Build mode & the plan
How planned builds work: describe the goal, approve the plan, and watch the walk build and verify every step until the workflow is ready to turn on.
Build mode is the guided path: you describe the outcome, Max plans it, you approve, and the build runs as a verified walk — every step proven before the workflow can go live.
The plan is a living checklist: each row is one step's intent and its proof state.
The loop
- Describe — type the goal into the Build with AI box (or the chat in Build mode). One honest sentence beats a spec.
- The plan — Max proposes numbered steps, each with an intent and what will prove it works. Nothing is built yet; edit the goal or ask for changes freely. Build it approves the plan.
- The build — the whole graph lands on the canvas in one pass, linked to the plan rows. Planned steps render faded until proven — only verification solidifies them.
- The walk — the server test-runs every provable step on realistic data and a judgment pass checks the content, not just "it didn't crash." Rows flip to green checks as proofs land; the counter tracks N of M verified.
- Ready — when every row is verified or deliberately skipped, the plan shows ready and the pill turns green. Activate freezes the snapshot and retires the plan.
When the walk needs you
Some things only a human can settle. Those become asks — visible questions on the plan row, never silent stalls:
- Connect an account — a step needs Slack/GitHub/etc. you haven't connected.
- Provide a sample — an upload or form step wants one real submission to verify against.
- A value choice — "which channel should this post to?"
- Sign-off — the walk hit its retry limit on a step and wants your eyes.
Answer in the chat or use the row's affordance; the walk resumes on its own.
The plan lives in two places
The left panel's Plan tab is the full view. While you're in the chat, the N/M plan pill keeps the count in sight and opens the plan peek — the same plan floating over the transcript.
Same plan, chat-side. The pill turns green with a ✓ when the build is ready.
FAQ
Can I edit the canvas mid-build? Yes — it's your graph. Editing a verified step revokes its proof (the row demotes and re-verifies); new nodes you add get adopted into the plan.
What does a strikethrough row mean? Skipped — planned, then deliberately dropped (usually with your agreement). Skipped rows don't block ready.
How much does a build cost? AI credits meter the model calls; a medium build is typically well under a dollar. There's a spend checkpoint — the build pauses and asks before burning past its budget.