Goal Mode

For long-running, complex tasks, use /goal to set an explicit objective for the current session. Once set, ZCode Agent keeps iterating toward the goal: at the end of each iteration it runs an automatic goal verification — if the goal is not yet met, it continues with another round, and the task only finishes once the goal is verified as complete. Instead of repeatedly prompting "continue", you set a goal and wait for the result.

Best for work that is easy to state in one sentence but takes many rounds to finish, for example:

• "Refactor the whole module and keep the tests passing"
• "Fix all TypeScript compile errors"
• "Get this page's Lighthouse performance score above 90"

Set and manage a goal

Type /goal in the chat input (or type / and pick goal from the suggestions):

/goal <objective>         Set the session goal
/goal replace <objective> Replace the current goal
/goal pause               Pause the goal
/goal resume              Resume the goal
/goal clear               Clear the goal

Tip: make the objective specific and verifiable — e.g. "Fix all TypeScript compile errors and make pnpm test pass" — the clearer the success criteria, the more accurate each round's verification.

What happens after setting a goal

Live tracking in the summary panel

A goal card appears in the top-right summary panel showing the goal status (active / paused / complete) along with elapsed time, total tokens, and the iteration count — you can see at a glance how long the task has been running and what it has cost.

Automatic verification each round

When an iteration finishes, the agent automatically verifies the goal:

• Goal not complete, task continues — the next iteration starts automatically; no need to prompt "continue"
• Goal complete, task finished — the task only wraps up and summarizes after verification passes

Step in anytime

A goal is not set in stone:

• Use /goal replace <new objective> to change direction without starting over
• Use /goal pause to pause, then /goal resume when you are ready to continue
• Use /goal clear when the task no longer needs a goal constraint

Combine with execution modes

Goal Mode works alongside execution modes: the goal defines when the work counts as done, while the execution mode defines how many actions need confirmation along the way. For long goal-driven tasks, pair it with Full Access or Auto Edit to minimize interruptions and keep iterations flowing.

Next Steps