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Copilot Workshops

Lesson 5 - Plan before you edit

Plan mode researches the workspace and writes an implementation plan without touching your files.

In this lesson, you will:

  • switch Copilot Chat from Agent to Plan.
  • review and refine a proposed plan.
  • switch back to Agent to implement the plan.

Agree on the approach before any edits

  1. Open Copilot Chat and use the mode dropdown above the input.

  2. Switch from Agent to Plan.

  3. Describe the next feature with the following prompt and let Copilot investigate the workspace:

    Plan how to add a review screen that shows every question with the answer I chose. Investigate the existing quiz, list the changes you would make, call out accessibility and single-file risks, and stop before editing.

  4. Read the plan and request changes, then switch back to Agent to implement it.

When plan mode pays off

Use Plan mode for anything ambiguous, cross-cutting, or expensive to undo. The cheapest place to fix a bad approach is before the first edit.

Summary and next steps

You agreed on an approach with Copilot before it wrote any code. Continue to Lesson 6: Give Copilot GitHub-aware tools.