To plan a multi-file Kotlin change before editing, switch Atlas into the plan agent, whose description is literally Plan mode. Disallows all edit tools. Its permission set denies edit for "*" and allows it only under .atlas/plans/*.md, so Atlas can research your Gradle modules, your coroutine call sites, and your build.gradle.kts without writing a single byte into src/main/kotlin. You research with codebase_search, grep, read, and the lsp tool, all of which stay allowed in plan mode, then write the plan into the allowed plan markdown path. When the plan is ready, plan_exit asks whether to switch to the build agent and start implementing. Only after you answer Yes does Kotlin source change, and only then do JUnit 5 via gradle test and ktlint have anything new to check.
How do you plan a Kotlin refactor before Atlas edits any files?
Switch Atlas to the plan agent, whose description is literally Plan mode. Disallows all edit tools. In 2026 the plan agent's permission set denies edit for "*" and allows it only under .atlas/plans/*.md, so a Kotlin refactor spanning ten modules is fully designed before build.gradle.kts or any .kt file changes.
A Kotlin change that touches many files is exactly where an agent does the most damage by starting too early. Convert a callback API to coroutines and you have touched the interface, every implementation, every caller, the test doubles, and possibly the Gradle module boundaries in settings.gradle.kts. Atlas's plan agent removes the ability to start early. Its permission set denies edit for "*" and allows it only under .atlas/plans/*.md, which means research and design cannot accidentally turn into an edit. Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only plan agent and asks before switching to a build agent, so the transition from thinking to typing is a decision you make, not a side effect of the model getting confident. Nothing under src/main/kotlin/ moves until you say so.
What can Atlas's plan agent do in a Gradle project?
Atlas's plan agent keeps 4 research tools in a Gradle project: codebase_search, grep, read, and the lsp tool, all of which stay allowed in plan mode. It can read build.gradle.kts, settings.gradle.kts, and every file under src/main/kotlin, and it can enumerate callers of a suspend function. It just cannot write to them.
Atlas searches code with hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval fused by reciprocal rank fusion, so codebase_search in plan mode finds the Kotlin code that implements a concept even when the concept name never appears in it: ask where retries are handled and Atlas surfaces the runCatching block and the Flow.retryWhen operator without you naming either. grep catches the mechanical occurrences the type system does not see: a coroutine dispatcher named in a string, a module path in settings.gradle.kts, a ktlint suppression comment. The lsp tool gives the authoritative reference set from the Kotlin language server, which is what you need to know whether changing a suspend fun signature breaks 4 callers or 40. All of that research is read-only, and all of it lands in the plan rather than in your source tree.
Where does Atlas write the plan for a Kotlin change?
Atlas writes the plan into the allowed plan markdown path, which is the one place plan mode can write. The plan agent's permission set denies edit for "*" and allows it only under .atlas/plans/*.md, so in 2026 a Kotlin migration plan lives in version-controllable markdown, next to the repo, and not scattered across src/main/kotlin.
A good plan for a multi-file Kotlin change names the files. It says which interface in src/main/kotlin/com/example/api/ gains a suspend modifier, which of the 12 implementations must follow, which JUnit 5 tests under src/test/kotlin/ will fail first, and whether the change crosses a Gradle module boundary declared in settings.gradle.kts. Atlas writes exactly that into the plan markdown path, and because the file is in the repo, a teammate can read it, comment on it, and reject it before a single .kt file is edited. Atlas computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval before writing, and the plan file is no exception: you see the plan's diff too.
How does plan_exit hand off from planning to implementing in Kotlin?
In 2026 Atlas's plan_exit tool ends plan mode by asking a question. It asks Plan at <path> is complete. Would you like to switch to the build agent and start implementing? Answer Yes and the build agent takes over your Kotlin change. Answer No and Atlas raises Question.RejectedError and keeps you refining the plan.
The plan_exit handoff is the safety boundary in a multi-file Kotlin change. Before plan_exit, no edit tool exists in the agent's permission set. After you answer Yes, the build agent can edit src/main/kotlin, and every edit still arrives as a unified diff for approval, because Atlas computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval before writing. If the plan is wrong, answering No raises Question.RejectedError and keeps you refining the plan, which is the whole point: the cost of a bad plan is another paragraph of markdown, not a half-migrated Gradle module and a red JUnit 5 via gradle test run.
How do you verify a planned Kotlin change after the build agent runs it?
Verify a planned Kotlin change with JUnit 5 via gradle test and ktlint, run through Atlas's bash access once the build agent lands the edits. Atlas snapshots file changes as git patches so edits can be diffed and rolled back, which means a 20-file coroutine migration in 2026 is reversible if gradle test comes back red.
The verification loop for Kotlin is concrete. Run JUnit 5 via gradle test to prove behavior held. Run ktlint to prove the new code matches house style, because a migration that leaves 200 formatting violations is a migration nobody will review. Gradle resolves the dependency changes if the plan added one to build.gradle.kts. Atlas reads git branches, status, and diffs, and can stage and create commits on your behalf, so once gradle test is green the change becomes a commit with the plan file as its own record of intent. And because Atlas snapshots file changes as git patches so edits can be diffed and rolled back, a plan that turned out to be wrong at file 9 of 20 can be undone rather than manually unpicked.
Step by step
- 01Run atlas in a project with a build.gradle.kts so Atlas can read your Gradle modules, coroutines, and build configuration.
- 02Switch to the plan agent; its permissions deny edit for "*" and allow it only under .atlas/plans/*.md, so no .kt file can change while you design.
- 03Research with codebase_search, grep, read, and the lsp tool; all of them stay allowed in plan mode. Use the lsp tool to enumerate every caller of the suspend function you intend to change.
- 04Grep settings.gradle.kts and build.gradle.kts to find out whether the change crosses a Gradle module boundary before you commit to a design.
- 05Write the plan into the allowed plan markdown path, which is the one place plan mode can write, naming each file under src/main/kotlin and each JUnit 5 test under src/test/kotlin that the change touches.
- 06Call plan_exit: it asks Plan at <path> is complete. Would you like to switch to the build agent and start implementing?
- 07Answer Yes to hand off to the build agent; answering No raises Question.RejectedError and keeps you refining the plan.
- 08Review each unified diff the build agent produces, then run JUnit 5 via gradle test and ktlint to confirm behavior and style before committing.
Frequently asked questions
- how to plan a large Kotlin refactor with an AI agent before it edits code
- Switch Atlas to the plan agent. Its permission set denies edit for "*" and allows it only under .atlas/plans/*.md, so Atlas can research your Gradle modules and coroutine call sites with codebase_search and the lsp tool without touching src/main/kotlin.
- can I stop an AI coding agent from editing files while it researches
- Yes. Atlas's plan agent is defined as Plan mode. Disallows all edit tools. Every Atlas tool call is permission-gated against allow, ask, and deny rules before it runs, and in plan mode the edit tool is denied for every path except the plan markdown.
- what is plan_exit in Atlas
- plan_exit is the Atlas tool that ends plan mode. It asks Plan at <path> is complete. Would you like to switch to the build agent and start implementing? Answering No raises Question.RejectedError and keeps you refining the plan instead of implementing it.
- how do I find every caller of a suspend function in Kotlin
- Use Atlas's lsp tool inside plan mode. The Kotlin language server gives the authoritative reference set, which tells you whether changing a suspend fun signature breaks 4 callers or 40 before you write the migration plan.
- does Atlas understand Gradle module boundaries
- Atlas reads build.gradle.kts and settings.gradle.kts like any other file, using read and grep. Run atlas in a project with a build.gradle.kts and let Atlas read your modules, coroutines, and Gradle configuration before planning a change that may cross a module boundary.
- how do I review an AI agent's Kotlin changes before they hit disk
- Atlas computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval before writing. In a Kotlin project that means you see the exact patch to each .kt file, and you approve or reject it, before anything under src/main/kotlin is modified.
- can I roll back an AI-generated Kotlin migration if gradle test fails
- Yes. Atlas snapshots file changes as git patches so edits can be diffed and rolled back. If JUnit 5 via gradle test comes back red at file 9 of a 20-file migration, the edits can be undone rather than manually unpicked.
Try Atlas in your terminal
The terminal-native AI coding agent. Free core, single binary.
Install AtlasRelated guides
Plan a Multi-File Change Before Editing with Atlas in 2026
How to plan a multi-file change with Atlas in 2026: the plan agent denies all edit tools, you research with codebase_search and lsp, then plan_exit hands off.
Atlas for Kotlin in 2026
In 2026, Atlas empowers Kotlin developers with terminal-native AI coding. It integrates with Gradle and coroutines, offering secure, privacy-focused code assistance with local embeddings and granular control.
Run the test suite and triage the failures in Kotlin with Atlas (2026)
How Atlas runs a Kotlin test suite and triages failures in 2026: bash truncates at 2000 lines, retains the full log, and grep groups 60 red tests into distinct root causes.
Trace a Runtime Bug From a Stack Trace in Kotlin with Atlas (2026)
Go from a Kotlin stack trace to the responsible line in 2026. Atlas reads each OrderService.kt:42 frame at its offset, greps the error string, and walks callers with lsp.
Debug a Single Failing Test in Kotlin With Atlas (2026)
Fix the code, not the assertion. Atlas isolates one failing Kotlin test with gradle test, walks the call graph with lsp, and repairs the production code with edit.
Onboard to an unfamiliar Kotlin codebase with Atlas (2026)
Build a mental model of an unfamiliar Kotlin repo in 2026 with Atlas: codebase_search for concepts, glob for the Gradle module layout, and a read-only explore subagent.
Extract a Shared Helper from Duplicated Kotlin Code with Atlas in 2026
Streamline your Kotlin codebase in 2026 by extracting duplicated logic into a single, tested helper using Atlas. Leverage Gradle, JUnit 5, and ktlint for robust refactoring.
Rename a Symbol Across the Repo in Kotlin with Atlas (2026 Guide)
Rename a Kotlin class or function across every Gradle module with Atlas: lsp findReferences, grep, edit replaceAll, then JUnit 5 via gradle test and ktlint.