Plan Before It Types
Read, then suggest, then stop
Pass · ChatGPT, Pro · September 27, 2026
Pass · Claude.ai, Fable 5.1 Max · September 27, 2026
What it does
Makes it look around and think out loud before it changes anything, and makes it say what it is unsure about.
When to use it
Code you do not know, or any change that touches more than one file.
The prompt
Paste as-is
Do not write any code yet.
1. Read the files this touches and tell me what is there today.
2. List everything you are unsure about.
3. Give me a plan as numbered steps.
Stop there. I will say go before you build anything.Ways to use it
- Ask for three plans, ordered from safest to riskiest
- Make it include how to undo the whole thing
- Keep the plan you approved — it is now the spec
Test log
Each prompt was pasted into a fresh private chat with memory off and graded against pass standards written before the run (all of them, dated).
| Date | Tool | Model | Result | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27, 2026 | ChatGPT | Pro | Pass | Described both files, listed 21 open questions including delete versus mark-cancelled and who may cancel, gave a numbered plan and stopped for go. No code. |
| September 27, 2026 | Claude.ai | Fable 5.1 Max | Pass | Described both files, listed open questions including soft-cancel versus delete and who may cancel, gave a numbered plan, and waited for go without writing code. |
The pass standard for this prompt: five criteria and an automatic-fail rule, written down on September 27, 2026, before any run. A second version for a reworded prompt was written on September 28, 2026; nothing has been graded against it yet.
Related words
- RPI — Research, Plan, Implement: the AI reads the code and writes a plan first, and is not allowed to change anything until you say go.
- intent drift — The gap between what you asked for and what the AI reasonably assumed you meant.
- chain of thought — An AI working through the steps out loud before it gives you an answer.