Plandex

Type: full-code · Vendor: Plandex AI · Language: Go · License: AGPL-3.0 / MIT (mixed; see repo) · Status: active · Status in practice: emerging

Links: homepage docs repo

Open-source terminal AI coding agent for large projects: stages edits and command execution in a cumulative diff-review sandbox, supports configurable autonomy from full-auto to step-by-step, and version-controls every plan with branches.

Description. Plandex is a Go terminal agent aimed at multi-file, large-scope coding tasks. Its central idea is a sandbox of tentative changes: AI-generated diffs sit outside the project files until reviewed and applied. Plans are first-class objects with their own version history and branches, so multiple paths or model comparisons can run side by side. Autonomy is a slider - None, Basic, Plus, Semi-Auto, Full-Auto - controlling what the agent may do without confirmation. A REPL with fuzzy completion and tree-sitter-driven project maps round out the loop.

Agent loop shape. Plan-and-execute over a tentative-diff sandbox. The user gives a task; Plandex builds a project map, drafts a plan, generates diffs and commands inside the sandbox, optionally runs commands with rollback, and only applies edits to project files when the user (or the configured autonomy level) accepts them. Plans are versioned; branches let multiple plans coexist.

Primary use cases

long-running multi-file refactors in a terminal
tentative-diff review before files mutate
configurable autonomy from step-by-step to full auto
branching plans for exploring alternatives

flowchart TD user[User task] --> map[Project map tree-sitter] map --> plan[Plan draft] plan --> branch{Branch} branch --> sandbox[Tentative diff sandbox] sandbox --> auton{Autonomy level} auton -->|none/basic| ask[Ask user] auton -->|plus/semi| auto[Auto-context auto-commit] auton -->|full-auto| run[Auto-apply auto-exec auto-debug] ask --> apply[Apply diff] auto --> apply run --> apply apply --> exec[Optional command exec] exec --> rollback{Errors?} rollback -->|yes| plan rollback -->|no| commit[Version plan] commit --> done[Done]

Key concepts

Cumulative diff-review sandbox → approval-queue (docs) — AI-generated changes stay separate from project files until applied.
Autonomy levels (docs) — None / Basic / Plus / Semi-Auto / Full-Auto control auto-context, auto-apply, auto-exec, auto-debug.
Versioned plans and branches → replay-time-travel (docs) — Every plan update is versioned; branches explore multiple paths or models.
Project map (tree-sitter) → agentic-rag (docs) — Fast project map generation and syntax validation across 30+ languages.
REPL (docs) — REPL with fuzzy auto-complete for commands and file loading.

Plandex

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