To make an AI coding assistant surface important unknowns before it starts, tell it to identify consequential ambiguities, ask you concise questions, then propose a plan and wait for explicit approval before editing files or running commands. Pair that prompt with a product permission mode when you need a technical checkpoint: instructions express what you want, but they do not by themselves guarantee that the tool will stop.
Use a prompt that makes the approval point explicit
Paste this instruction into your coding session and adapt it to the task:
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Before implementing this task, inspect the relevant project context and requirements. Identify any ambiguity, missing information, or assumption that could materially change the solution. Ask me concise, specific questions about those points and wait for my answers. Once the requirements are clear, summarize your understanding and propose a short implementation plan. Do not edit files or run commands until I explicitly approve the plan. If you discover a new material ambiguity while implementing, stop and ask before proceeding.
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For a clearer checkpoint, define what counts as approval—for example, “Wait until I say ‘approved.’” You can also ask the assistant to list the files it expects to change, the intended behavior, and significant risks in its plan. Those details make it easier to spot a mismatch before work begins.
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What should happen before implementation
- Review context. The assistant should inspect relevant project information and the request rather than guessing at requirements.
- Ask only consequential questions. It should raise uncertainties that could change the solution, not delay the task with questions whose answers would not matter.
- Present a plan. Once the requirements are clear, it should summarize its understanding and outline the intended work.
- Wait for approval. No file edits or command execution should happen until you approve the plan, according to your instruction.
- Pause again if needed. If a new material ambiguity emerges during implementation, the assistant should stop and ask.
A prompt describes the behavior you want. It is not, by itself, a technical permission boundary. For stronger control, select a mode that restricts edits or commands, and check precisely what it blocks in your IDE, account, or organization setup.
How approval modes differ across coding assistants
Official product documentation describes several distinct controls. Their labels and behavior are product-specific, so treat the table as a guide to the documented distinctions, not a guarantee for every version or configuration.
| Product and mode | Documented checkpoint | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI Codex: Suggest mode | Suggests edits and shell commands, requiring approval before making changes or executing commands. | OpenAI’s Help Center distinguishes it from Auto Edit and Full Auto, which have different stated permissions. Check current labels and behavior in your setup. OpenAI Help Center |
| GitHub Copilot: Plan mode | Creates an implementation plan; GitHub says the plan agent makes no code changes until you review and approve the plan. | GitHub labels Plan mode public preview and subject to change. GitHub Docs |
| Claude Code: plan mode | Described as read-only: it proposes a plan and waits for approval. | The FAQ also describes manual mode as asking before risky edits or commands. Anthropic Help Center |
| Claude Code: acceptEdits | Allows file edits while still asking before commands. | This is a different boundary from a read-only plan. The FAQ says Shift+Tab cycles permission modes. Anthropic Help Center |
| GitHub Copilot: agent mode | Can take a high-level task, choose files, make edits, and run commands as needed; the cited IDE documentation says you can confirm or reject each proposed terminal command. | Agent mode is for carrying out work, not the same as Plan mode. GitHub Docs |
Choose the boundary that matches your risk
- If you want a review before any implementation: use a plan or read-only mode, then approve the plan before switching to an execution mode.
- If you want to review edits and commands as they happen: choose a mode that requires approval for those actions, and confirm whether approval is requested per action or only for the overall plan.
- If you are working under organization controls: check the applicable policy and settings; available permissions can depend on the IDE, account, or organization.
Do not assume that approval of a plan also authorizes—or blocks—every later file edit and terminal command. Verify the current mode’s actual permissions before relying on it. Preview features and product settings can change.
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