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Kombai offers three distinct modes—Code, Plan, and Ask—that help you manage different stages of product development. Each mode has access to specialized tools and capabilities tailored to its specific purpose.
ModeForCapabilitiesTools
CodeDevelopmentGenerating, refactoring, and editing files.Access to all tools
PlanStrategyCreating implementation roadmaps.Read files, list directory, all search tools, all planning tools, all assets tools, all skills tools, all browser tools
AskExplorationAnswering questions and debugging logic.Read files, list directory, grep, web fetch, all skills tools, all browser tools

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Code mode

Code mode is used to generate and refactor code. It is the default mode in Kombai, designed to help you autonomously perform complex coding tasks.

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Working set

“Working set” refers to the set of files generated by Kombai during the code generation process. Kombai writes these files to your repository and automatically fixes any TypeScript and linting errors found in the generated code. You can view the generated files in the explorer or the Working Set panel. Click a file in the panel to open it in a new tab. If the file has been modified, you will see a diff comparing the modified version to the original. When you ask Kombai to modify generated code, it also checks for dependent files in the working set that may require updates. Kombai then proceeds to make the necessary changes and updates the working set.

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Kombai diff

Kombai generates a diff for all files it creates, modifies, or deletes in the working set. This helps you easily track changes made to your repository.
Files in the working set can have three states: Added (A), Modified (M), or Deleted (D).Kombai determines the state of generated files by comparing them against:
  1. The initial state of the repository before Kombai generated any files
  2. The last time you clicked Keep
  3. Any external changes made since the kept version (e.g., user edits, terminal commands run by Kombai, or file edits by other AI agents)
For files appearing within a chat, the diff is compared against:
  1. The initial state of the repository before Kombai generated any files
  2. The most recent version of the file generated by Kombai

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Undo and Keep

Code mode allows you to undo or keep generated code. After code is generated, the Undo and Keep buttons appear in the Working Set panel.
  • Undo: Reverts the repository changes to the last kept version. If there is no kept version, it reverts changes to the repository’s initial state (before Kombai started working on it).
  • Keep: Marks the current version as a checkpoint. Future diffs will be compared against this version.

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Plan mode

Plan mode generates a detailed implementation roadmap before code generation begins. Use this mode for complex frontend tasks and high-level planning.

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Get started

  1. Launch Kombai extension in your IDE.
  2. Click the mode dropdown in the chat input box.
  3. Select Plan.
  4. Add your task to the chat input box.
  5. Press Enter or click the
    button to send the task.
  6. Answer any clarifying questions.
  7. Click Approve Plan to finalize the plan and start code generation.

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Editable plan file

After reading your input and codebase, Kombai may ask clarifying questions. Based on your responses, it generates an editable plan containing sections like Design Plan, Technical Implementation, and To-dos. You can review and approve this plan to begin the code generation process.

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Update the plan

  1. Click the icon in the top-right corner of the plan.md file.
  2. Click Edit to open the plan.md file in markdown.
  3. Make the required changes and save.
  4. Click Update Plan to regenerate the plan with your changes.
  5. Once the plan is updated, click Approve Plan to start code generation.

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Ask mode

Ask is a read-only mode for codebase exploration or asking frontend-specific questions.

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Switch between modes

You can switch modes at any time:
  1. Click the mode dropdown in the Kombai chat input box.
  2. Select the mode you want to switch to.
  3. Add your task to the chat input box.
  4. Press Enter or click the
    button to send the message.

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Restore chats across modes

Chats in Kombai can be restored at certain stages. This functionality works in all supported modes. There are two ways to restore:
Kombai provides a restore button at specific checkpoints: “after you send a message”, “after a plan is generated”, and “when the Continue button appears after you stop a response”.Click the restore button to restore the chat to that checkpoint.
You can also resend an existing input to Kombai to generate a new response.Follow the steps below to resend an input:
  1. Click on a previous input in the Kombai chat.
  2. Edit the input (optional).
  3. Press Enter and click Confirm.

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Tools

See the complete list of tools available in Kombai.