conductor.md) | 12 | Too few posts | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| [Warp](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/warp.md) | 15 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| [Grok Build](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/grok-build.md) | 16 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| [Augment Code](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/augment.md) | 17 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Posts

Receipts rule: Up to 5 praise and 5 complaint posts per area and 3 per criterion. Each is a whole post of 60 to 450 characters (700 for areas) with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, that judges the criterion, whose labels are all praise or all complaint, and that contains no slur. Posts that touch the fewest criteria come first, then posts of at most 280 characters, then the newest. A second large language model reads the first 3 candidates per slot and keeps a post only if it clearly praises, or clearly complains about, the agent on that criterion. Links and personal details removed by the source show as marks such as [link].

### Claude Code

- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “yes, this has been a nice thing about using claude . every major improvement gets a plan doc with various stages and slices . i’m using this to the fullest extent.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8gyoj/advice_for_larger_systems/phcktsn/)
- Praise, 2026-10-08, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i'm using opus 5.5 with max effort for planning only. i really like the output.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x0vggl/fable_51_still_the_goat_for_planning_and/peod4mn/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “try using it without plan mode. i know it sounds backwards, but mine has been so much better if i just use regular prompts” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x7zb75/impression_of_mine_or_is_opus_55_dumber/ph8r15r/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-29, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “why does plan disappear in vs code when i accept it? i want to keep that open - same like in cursor.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wt7sjd/why_does_plan_disappear_when_i_accept_it_i_want/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-28, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i haven't used plan mode since forever. it's spec driven development for beginners. once you start to explore other options it just doesn't offer the same.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1ws7gvb/is_plan_mode_still_worth_it/pcj1j7j/)

### Cursor

- Praise, 2026-10-07, r/cursor (Reddit): “i do similar but have claude write a prompt for cursor to plan implementation, because i like the plan functionality of cursor better. so scope (me) -> spec prompt (claude) -> plan (cursor) -> execute (cursor). usually don’t need more than composer for the cursor bits.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wzeq3a/plan_with_claude_code_implement_with_composer/pedbbbx/)
- Praise, 2026-10-03, @cursor_ai (X): “@openai: we need a way to create plan documents as first-class citizens in codex. context rot erodes our ability to effectively build and maintain a long-term plan over a long session. that's something you could learn from the folks at @cursor_ai.” [source](https://twitter.com/15487120/status/2106490818295152642)
- Praise, 2026-10-01, r/cursor (Reddit): “i use plan for everything and haven't had an issue with it so far” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wuildx/grok_is_too_bad/pd41hig/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-24, r/cursor (Reddit): “for the same reason i don't use plan, no. at this point things like this are unnecessary restrictions, the models are smart enough to figure out how to handle things provided your prompt is explicit enough” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wow14z/does_anyone_use_goal/pbqqr39/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-07, @cursor_ai (X): “@alexdanilowicz oh i hate when @cursor_ai ask me to use plan mode, we should have an option to get rid of it” [source](https://twitter.com/1932171601220374528/status/2096948744784658904)
- Complaint, 2026-10-04, r/cursor (Reddit): “kind of. the plan it makes really isn't that good tbh. i like superpowers brainstorming. seems to be much for thorough and hashes out the detail before hand. the plan mode in cursor just expands on the idea a bit and draws some graph to look like it's really thought out, but in reality it leaves too much room for agent implementation that just isn't what u had in mind.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wugjkq/is_plan_mode_still_useful/pdwbi80/)

### OpenAI Codex

- Praise, 2026-10-05, r/codex (Reddit): “i do. i like its bulldog nature. if im setting up a project i know it will plan the everyliving shit out of it.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wyinv5/56_sol_still_good_model/pe3n3ho/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “codex-cli /plan mode sometimes drops unrelated parts of the plan silently when i tell it to add more points” [source](https://twitter.com/1145312977073135616/status/2109917940258927031)
- Complaint, 2026-10-09, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “@thsottiaux can't turn on the plan mode on with the latest codex app update. please look into it” [source](https://twitter.com/1213705324961529856/status/2108468808025526503)
- Complaint, 2026-09-24, r/codex (Reddit): “plan mode genuinely doesn't change anything in my experience, it tends to wander off and just forget what it was doing” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wnto0j/sol_6_is_a_slop_fest/pbpq6cv/)

### OpenCode

- Praise, 2026-10-16, r/opencode (Reddit): “muse 1.3 contributor use plan mode always with subagents then build with one agent. gets a pretty good job done” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1x73lbg/favorite_model_for_fast_responsescoding/ph0u8vn/)
- Praise, 2026-10-02, r/opencode (Reddit): “ive been using it for plan mode and it's been working pretty good.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wvhxxn/if_you_are_not_using_muse_spark_13_what_are_you/pdcs15k/)
- Praise, 2026-09-24, @opencode (X): “actually impressed how @opencode in plan mode never writes, ever. i was expecting it to at least do it sometimes and go "ooops you trusted me not to write anything yet but i did anyway!"” [source](https://twitter.com/2872535697/status/2103176995043450945)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, r/opencodeCLI (Reddit): “this is at least the 3rd or forth time i caught opencode cli's plan mode modify files that it wasn't supposed to...” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencodeCLI/comments/1x99omg/the_new_version_gave_plan_mode_too_much_freedom/phjhlxi/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, @opencode (X): “@yuhasbeentaken also i don't know if this is @opencode problem or the models, it gets confused about the agent in plan and build mode. i need to toggle it multiple times before it has any idea” [source](https://twitter.com/1543541226561241089/status/2110352522154225779)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, @opencode (X): “hi @opencode, i’m not a harness expert, so i may be missing something. my agent committed 52 files (11,066 insertions) in plan mode, then admitted it violated the restrictions. is this a configuration/permissions issue or a bug? how can this be prevented? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1570598551440494593/status/2110430503614734522)

### Google Antigravity

- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i recommend the following for best usage: argon 4 low/medium does the planning, it makes a plan, (use /plan), and then 3.8 flash does the implementation. works really well, and argon is very specific, even on low, with things to do. incredible combo and very cost effective” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x85wr2/has_anyone_else_noticed_an_improvement_in/phc7wda/)
- Praise, 2026-10-01, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “seems cool, but my workflow with agy works flawlessly the way it is. i always plan mode first. review the artifact and approve. it then proceed to go till the end. you just have to set the config to always approve actions.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wszsz2/i_built_an_auto_mode_plugin_for_antigravity_cli/pd8bobc/)
- Praise, 2026-09-28, @antigravity (X): “@pdaether yeah i think people conflated "most plan modes are implemented poorly" with "plan modes are bad". i think @antigravity actually has a pretty good plan mode (esp. commenting support and generative ui).” [source](https://twitter.com/12025282/status/2104638839696576618)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “grill me and plan doesn't go well as written in grill me skill's blog. plan mode makes model rush for a plan but you dont want that, you want model to extensively grill you so it can understand your intentions.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x8c6ro/adding_these_three_at_the_end_of_any_prompt_my/phczcc4/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-10, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “model is ignoring "plan review policy: always ask". i can clearly see it writes to the implementation plan file and then just... keeps going. without asking me to confirm it. the project config is set to "inherit global" and global is "always ask". agy version is 2.22.0.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wy3pjl/weekly_quotas_known_issues_support_october_05/pf3wthm/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-04, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i have noticed that , now when i ask it to create implementation plan, it occasionally dump the plan in chat itself, instead of creating the artifact” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wxdxtj/flash_38_is_getting_worse_lately/pdus0zy/)

### Cline

- Praise, 2026-10-18, @cline (X): “before @cline wrote a line of lumen, i used plan mode to write a prd: requirements, phase checklists i must finish before moving on, and tests for each phase. then i added it to cline’s context so it always knows the goal. plan mode is underrated.” [source](https://twitter.com/1425607585730809859/status/2111638396682809750)
- Praise, 2026-09-12, r/codex (Reddit): “depends on ur coding agent and workflow. i use cline, it has a plan/act mode in the same ui and chat so all context is kept. or if ur workflow is different program them in. it all depends on you. cline allows seperare plan and action simply by having one assigned to plan the session and one to act so 2 dif models no effort just a setup with ur keys and initial settings.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wdskmy/astra_for_specs_luna_for_coding_is_this_just/p9aupg8/)
- Praise, 2026-10-04, @cline (X): “my first @cline task: let my game load lighter splat files on phones. plan mode read 14 files, then asked one question: what if a world lacks the size you asked for? full check passed on the first run. 22 minutes, $0. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2106486288543100929/status/2106561204449653202)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, @cline (X): “i also found websocket authentication bypass and auto approval bypass, running cmds in plan mode in @cline sdk would anyone from the team like to connect?” [source](https://twitter.com/1956608648840429568/status/2110824525822824920)
- Complaint, 2026-09-30, @cline (X): “@cline @cline this model is very slow and it stops mid-processing and gives an error. i have to type "continue" 8 times. cline desktop doesn't have a planning mode and the models are too much.” [source](https://twitter.com/1393448214/status/2105295822070092260)
- Complaint, 2026-09-22, r/CLine (Reddit): “i am using cline 4.1.17 vscode extension with a self hosted glm 5.3 flash. cline is accessing it via openai compatible api key. glm 5.3 in most cases showing "i don't find a mode tag explicitly in my view" in its reasoning, and ignoring the plan mode completely, and proceeds to edit file. when editing file, it is also not showing me the file editing as track change in focus mode even though "background edit" is disabled.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/CLine/comments/1wn7q28/models_are_not_seeing_and_ignoring_mode_tag/)

### Pi

- Complaint, 2026-08-31, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “pi should cause it but it also doesn't block it. there's no plan or readonly mode, and small models or long sessions definitely tend to struggle with just instructing it to stay readonly” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1w3lyr7/pi_is_overeager_and_cave_man_question/p710odh/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-26, @pidotdev (X): “@warmwaffles @pidotdev nah it put me off using pi. got frustrated telling it to not make any changes and the llm ignoring me anyway i like plan mode” [source](https://twitter.com/1361615777300762629/status/2103732628465787207)

### GitHub Copilot

- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/GithubCopilot (Reddit): “it's not very intuitive, the old harness kept plan-mode on until you switch yourself, which to me is the saner default. the new default is bad because sometimes i want to ask follow-up questions about the plan and i forget that the harness has automatically switched to "interactive" instead of "plan" and the agent ends up doing stuff it's not supposed to do.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1x875mn/new_vs_code_harness_switches_off_planmode_after/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-26, r/GithubCopilot (Reddit): “i'll add my input: i used sol 6 and sol 5.6 in plan mode and reviewed their plans and so far sol 6's plans are extremely shallow and vague. sol 5.6's plans were more detailed and of higher quality. i used max effort for both. in every instance, sol 6's plan came 2x cheaper but honestly the dogshit quality isn't worth it. i'll keep using sol 5.6. sol 6 is a huge regression.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1wptkkq/how_does_gpt6_sol_feel_so_far/pc8f0q2/)

### Kiro

- Praise, 2026-09-23, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “kiro has built-in "spec-driven development", aka "planning mode". as well a normal "vibe-coding mode". this planning mode is amazing. but yes, - with proper prompts and .md cofigs, same is possible in vscode+some llm plugin..” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1wo0mu2/kiro_vs_claude_code_any_difference_worth_knowing/pbj4ocl/)
- Praise, 2026-09-03, @kirodotdev (X): “i vibecoded [link] v1 when @kirodotdev came out and they were giving a free tokens, i wanted to see how far their planning feature would go and it did go pretty far. it build the feedback management, public board, ai integration, teams and stripe.” [source](https://twitter.com/162729401/status/2095530692000047463)
- Praise, 2026-09-23, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “been using kiro at work and have found the built in planning mode much easier to use than using a similar plugin for vs code/claude. been contemplating adding a personal kiro sub as well to maybe use in conjunction with claude or codex on a larger scale private project - just need to figure out a good plan to organize/manage them.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1wo0mu2/kiro_vs_claude_code_any_difference_worth_knowing/pbjcrv2/)

### Factory

- Praise, 2026-10-06, @droid (X): “use idd stack to work on idd project in @droid > the visualization of plan look really nice since idd is now available in claude code plugin, i will focusing more on improving the stack lots of more interesting updates are coming ... [link] [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/268082406/status/2107404966549938568)
- Praise, 2026-10-06, @FactoryAI (X): “last month i was building my own scrum for ai agents: context points. then i spent a week with @factoryai droid. spec mode covered the planning, missions covered the long tasks, and i stopped using my own tool. ever retired a side project because a product caught up?” [source](https://twitter.com/23220904/status/2107458569188635113)

### Zed

- Praise, 2026-10-12, @zeddotdev (X): “delta by @zeddotdev is some great stuff. enjoying working with it, especially for working on plans and reviewing code.” [source](https://twitter.com/928201772941889537/status/2109654713687744719)