Agent Workflow in a Minute · beginner

Workflow in a Minute: Plan before execution

Have the agent propose a short plan and file touch-list before it edits—so you can catch wrong approaches cheaply.

Last verified: 2026-09-06

In one sentence

Plan-before-execution means the agent outlines the approach and gets a checkpoint before it rewrites files.

Why it matters

Wrong code is expensive to review. Wrong plans are cheap to reject. A one-minute plan checkpoint prevents ten-minute cleanup.

How it works

Ask for:

  1. restated goal;
  2. proposed steps;
  3. files likely touched;
  4. risks / unknowns;
  5. verification command.

Approve, adjust, or stop. Only then allow implementation. For tiny tasks, the plan can be three bullets. For risky tasks, require more detail and human approval.

Example

Before editing, propose a plan with steps and files.
Wait for approval.
Then implement and run npm test.

Agentic coding use

This pattern scales from solo CLI use to orchestrated multi-agent systems. Planners and executors can even be different agents, but the checkpoint is the point.

Watch out

Endless planning is also failure. Cap the plan. If the agent cannot name files and a verification step, the task specification is incomplete.

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