Promptles
Multi-Step

Ask for a Plan First

Request a plan before any multi-file change — approve the approach, then let it code.

For anything that touches more than one file or has real consequences, ask the assistant to produce a plan before it writes code. A plan lets you catch wrong assumptions cheaply, and most assistants have a dedicated plan mode that blocks edits until you approve. Request the plan, review which files it intends to touch, then green-light the work.

Where you'll practice this

2 Promptles scenarios teach this principle directly. Each one drops you into a real engineering ticket and asks you to write the prompt you'd send to Claude Code.

  • Ask for a Plan First

    You're about to convert a legacy callback-based data layer in `src/api/users.js` to return promises instead. The change touches several callers across the codebase, and you're not sure which ones yet. You want to see the approach before any file is edited.

  • Green-Light the Plan

    Claude just produced a plan for refactoring your team's payment-webhook handler — splitting the single 1,200-line `handleStripeWebhook` function into per-event handlers. The plan looks fine at a glance: it has section headings, file paths, and a 'Verification' section. But…

Other principles in Multi-Step