Explore, Plan, Code, Commit

Use a phased workflow for changes where the right implementation is not obvious.

1. Explore

Start in Plan Mode and ask Claude to inspect the codebase before proposing changes.

Read the auth flow and understand how sessions, token refresh, and environment variables work.
Do not edit files yet.

2. Plan

Ask for a concrete implementation plan.

Create an implementation plan for adding Google OAuth.
List the files that need to change, the tests to add, and the main risks.

3. Code

Approve or edit the plan, then switch to implementation.

Implement the approved plan. Write tests for the callback handler,
run the relevant test suite, and fix failures before stopping.

4. Commit

Once verified, ask Claude to commit and open a PR if that fits your workflow.

Commit the verified changes with a descriptive message and open a PR.

When to skip planning

Skip the formal plan when the change is tiny and you could describe the diff in one sentence: typo fixes, small renames, logging changes, or obvious one-file edits.

Use planning when you are uncertain, touching several files, changing architecture, or working in unfamiliar code.