Agent Getting Started

How to Start Using Refact Agent

Start an agent workflow in your IDE.

Refact Agent is the chat workflow for tasks that require multiple steps, tools, and code changes.

Start a workflow

1. Open Refact chat in your IDE.
2. Choose an agent-capable mode, such as Agent, Quick Agent, Review, Debug, Plan, or a project-specific mode.
3. Describe the goal and include constraints, files, commands, or acceptance criteria.
4. Let the agent gather context. It may read files, search symbols, inspect history, or ask a clarifying question.
5. Review tool confirmations and patch previews before applying sensitive changes.
6. Ask the agent to run the project's normal verification command before you finish.

Good prompts

Be specific about the outcome you want:

• "Find why this test fails, fix it, and run the test again."
• "Refactor this component without changing behavior; update tests if needed."
• "Review the current diff for correctness and security issues."
• "Plan the migration first, then wait before editing files."

Tips

• Start with Explore or Plan if the task is broad or risky.
• Attach the current file or selected snippet when the problem is local.
• Keep generated files, migrations, and credentials out of scope unless the agent specifically needs them.
• Use checkpoints or rollback when experimenting with large edits.