Workflow module · Lesson

Lesson 3 — Claude Code Plan Mode (full plan before code)

Plan first. Code second. Always — the discipline that kills 60% of mistakes before a single line of HTML gets written.

📹 Video shipping soon

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What you'll walk away with

A scene-by-scene walkthrough of every beat in the video. Plain English. Real numbers. Real workflow.

The walkthrough

  1. Lesson 3 — Plan Mode — Plan first. Code second. Always.
  2. AI slop vs. AI on rails
  3. The mistake everyone makes — Open Cursor → ask Claude to 'build the site' → cry
  4. Plan Mode = plan only, no code — Claude proposes structure · you approve · then code
  5. In Claude Code: /plan
  6. In Cursor: 'Plan only. Do not write code yet.'
  7. The pipeline
  8. The one-shot prompt
  9. Same prompt every customer
  10. What comes back — Markdown · structured · scannable
  11. Section 1 — file tree
  12. Section 2 — section purpose
  13. Section 3 — CTAs — Phone-call button in hero + sticky footer
  14. Section 4 — assumptions
  15. Section 5 — open questions
  16. Now — the red pen pass
  17. Red pen Q1 — Does this match the intake? — Open the L01 highlights file side by side.
  18. Catching the mismatch
  19. How to push back
  20. Red pen Q2 — Is anything overbuilt?
  21. Overbuild flags — Tailwind for 200 lines · React for static · webpack for one JS file
  22. Red pen Q3 — Are the open questions answerable now?
  23. Hold the plan if you can't answer all questions
  24. Approve: 'Plan looks good — proceed'
  25. Save the approved plan — 01_plan/approved_plan.md
  26. 60% of mistakes — eliminated — Real # from my own builds 2025-2026
  27. Tokens saved — Plan: ~3k tokens · Wrong code + rebuild: ~25k tokens
  28. Worst case: throw away the plan
  29. Most plans need 1-2 iterations
  30. The plan as the contract
  31. The customer reads it too
  32. Customer changes the plan = free — Now is when revisions are cheap
  33. Mistake #1 — skipping plan mode 'just this once'
  34. Mistake #2 — approving a plan with open questions
  35. Mistake #3 — letting Claude lecture you
  36. Mistake #4 — building two sections deep before checking the plan
  37. Try it on your next build
  38. Cost: $0 extra · 60% fewer rebuilds
  39. Where we go next — L04 Live Server
  40. localmodeldojo.com/workflow
  41. Founder pricing — LAUNCH30 · 30 days
  42. info@localmodeldojo.com
  43. Standalone $50-100 · free with LMD Founder
  44. End card
  45. Plan-mode prompt + template — module download
  46. The plan IS the spec
  47. Red pen Q1-Q3
  48. They feel like a pro built it — because one did
  49. Plan → Code → Live
  50. localmodeldojo.com
  51. —

Cut your AI bill 90%+

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See Founder pricing → Code LAUNCH30 · 30-day window

← Lesson 2 — Obsidian folder discipline (one folder per customer) Lesson 4 — Live Server preview (the customer demo) →

— Jake Morris · Oklahoma veteran · localmodeldojo.com