2 min lesson
Plan Mode holds the boundary when the agent asks to widen scope
Use "The job: a reviewed plan names scope, files, checks and risks before implementation starts" to describe the practical rule.
Step 1 of 2
The job: a reviewed plan names scope, files, checks and risks before implementation starts. Start with this check: The plan names files, tests and non-goals. Keep it small enough to check the result yourself instead of taking the summary on trust.
Plan Mode holds the boundary
0:59 · narratedRead this demo as text
- Okay, look at this prompt. It's not vague. It says what to change, and where it's allowed to touch: the file components/search. And it wants a plan before anything gets built. That's why Plan is on in the mode menu. Multi-file work starts right here.
- Hit send. Now watch this. It doesn't dive into edits. It researches first... then it stops at the boundary and asks about a refactor it noticed. Yes. You want that question. Not a surprise rewrite.
- And that scope question? Answer it from your own prompt. No. Stay in the file components/search.
- There it is. The build lands inside the line you drew. Three files, all under the file components/search. And the file searchFilter.ts? Untouched. That is what holding the boundary looks like.
Practice next: Now run the walkthrough: send Plan Mode yourself and hold the boundary when asked.
Simulated Cursor 3.12 (macOS, light) — beta educational reconstruction, not the real product.