Plan mode is now available in Gemini CLI

We’re excited to bring plan mode to Gemini CLI. With plan mode, Gemini CLI focuses first on analyzing your request, planning complex changes, understanding the code base or dependencies, and all this happens in a read-only mode safe from accidental changes or executions. Plan mode will also ask you questions to clarify your goals before proposing a strategy for you to review.

What is plan mode?

Plan mode is a read-only mode that restricts Gemini CLI to a subset of its tools. When active, the agent can navigate your codebase, search for patterns, and read documentation, but it cannot modify any files except for its own internal plans.

You can ask Gemini CLI to “research how to migrate this database” or “plan a new feature,” and it will map out the dependencies and propose a solution without risk of eager code changes.

• Safe exploration: Use read-only tools like read_file, grep_search, and glob to validate assumptions.
• Architectural mapping: The agent can use specialized sub-agents like codebase_investigator or Agent Skills to understand complex system dependencies and workflows.
• Iterative design: Refine your strategy through conversation before switching to an edit-capable mode for implementation.
• Fully extensible: Extend plan mode to your personal needs with custom policies or build workflows on top of it using the enter_plan_mode and exit_plan_mode tools.

A plan is only as good as its requirements. To make plan mode truly effective, we’ve introduced the ask_user tool. This allows the agent to pause its research and ask you targeted questions to clarify your goals or gather missing information.

Instead of making assumptions or guessing your intent, Gemini CLI can now present you with options, request clarification on a specific architectural choice, or ask for the location of a hidden configuration file. This bi-directional communication ensures that the final plan aligns perfectly with your vision before you commit to the implementation.

Plan mode isn’t limited to your local filesystem. It supports read-only MCP tools, allowing Gemini CLI to pull in context from your entire developer stack. Whether you need to read an issue from GitHub, inspect a schema from Postgres, or comb through Google Docs, you can do so safely within plan mode. This ensures your plan is informed by all relevant external data while maintaining the integrity of your codebase.

Powering complex workflows with Conductor

For more complex projects, Conductor may be a good fit. The Conductor extension for Gemini CLI will take full advantage of both plan mode and the ask_user tool. Conductor enables Context-Driven Development, acting as an orchestrator for multi-step development tracks, guiding you through complex migrations or feature implementations.

By leveraging plan mode, Conductor can perform exhaustive pre-flight checks and research steps with zero risk. It uses the ask_user tool to confirm critical decisions at each milestone, ensuring you remain in control of the high-level direction while the agent handles the heavy lifting of gathering context and drafting sub-tasks.

Conductor is a great example of how plan mode was built with extensibility in mind, meant to provide the building blocks for users to build their own custom planning workflows.

The team is working on bringing Conductor into Gemini CLI as a built-in mode in the near future… stay tuned!

Getting started with plan mode

Plan mode is now enabled by default for all users! You can enter plan mode at any time by typing /plan in the input box, pressing Shift+Tab to cycle through approval modes, or simply asking the agent to “start a plan for…”

The model routing capabilities of Gemini CLI extend to plan mode. With higher reasoning Pro models like the new Gemini 3.1 Pro model being used during planning to ensure robust architectural decisions and high-quality plans.

If you prefer to always start your sessions in a research-first mindset, you can use the /settings command to set “Default Approval Mode” to Plan.

Keeping it simple

We know some of you like to keep your terminal lean or perhaps you have your own battle-tested planning process. If plan mode isn’t your cup of tea, disabling it is easy!

Just type /settings and search for “Plan” to toggle it off. This will:

• Remove plan mode from the Shift+Tab rotation.
• Unregister the enter_plan_modeand exit_plan_mode tools.

We want Gemini CLI to fit your workflow, not the other way around. Whether you love the structured safety of a pre-coded plan or prefer to live on the edge with Auto-Edit mode, the choice is yours!

Share your feedback

We’re always looking to improve the planning workflow. Give it a spin on your next big feature and let us know what you think.

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