Plan Mode
The oversight-first interaction mode: Panda proposes a plan, you review it, and nothing happens until you approve.
Why Plan Mode exists
Most of the time, you want Panda to just do the work. But some tasks are high-stakes or ambiguous enough that you want to see the approach before anything changes. Plan Mode exists for those moments.
When Plan Mode is active, Panda does all the thinking - analyzing your codebase, reasoning about the approach, identifying the files and steps involved - but takes zero action until you say so. The result is a structured plan you can review, question, and revise before committing to it.
This is especially useful for large refactors, database migrations, or any change where understanding the blast radius matters more than speed.
The review cycle
When Panda produces a plan, you have three options:
- Approve - Panda executes the plan as described.
- Reject - nothing happens. The plan is discarded and you can redirect.
- Revise - reply with feedback ("skip the migration step" or "use a different approach for the auth logic") and Panda updates the plan before you commit.
You can go through as many revision rounds as needed. The plan is a conversation, not a take-it-or-leave-it proposal.
You can activate Plan Mode by selecting it as your interaction mode, or just by asking naturally: "plan this first" or "show me what you would do before starting." Plan Mode is one of four interaction modes, each offering a different balance of oversight and autonomy.
Models & Harnesses
The two layers that power every response: harnesses provide the runtime, models provide the intelligence. Understanding both is key to getting the most out of PandaOS.
Permissions & Approvals
The trust model: how PandaOS decides when to ask before acting, and the layered system that keeps you in control.