Plan first: see the plan before anything is built

The most expensive mistake an agent can make is building the wrong thing well. Plan first catches that early: before any file changes, you see what the agents intend to do.

How it works

Turn on Show me the plan first in the composer's options. It is on by default in team mode. When you send a request, a planner runs first. It takes a short, read-only look at the project and writes:

• a one-line goal;
• the parts the work splits into, and in team mode one helper per part;
• the files each part touches;
• the risks it sees;
• a rough effort.

The planner cannot edit files, run commands or merge anything. It is capped at a small number of turns and a small budget, and its cost is counted like any other task's.

Three choices

Under the plan you get three buttons:

1. Start runs the real work in the same request, with the approved plan added to the instructions. In team mode the lead gets the parts as its list of helpers.
2. Change the plan sends your note back to the planner, which writes the plan again.
3. Cancel throws the plan away. Nothing was changed.

On the website too

The chat on our home page uses the same planner. Describe what you want and, when the server has the trial turned on, you get a short plan before you create an account. The trial planner works on an empty scratch project, never writes files and has strict daily limits. When you sign up, your request carries over and starts in your first project with plan first on, so you see the plan again and press Start.

When to skip it

For a small fix, a plan is just an extra step. Turn plan first off and send the request straight to an agent. Build Depot remembers your choice separately for single agents and for team mode.

Curious how the parts get built once you press Start? Read How parallel agents build your app.