Modes

Codebuff has four modes. Switch during a session with Shift+Tab or /mode: commands.

Standard mode with Claude Opus 4.5:

• Spawns file pickers and code searchers to gather context
• Uses the editor agent for code changes
• Spawns thinker for complex problems
• Runs code review after changes
• Validates with typechecks and tests

codebuff  # no flag needed

Grok 4.1 Fast, cheaper and faster:

• Less file context gathering
• Uses GPT-5.1 for code changes (editor-gpt-5 agent)
• Skips code review
• No todo tracking

Good for quick fixes and simple questions.

codebuff --lite

Claude Opus 4.5 with best-of-N selection:

• Reads 12-20+ files per task
• Spawns multiple editor agents in parallel, each with a different strategy
• A selector compares outputs and picks the best one
• Spawns thinker-best-of-n-opus for hard problems
• Full code review after changes
• Runs typechecks and tests on both the changed files and the full project

Use for complex features and refactors.

codebuff --max

Planning mode. No file writes.

• Gathers context about your codebase
• Asks clarifying questions using ask_user
• Outputs a spec/plan wrapped in <PLAN> tags
• Includes requirements, constraints, and relevant files

Use this to scope out work before implementing, or to discuss approaches without making changes.

codebuff --plan