M03 · 8 min

Plan before files move

Grok Build CLI is built around plan → review → approve. Steal that discipline everywhere.

For complex tasks, Grok Build starts in plan mode: you approve the plan, comment on steps, or rewrite it before execution. After approval, changes show as clean diffs. That workflow is the difference between “agent helped” and “agent wrecked main”.

Plan quality bar

Files touched listed (paths, not vibes)
Order of operations (what breaks if reordered)
Risks and rollback (git commit first)
Test command you will run
Out of scope explicitly named

Force a plan in any surface

Before changing any files, produce a plan only:

Goal: [...]
Constraints: [...]
Proposed steps: numbered, with file paths
Risks: [...]
Test command: [...]
Questions: only if blocked

Do not edit until I say APPROVE.

Exercise

Plan a real change

Pick a change in a real or imaginary repo (add dark mode toggle). Write a plan that would pass the quality bar.

≥3 concrete steps with paths
Risks + test command
Out of scope listed

Your notes