Agent Mode
Agent Mode lets Cendra autonomously plan and execute code changes in your repository. Instead of writing code manually, you describe a task and Cendra handles analysis, file edits, test generation, and review — with human-in-the-loop (HITL) approval gates at every critical step.
Open Agent Mode with Ctrl+Shift+A or click the robot icon in the toolbar.
How it works
Task input → Plan → HITL review → Execute → Diff review → Accept / RejectLifecycle phases
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Idle | The panel shows a text input, context chips, and scope selector. Describe what you want to build. |
| Planning | Cendra analyzes your request and generates a step-by-step execution plan via streaming. A spinner indicates progress. |
| Plan Review | The plan is displayed as a list of steps. Each step has a type (analyze, edit, create, delete, test, review), a description, and an optional file path. You approve or reject the plan. |
| Executing | Steps run in sequence. The current step is highlighted. Progress shows Step N of M. |
| Paused | Execution can be paused and resumed at any time. The current step waits for you to continue. |
| Reviewing | All file changes are shown as diffs. You can accept individual changes or reject them. |
| Done | A summary of what was accomplished. All accepted changes are saved as drafts. |
| Error | If something goes wrong, an error message is displayed with the option to retry. |
Step types
| Type | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
analyze | Magnifying glass | Read and understand files, gather context |
edit | Pencil | Modify an existing file |
create | Plus | Create a new file |
delete | Trash | Remove a file |
test | Flask | Generate or run tests |
review | Eye | Review the changes made so far |
Context and scope
Before starting, you can configure the agent’s context:
- Context chips — add files, folders, or URLs as context for the task
- Scope selector — limit changes to specific directories or the entire repo
HITL approval gates
Agent Mode enforces human approval at two critical points:
- Plan approval — after Cendra generates the plan, you must approve it before execution begins. You can edit the plan, remove steps, or reject and re-prompt.
- Change review — after execution completes, a diff view shows every file change. You accept or reject each change individually.
Nothing is committed directly. All changes go through the draft system (POST /projects/:id/drafts) — you commit via the Source Control panel when ready.
Pause and resume
During execution, click Pause to suspend the agent. The current step waits without losing progress. Click Resume to continue from where it left off. This is useful for inspecting intermediate results or providing additional guidance.
Diff review
The review phase shows changes per file:
- Modified files show a line-by-line diff with deletions (red) and additions (green)
- Created files show all content as additions
- Deleted files show all content as deletions
Each file can be accepted or rejected independently. Accepted changes are saved as drafts.