# How Plan Mode Can Increase Complexity in Agentic Coding

DevFeed: [How Plan Mode Can Increase Complexity in Agentic Coding](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/plan-mode-is-a-trap-33487.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://timkellogg.me/blog/2026/03/08/plan-mode>)

Published: 2026-03-08T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Tim Kellogg](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/tim-kellogg.md>)

Topics: [agentic-coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/agentic-coding.md>), [Claude Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/claude-code.md>), [Vibe coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/vibe-coding.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/coding.md>)

Tags: [agentic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic.md>), [agentic-coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic-coding.md>), [claude-code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/claude-code.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [complexity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/complexity.md>), [plan](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/plan.md>)

## AI overview

The author argues that planning phases in coding agents may encourage unnecessarily complex implementations. Drawing on observations from vibe-coding interviews, the article reports a correlation between spending more time planning and producing longer, more complex implementations, while acknowledging that the proposed explanation may be wrong.

## Source excerpt

Plan mode feels good. It's like taking a bath in rich sophistication. Production-ready slop just oozing out your fingertips. But secretly it seduces you into the dark trap of complexity. There's a better way, but you're not going to like it.