Use Plan Mode when the task is unclear, large, risky, or likely to touch multiple parts of the codebase. Use direct coding when the change is small, specific, and easy to verify.
A one-line bug fix, copy update, simple component change, or narrow test addition may not need a planning step. A new feature, migration, auth change, architecture decision, or multi-file refactor should usually start with planning.
Verdent's split is practical: Agent Mode is faster for clear tasks, while Plan Mode is safer for ambiguous tasks. Plan Mode helps the agent ask questions, discover constraints, produce steps before implementation, and give you a chance to change direction before files are edited. The decision rule is simple: if a wrong implementation would be expensive to undo, plan first.
