[ ABORT TO HUD ]
SEQ. 1
SEQ. 2
SEQ. 3

Plan Mode & Ask Mode

🤖 Composer & Agent Mode 18 min 350 BASE XP

Think Before You Build

The agent input has a mode picker — press Shift+Tab to rotate between Agent, Plan, and Ask, or use the dropdown / Ctrl+. menu. Choosing the right mode is the difference between a surgical change and an expensive wrong turn.

Plan Mode

In Plan Mode, the agent doesn't write code. Instead it:

  1. Researches your codebase — reads the relevant files and understands the architecture
  2. Asks clarifying questions when the requirements are ambiguous
  3. Generates a structured plan you can review and edit before anything runs

Plans are saved to your home directory by default, with a "Save to workspace" option to keep them in the repo. Once you approve the plan, the agent executes it step by step.

Ask Mode

Ask Mode is read-only: the agent can search and read your codebase but cannot modify files or run state-changing commands. It's the safe mode for onboarding onto an unfamiliar codebase, architecture discussions, and code archaeology.

Choosing a Mode

SituationModeWhy
Small, well-defined changeAgentJust do it — checkpoints have your back
Large feature or refactorPlanAlign on approach before spending compute
"How does X work?"AskZero risk of accidental modifications
Pro Tip: For anything touching more than a handful of files, Plan first. Editing a plan takes seconds; unwinding a wrong 40-file refactor takes much longer — and a reviewed plan doubles as documentation for your PR.
SYNAPSE VERIFICATION
QUERY 1 // 3
How do you switch between Agent, Plan, and Ask modes?
Restart Cursor
Press Shift+Tab to rotate modes, or use the mode picker dropdown
Edit settings.json
It's automatic only
Watch: 139x Rust Speedup
Plan Mode & Ask Mode Tutorial | Composer & Agent Mode — Cursor Academy