[BUG] Plan mode: exit options not discoverable when ExitPlanMode tool is rejected

Status Fixed / completed

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 4 comments · opened Feb 19, 2026 · closed Feb 19, 2026

Preflight Checklist

[x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
[x] This is a single bug report (not multiple bugs)

Bug Description

Problem

When Claude calls ExitPlanMode and the user rejects it (e.g., because they want to defer the plan rather than approve it), the user gets stuck in a rejection loop with no indication that alternative exit mechanisms exist. The rejection dialog only offers "stay in plan mode" semantics, creating the impression that there is no way out without approving.

What actually exists (but isn't surfaced)

Shift+Tab cycles through permission modes and exits plan mode
/plan toggles plan mode on/off
Alt+M as an alternative shortcut

None of these are mentioned in the rejection dialog, in plan mode's header/status area, or in any contextual help during the loop.

Steps to reproduce

Enter plan mode (via EnterPlanMode tool or Shift+Tab)
Claude drafts a plan and calls ExitPlanMode
User rejects ExitPlanMode (because they want to defer, not approve)
Claude stays in plan mode and calls ExitPlanMode again
Cycle repeats -- user sees no hint about Shift+Tab or /plan as alternatives
User feels trapped, fears losing context if they force an exit

Expected behavior

When ExitPlanMode is rejected, the UI should surface a hint like:

"Tip: Press Shift+Tab or type /plan to exit plan mode without approving."

Or the rejection dialog itself could offer three options:

Approve plan -- proceed to implement
Exit plan mode -- leave without approving (equivalent to Shift+Tab)
Stay in plan mode -- continue planning

Environment

Claude Code CLI v1.x (TUI, terminal)
macOS + tmux
Multi-agent workflow via tmuxinator

Proposed Solution

Surface Shift+Tab / /plan as exit hints in the ExitPlanMode rejection flow. A single line of contextual help would prevent the confusion entirely.

Priority

Low - Minor inconvenience

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

View original on GitHub ↗

4 Comments

roberttravispierce · 7 months ago

I ran into this edge case today when I had a CC agent create a plan that really needed to be handed off to another CC agent who was responsible for, and better suited to handle the task. It took three tries to get out of planning mode because I didn't want to risk clearing context so #1 wasn't an option, but the others didn't suit the "this plan is good, exit planning mode and handoff/save the plan" scenario.

github-actions[bot] · 7 months ago

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

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roberttravispierce · 7 months ago

Closing as duplicate of #26520, which describes the same problem and proposes the same solution (defer/abandon parameter on ExitPlanMode).

Our additional context: the discoverability angle. When trapped in the ExitPlanMode rejection loop, nothing surfaces Shift+Tab or /plan as alternative exits. Adding that hint to the rejection dialog would help even before the tool gets a defer action. Adding this note to #26520.