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Get Started Installation Authentication Your first project Models Overview Available models Reasoning effort Features How Kiro works Specs Feature Specs Bugfix Specs Quick Spec Plan mode Analyze Requirements Correctness Best practices Steering Hooks MCP Permissions Custom agents Agent Skills Powers Cloud sessions Compaction Kiroignore Checkpoints and rewind Built-in tools Configuration scopes IDE 1.x What's new in 1.0 Setup & First Run Editor Chat Experimental Troubleshooting 0.x reference CLI What's new in 3.0 Setup & First Run Terminal UI Chat Voice mode Headless mode ACP Auto complete Experimental 2.x reference Crew Quick start Installation Running 24/7 Chat Agent Capabilities Features Interfaces Apps System & storage Configuration Security Troubleshooting Web Setup & First Run Identity Center Connect your repositories Working with the agent Autonomous mode Automations Memory Configuration Sync Sandbox Mobile - Preview Overview Commands and Reference CLI commands Slash commands Built-in tools Exit codes Settings Billing Overview Managing your subscription Upgrading your plan Downgrading your plan Cancelling your plan Purchasing add-on credits Managing your payments Managing usage notifications Managing your taxes Contacting billing support Deleting your account Related questions Enterprise Concepts Onboarding quickstart Connecting your identity provider Deployment options Subscribe your team Manage subscriptions Governance Monitor and track Settings Managed updates Billing IAM Supported regions Privacy and Security Overview Data protection Code references Compliance validation Infrastructure security IAM permissions Firewalls, proxies, and data perimeters VPC endpoints (AWS PrivateLink) Guides Overview Language support Learn by playing Migration Migrating from Q Developer Migrating from VSCode Upgrading from Q CLI * Docs * * Features * * Specs * * Plan mode Copy page View as Markdown Plan mode Copy page View as Markdown Plan mode helps you think before you act. It guides you through structured requirements gathering and codebase exploration, then produces an implementation plan that hands off to execution. Unlike full Feature Specs, Plan mode doesn't generate formal requirements/design/tasks documents - it's faster and more conversational while still providing structured output. Capability IDE CLI Web Mobile Plan mode ✓ ✓ — — When to use Plan mode * Complex tasks where you want to think through the approach before writing code * Multi-file changes where understanding existing architecture matters * Situations where you'd normally say "let me understand this first, then we'll implement" For well-defined features that need formal requirements and design documents, use Feature Specs instead. For quick, well-understood changes, skip planning and work directly with the default agent. How to invoke IDE CLI Choose Plan from the workflow options on the "Let's build" screen when starting a new session. To switch mid-session, click the agent name in the bottom bar of the chat input and select Plan from the agent picker. The agent name in the chat input shows which agent is active. Workflow 1. Requirements gathering The planner asks structured questions to refine your initial idea: bash [ plan ] > I want to build a todo app I understand you want to build a todo app. Let me help you plan this. [ 1 ] : What platform should this target? a. Web Application b. Mobile App c. CLI Tool d. Other [ 2 ] : What's the primary use case? a. Personal Task Management b. Team Collaboration c. Project Management d. Other ( Answer with "1=a, 2=b" or provide your own answers ) You can answer individual questions, provide free-form responses, or skip questions entirely. 2. Research and analysis The planner explores your codebase in read-only mode: * Reads files and uses code intelligence to understand existing architecture * Uses grep and glob to find relevant patterns * Researches technologies via web search * Adapts the plan to your existing conventions 3. Implementation plan Creates a step-by-step plan with clear objectives: bash **Implementation Plan - Todo CLI Command** **Problem Statement:** Add todo management to existing application. **Requirements:** - CRUD operations for todos - Local SQLite storage - Priority and due date support **Task Breakdown:** Task 1 : Create database schema and models - Define Todo struct with required fields - Create database migration - Demo: Can create and query todos Task 2 : Implement command structure - Add subcommand with add/list/complete operations - Demo: CLI accepts todo commands Task 3 : Add advanced features - Implement due dates and priority sorting - Demo: Complete system with all features 4. Handoff to execution Once you approve the plan, execution begins automatically: * Plan mode exits and the agent transitions to execution mode * The complete plan is passed to the execution agent as context * Implementation begins immediately with the approved plan as the guide Info In the CLI, automatic plan execution requires the v3 engine. In classic mode, you are prompted to confirm the handoff before execution begins. If a plan doesn't transfer to execution, make sure you explicitly approved it when asked. Read-only access Plan mode intentionally cannot modify your project. This keeps the focus on thinking and planning: Operation Available File reading ✓ Code intelligence (symbols, definitions) ✓ Search (grep, glob) ✓ Web search ✓ File writing — Command execution — MCP tools — Plan mode vs Specs Plan mode Feature Specs Output Conversational plan with task breakdown Formal requirements.md, design.md, tasks.md Process Interactive Q&A → plan → handoff Requirements → design → tasks with approval gates Speed Minutes Longer (multi-phase with reviews) Best for Medium complexity, explore-then-build High complexity, team collaboration, audit trail Artifacts Plan lives in conversation context Persisted in .kiro/specs/ Tips * Use Plan mode for tasks that need 15–60 minutes of implementation - long enough to benefit from planning, short enough that formal specs would be overkill * Engage with the structured questions - better input produces better plans * Let the planner explore your codebase - it finds patterns you might miss * Review the plan before approving handoff - iterate until it matches your expectations Page updated: August 4, 2026 Quick Spec Analyze Requirements