Plan mode is dead, but the planning didn't vanish—one-line decisions file replaces upfront specs
optima-pacifist · reddit · 2026-09-27
Reacting to HN's 'plan mode is dead' post (560 points), the author argues planning hasn't disappeared—it just stopped being visible. Agents make a dozen small calls per feature (why this table, why the cache was skipped, why the old endpoint stayed), and a week later neither human nor agent remembers any of it. The original post itself concedes keeping humans' understanding in sync with agent changes remains unsolved.
What works for the author: a short decisions file the agent appends to as it goes—one line per decision with the reason. It replaced the upfront plan and leaves a readable trail. Open question for the community: do you keep records of why your agent did what it did, or just read the diff?
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