Plannotator v0.21.3

Plannotator is an open-source platform designed to review and validate plans and code generated by AI coding agents.

The platform provides a centralized interface where developers can:

  • Review AI-generated plans

  • Annotate proposed actions

  • Approve or reject tasks

  • Inspect code changes

  • Provide structured feedback

  • Improve agent outputs

  • Maintain human oversight

Rather than replacing developers, Plannotator aims to keep humans involved in critical decision-making during AI-assisted development.

As AI coding agents become increasingly capable, developers face a growing challenge: ensuring that AI-generated plans and code changes align with project requirements before they are executed. Plannotator addresses this problem by acting as a review layer between developers and AI coding agents.

Instead of generating code itself, Plannotator focuses on making AI-driven development more transparent and controllable. It allows teams to review, annotate, approve, reject, and refine agent-generated plans and code changes before they affect a project.

Download Plannotator v0.21.3 - Software Mirrors

Plannotator v0.21.3 for Windows

plannotator-paste-win32-arm64.exe | 106.86 MB

plannotator-paste-win32-x64.exe | 110.08 MB

plannotator-win32-arm64.exe | 156.49 MB

plannotator-win32-x64.exe | 159.71 MB

Plannotator v0.21.3 for macOS

plannotator-darwin-arm64 | 108.25 MB

plannotator-darwin-x64 | 112.69 MB

plannotator-paste-darwin-arm64 | 58.24 MB

plannotator-paste-darwin-x64 | 63.07 MB

Plannotator v0.21.3 for Linux

plannotator-linux-arm64 | 143.8 MB

plannotator-linux-x64 | 144.33 MB

plannotator-paste-linux-arm64 | 94.17 MB

plannotator-paste-linux-x64 | 94.7 MB

Plannotator v0.21.3 Release Notes:

Follow @plannotator on X for updates
Missed recent releases?
  • v0.21.2: Custom reviews as Agent Skills, Cursor + OpenCode review engines, whole-file/general findings, deleted-annotation fix, Codex Ask AI outside git repos
  • v0.21.1: Annotate-last blank-page fix on multi-message sessions
  • v0.21.0: Direct document editing in annotate mode, live git-status file tree, in-app agent terminal, open files in external apps, HTML renders as HTML
  • v0.20.3: Annotations no longer lost when clicking away, off-screen indicator for open comments
  • v0.20.2: Pierre CodeView all-files review, large-PR pipeline and instant-open checkout, unified agent engine selection, Pi programmatic plan mode
  • v0.20.1: Pi extension install hotfix (pinned @pierre/diffs after a broken upstream release)
  • v0.20.0: Multi-repo workspace reviews, semantic diff overview, UI 2.0 themes and plan look chooser, leaner single-source skill install
  • v0.19.27: Kiro CLI integration, Glimpse native window, annotate-last message picker
  • v0.19.26: Amp plugin production fixes, Mermaid rendering fix, Settings flicker fix, update notification toast and shimmer
  • v0.19.24: Amp integration, configurable data directory, Auto Mode permission option, Pi plan approval fix
  • v0.19.23: Droid integration, Windows Pi AI fix, quieter update indicator

What's New in v0.21.3

A follow-up to the code-review work in v0.21.2. The headline is file-scoped comments in code review with a reworked comment experience, and the rest of the release is fixes and polish: a new contributor fixed clipboard and keyboard handling in the VS Code extension, the CLI now prints help for its subcommands, Codex Ask AI moved onto a more reliable transport, and the Ask AI sidebar got a few rough edges sanded down. Eight changes land in total, including a first contribution from @rushelex.

File Comments in Code Review

Until now a code-review comment always attached to a line range. This release adds file-scoped comments — a comment that belongs to a whole file rather than any single line. In the single-file view it renders as a full-text banner directly below the file path; in the all-files view it sits in the file header for expanded files. Guided reviews that produce file-level findings now anchor them where they belong instead of forcing them onto a line. The comment experience was also unified. Clicking a comment — whether the inline card in the diff, the sidebar entry, or the file banner — replays its stored line range as a controlled highlight, and clicking it again clears the highlight. Scrolling the viewport to a comment is reserved for the sidebar and findings list, so clicking a comment inside the diff highlights it without yanking the page around. The inline, sidebar, and file-banner cards now share a single identity row (badges, author, timestamp), a single action row (edit, copy, delete), and a consistent file-name chip, replacing three separately built layouts that had drifted apart. PR #973, by @backnotprop.

VS Code Clipboard and Keyboard Handling

The VS Code extension renders Plannotator inside a webview, and two long-standing problems made that webview feel second-class. Copy and paste didn't work — clipboard content never crossed the webview boundary — and standard VS Code keybindings like Cmd+P stopped responding while a Plannotator tab was focused. This release bridges the clipboard so copy, cut, and paste work inside the webview, and forwards keystrokes to VS Code so its keybindings resolve as expected. PR #970 closing #864 and #969, by @rushelex — who both reported the bugs and contributed the fix.

Codex Ask AI on the App-Server Transport

Codex Ask AI no longer drives codex exec through the @openai/codex-sdk package. It now runs a long-lived codex app-server process over JSON-RPC, which respects the user's and enterprise-managed approval policy and supports interactive Allow/Deny approvals surfaced as cards in the UI. The provider id stays codex-sdk so existing saved preferences keep working. A startup edge case is also fixed: if the app-server process spawned but stalled on its initialize handshake, it was left running and every later question hung until an idle timer reaped it. The process is now killed on a failed handshake, so the next question starts cleanly. PR #971, by @backnotprop.

CLI Subcommand Help

Running plannotator review --help (and the same for other subcommands) launched the review UI instead of printing help text. The CLI now resolves --help and -h for each subcommand before dispatching, so the help flag prints usage and exits without starting a server. PR #974 closing #964, reported by @rrei.

Clickable Ask AI Announcement Cards

The first time Ask AI appears, an announcement dialog presents the available providers as cards. Those cards were missing their click handler, so selecting a provider from the announcement did nothing. They are clickable now and select the provider as expected. PR #975 closing #972, reported by @Duo-Huang.

Ask AI Sidebar Polish

Two smaller fixes in the code-review Ask AI sidebar. The per-file chat groups used to start collapsed, so every file you had asked about had to be opened by hand; they now default to expanded, while manual collapse still works and persists. And clicking a sidebar comment that no longer matches the active PR or diff scope — for example after switching PRs in place — used to do nothing at all; it now clears the current selection so the click gives visible feedback instead of appearing broken.

Additional Changes

  • Dependency maintenance — GitHub Actions used by the build and release workflows were updated (actions/checkout to v7, softprops/action-gh-release to v3, and others). PR #791, by @renovate.

Install / Update

macOS / Linux:
bash
curl -fsSL https://plannotator.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows:
powershell
irm https://plannotator.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Extra skills (compound, setup-goal, visual-explainer), opt-in:
bash
npx skills add backnotprop/plannotator/apps/skills/extra
Claude Code Plugin: Run /plugin in Claude Code, find plannotator, and click "Update now". OpenCode: Clear cache and restart:
bash
rm -rf ~/.bun/install/cache/@plannotator
Then in opencode.json:
json
{
  "plugin": ["@plannotator/opencode@latest"]
}
Pi: Install or update the extension:
bash
pi install npm:@plannotator/pi-extension
Droid: Install via the plugin marketplace:

droid plugin marketplace add backnotprop/plannotator
droid plugin install plannotator@plannotator
Amp: Install the CLI first, then copy the plugin:
bash
mkdir -p ~/.config/amp/plugins
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/backnotprop/plannotator/main/apps/amp-plugin/plannotator.ts \
  -o ~/.config/amp/plugins/plannotator.ts
Kiro CLI: The installer auto-detects Kiro and installs skills automatically. After installing the CLI, launch with:
bash
kiro-cli chat --agent plannotator
Upgrading from before v0.20.0? Read the v0.20.0 release notes first; that release changed how skills install.

What's Changed

  • feat(review): file comments in the diff + unified click-to-highlight comment UX by @backnotprop in #973
  • fix(vscode): bridge clipboard and forward keystrokes in webview by @rushelex in #970
  • fix(annotate): make Ask AI announcement provider cards clickable by @backnotprop in #975
  • fix(cli): print per-subcommand help instead of launching the UI by @backnotprop in #974
  • fix(ai): drive Codex Ask AI via codex app-server by @backnotprop in #971
  • fix(ai): kill codex app-server if the initialize handshake fails by @backnotprop
  • fix(review): default Ask AI per-file chat groups to expanded by @backnotprop
  • fix(review): clear selection on out-of-scope sidebar annotation click by @backnotprop
  • chore(deps): update github actions by @renovate in #791

New Contributors

  • @rushelex made their first contribution in #970

Contributors

@rushelex landed their first contribution, and a complete one: they reported that the VS Code extension couldn't paste from the clipboard (#864) and that VS Code keybindings stopped working while a Plannotator tab was focused (#969), then fixed both in #970. Thanks also to the people who reported the bugs this release fixes:
  • @rrei reported that plannotator review --help launched the UI instead of printing help (#964), fixed in #974.
  • @Duo-Huang reported that the Ask AI announcement provider cards were not clickable (#972), fixed in #975.
Full Changelog: https://github.com/backnotprop/plannotator/compare/v0.21.2...v0.21.3

Key Features of Plannotator

Plan Review System

One of Plannotator's core capabilities is reviewing plans generated by AI agents before execution.

Developers can examine:

  • Proposed tasks

  • Implementation strategies

  • Agent reasoning

  • Planned file modifications

  • Workflow sequences

This visibility helps reduce unintended changes and costly mistakes.

Annotation Tools

The platform allows users to add comments, notes, and guidance directly to AI-generated plans.

These annotations can be used to:

  • Clarify requirements

  • Correct misunderstandings

  • Provide context

  • Guide future agent actions

AI Code Review

Plannotator extends the review process beyond planning by supporting inspection of generated code.

Developers can:

  • Review modifications

  • Analyze diffs

  • Leave comments

  • Request revisions

  • Validate implementation details

This workflow resembles modern pull-request review systems.

Human-in-the-Loop Workflows

A major design goal is ensuring that AI actions remain subject to human approval.

Organizations can establish review processes where important actions require validation before execution.

Open Source Foundation

Plannotator is open source, allowing teams to inspect, modify, and self-host the platform according to their needs.

This transparency is particularly valuable for organizations adopting AI-assisted software development.

User Experience

The interface is designed around review workflows rather than direct code generation.

Instead of interacting with a chatbot, users primarily:

  1. Receive agent-generated plans

  2. Review proposed actions

  3. Add feedback

  4. Approve or reject changes

  5. Monitor execution results

The workflow feels familiar to developers accustomed to pull requests, code reviews, and project planning tools.

Productivity Benefits

As AI coding tools become more autonomous, review processes become increasingly important.

Plannotator helps organizations:

  • Reduce risky AI actions

  • Improve code quality

  • Increase accountability

  • Preserve architectural consistency

  • Encourage collaboration between developers and AI agents

For teams adopting AI-driven development, these safeguards can be as valuable as the coding agents themselves.

Collaboration Features

The platform supports collaborative review workflows where multiple team members can participate in evaluating AI-generated outputs.

This allows:

  • Peer review

  • Team approval processes

  • Shared annotations

  • Collective decision-making

Such features are especially useful for larger engineering teams.

Performance

Because Plannotator focuses on workflow management and review rather than model inference, performance largely depends on the connected AI agents and integrations.

The platform itself is lightweight and primarily serves as an orchestration and review layer.

Open Source Advantages

Being open source provides several benefits:

  • Transparent development

  • Self-hosting capabilities

  • Custom integrations

  • Community contributions

  • Vendor independence

Organizations concerned about compliance, security, or proprietary workflows may find these advantages particularly appealing.

Limitations

Plannotator is designed as a companion tool rather than a complete AI development platform.

Common limitations include:

  • Requires external AI coding agents

  • Best suited for teams already using AI-assisted development

  • Smaller ecosystem than mature developer platforms

  • Additional review steps may slow rapid prototyping

  • Some users may prefer fully autonomous workflows

The software delivers the most value in environments where oversight and quality control are priorities.

Pros

  • Improves transparency of AI-generated plans

  • Supports structured review workflows

  • Human-in-the-loop design

  • Useful annotation system

  • Open source

  • Self-hosting support

  • Familiar review experience for developers

  • Helps reduce AI-generated mistakes

Cons

  • Not a standalone coding agent

  • Requires integration with AI development tools

  • Smaller community than established developer platforms

  • Adds review overhead to workflows

  • Best suited for teams rather than casual users

Who Should Use Plannotator?

Plannotator is ideal for:

  • Software development teams

  • Engineering managers

  • AI-assisted development workflows

  • Organizations adopting coding agents

  • Open-source projects

  • Teams prioritizing code quality and governance

It is particularly valuable for environments where AI-generated code requires oversight before reaching production systems.

Plannotator fills an increasingly important role in the AI development ecosystem by providing visibility and control over AI-generated plans and code changes. Its focus on human oversight, structured reviews, and collaborative workflows makes it a useful companion for modern coding agents. While it is not a replacement for AI coding tools themselves, it offers a practical solution for teams seeking greater confidence and accountability in AI-assisted software development.

Plannotator v0.21.3
Free
Software Informations:
Developer:

Operating System:
Windows / macOS / Linux
Date Added:
2026-06-28T23:01:49.693Z
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