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Choose a modeLovable has two modes:
  • Plan mode → think through the problem, explore options, and decide on an approach
  • Build mode → implement changes and verify the outcome
Plan mode is for decision-making. Build mode is for execution.The two modes are designed to work together, and you can switch between them at any time.

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Overview

is Lovable’s planning and reasoning mode, designed for moments when thinking, exploration, or clarity is more valuable than immediate execution. It can reason across multiple steps and inspect files, logs, or other relevant project context as needed. In Plan mode, you can explore ideas, investigate issues, and reason about changes before any code is written. Lovable often asks clarifying questions to better understand your goals and constraints. When there is a clear implementation to propose, Lovable creates a formal plan that you can inspect, edit, and refine. Plan mode never modifies your code. A Plan mode message costs one credit, plus the cost of any subagent research Lovable runs while planning. See How Plan mode messages are priced.

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What Plan mode is for

You can use Plan mode to:
  • Explore product or feature ideas before committing to a direction
  • Ask questions about your codebase or existing behavior
  • Investigate bugs, errors, or confusing behavior safely before making code changes
  • Compare multiple approaches and understand tradeoffs
  • Design architecture or database schemas
  • Understand the impact of potential changes before making them
Many Plan mode conversations are exploratory and end with clarity or direction. When a conversation does lead to a concrete change, Plan mode provides a safe way to review and refine the proposed approach before anything is implemented.

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How to use Plan mode

You can use Plan mode in two ways:
  • Start in Plan mode when beginning a new project or exploring an idea
  • Switch to Plan mode at any point during development to pause execution and think
Plan mode is intentionally interactive. Lovable may ask clarifying questions to understand requirements, constraints, or tradeoffs before proposing a plan.

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Activate Plan mode

Click Plan next to the message input, then describe what you want to explore or decide. Be specific about what you want
Use it for exploration
Use it for debugging
Request detailed breakdowns
Ask for reviews and improvements

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When Plan mode creates a plan

Plan mode does not always produce a structured implementation plan. A plan is created only when there is a clear implementation to propose. If a plan is generated, it appears in a dedicated Plan view as a readable, structured document. You can open it in full screen to review the entire approach before anything is implemented. A plan typically includes:
  • A high-level overview of the approach
  • Key decisions, assumptions, and constraints
  • Components, data models, and APIs
  • Step-by-step implementation sequencing
  • Optional diagrams such as schemas, flows, or architecture
From the Plan view, you can:
  • Edit the plan directly as markdown to add constraints, remove steps, or rewrite sections
  • Highlight any part of the plan and describe what should change about that section
  • Approve the plan when you are satisfied with the approach
  • Skip the plan to move on without approving it
You can ask follow-up questions or request changes directly in the chat, and Lovable will update the plan accordingly. When you approve a plan:
  • Lovable switches to Build mode
  • Implementation begins based strictly on the approved plan
You can return to Plan mode at any time to generate a new plan based on the current state of your codebase.

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Revise a specific part of the plan

Instead of describing a change in the chat, you can point at it. Select any part of the plan and a small box appears next to your selection with Describe the change…. Type what should change and press Enter, and Lovable edits just that section rather than rewriting the whole plan. Press Escape to dismiss the box without sending. Each revision is a Plan mode message, so it costs one credit, plus the cost of any subagent research Lovable runs for it. When Lovable revises a plan, the new version opens in the Plan view ready to edit, and Lovable keeps the earlier version in the plan’s version history.

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Browse plan versions

Lovable keeps every revision in the current round of planning as a version. Use the undo and redo arrows above the plan to step through the versions and compare them. While you view an earlier version, a banner such as Viewing version 2 of 3 appears. You can read that version, but you cannot edit it or select part of it to request changes. Select Back to latest to return to the latest version. Save appears in two situations. While you view an earlier version, select Save to restore it as the new latest version. After you edit the latest version yourself, select Save to keep your edits as the plan to approve. While you have unsaved edits, the arrows are unavailable until you select Save or Cancel. You cannot approve a plan while you view an earlier version. Save it first or return to the latest version. When you approve a saved version, Lovable builds from it. If you approve while you still have unsaved edits, the Approve button reads Save & approve and saves them first. If you send a chat message while a plan with saved changes is waiting for your approval, Lovable includes your saved plan with the message, so the next revision starts from your saved version. These messages show an Updated plan label in the chat, and you cannot edit them afterward.
The arrows appear after Lovable has revised a plan at least once. Version history covers the current round of planning. When you approve or skip a plan, Lovable starts a fresh history for the next plan. The same undo, redo, and save controls are available in the Plan view on mobile.

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Plans and persistence

While you are working on a plan, it lives in .lovable/plan.md. When you approve it, Lovable archives that file to a dated copy in the .lovable/plan/ folder, named after the plan, and .lovable/plan.md starts fresh for your next plan. You can inspect both the current plan and the archived ones like any other project file. Previous plans are not lost. Approved plans stay in the .lovable/plan/ folder, and every plan remains available in your chat history, where it can be reopened in the Plan view for reference or comparison. This allows you to:
  • Iterate on ideas over time
  • Compare different approaches
  • Re-plan safely as requirements evolve
  • Help new collaborators understand the reasoning behind implementations

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How Plan mode messages are priced

A Plan mode message costs one credit, plus the cost of any subagent research Lovable runs while planning. The one credit covers the planning work itself, so it is the same whether the message ends in a plan, a clarifying question, or an answer. Skipping a plan does not add a charge. Sending feedback on the plan is a new Plan mode message, priced the same way. For larger or open-ended requests, Lovable can start subagents to research your project before it writes the plan. Subagent research is usage-based, so a Plan mode message that needs deep research costs more than one credit. When you approve a plan, Lovable switches to Build mode and implements it. Lovable bills that implementation as Build mode work, separately from the Plan mode message. To keep planning costs predictable:
  • Keep planning requests specific and point them at particular files, features, or areas. Broad requests are more likely to need subagent research.
  • Check the cost of any message under Credits used in the More options menu below Lovable’s response. See Time and cost while Lovable works.

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FAQ

No. Code changes only happen after you approve a plan and Lovable switches to Build mode.
Yes. A Plan mode message costs one credit, plus the cost of any subagent research Lovable runs while planning, so a message that needs deep research costs more than one credit. See How Plan mode messages are priced.
The plan you are working on is saved to .lovable/plan.md. When you approve it, Lovable archives it to a dated copy in the .lovable/plan/ folder. Earlier plans also remain accessible from chat history.
Yes. Earlier plans remain accessible from chat history.
Yes. Plans are fully editable before approval.
Yes. Plan mode is well suited for investigating issues and deciding on fixes before implementation.
Plan mode was previously called Chat mode. The name was changed to better reflect how the mode is intended to be used before implementation.
The message is sent as a goal, which always runs in Build mode. Lovable switches the mode picker to Build, works on that message until the goal is achieved, and the picker stays on Build until you change it.
Yes. You can reference code files from your current project directly in chat to make edits and discussion faster and more precise.Type @ and select a file, or use the Reference file in chat button in the code editor. For example:
This only references files within your current project. To reference another project, see Cross-project referencing.
Yes. Lovable supports cross-project referencing within the same workspace.You can use @ mentions to reference another project directly, or simply ask Lovable to reuse an existing implementation. The agent can access relevant code, files, assets, and chat history from other projects and adapt them to your current one.Cross-project access is read-only and respects workspace permissions.