AI Coding · Agentic Review Workflow

How to Review plan.md Files from Claude Code and Cursor Without IDE Clutter

As autonomous developer tools like Claude Code and Cursor become daily drivers, repositories quickly fill up with agent-generated Markdown files: plan.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and technical RFCs.

AI drafts plans rapidly, but as the human-in-the-loop tech lead, reviewing and tweaking those plans without disrupting your coding flow has become a significant friction point.

Open your project folder in the browser and review plans instantly →

1. The Friction in Reviewing AI Plans

Carefully reviewing a plan.md before letting an agent run free is essential to avoid destructive regressions. Yet common approaches are frustrating:

  • Terminal Pagers (cat/less): Unformatted text makes long plans with checklists, tables, and Mermaid architecture diagrams impossible to skim effectively.
  • IDE Window Overload: Cursor and VS Code already juggle code editors, terminals, and AI sidebars. Squeezing in a Markdown preview pane creates a cramped workspace.
  • Heavy Desktop Note Apps: Launching a 200MB Electron app like Obsidian or Typora just to glance at a temporary plan file creates unnecessary system and cognitive overhead.
  • Cloud Scratchpads: Pasting proprietary architecture plans into public online viewers risks leaking proprietary code and breaks your local filesystem loop.

2. A Clean Solution Powered by Web File System Access

Modern Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Arc) natively support the File System Access API. Without requiring extensions or desktop installations, a web app can safely read and edit files in a local directory you choose.

Built on this standard, NoteLoom (app.noteloom.cc) offers a clean workflow for developers:

  1. Mount in Seconds: Click "Open my folder" and pick your project root or docs/ directory;
  2. Clean Rendering: The left sidebar displays your local file tree while the right pane renders checklists (- [ ]), syntax-highlighted code blocks, and diagrams;
  3. Instant Local Save: Spot something missing? Edit the plan in place and press Ctrl+S. The change writes straight back to disk, ready for your terminal agent to pick up.

3. The Recommended Dual-Screen Setup

Many developers find this setup ideal:

  • Primary Screen: Fullscreen Cursor or VS Code for active coding, tests, and terminal builds;
  • Secondary Screen (or Browser Tab): A persistent tab with app.noteloom.cc mounted to the project directory, serving as an always-on dashboard for agent plans and docs.

Related Guides

AI plans are too long to read? How to skim headings, jump to risks, and skip redundant context.
Which rules file does my AI tool read? AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and .cursorrules comparison and placement guide.
What is AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md? Persistent rules files for AI coding agents: how to read and write them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not just use split-pane Markdown preview in Cursor or VS Code?
In active projects, your IDE is already crowded with code tabs, terminal panels, and AI chat sidebars. Squeezing another preview column wastes precious screen real estate and can cause keyboard shortcut conflicts or editor lag on large documents.
Why not copy-paste the plan into an online viewer or web chatbot?
AI-generated implementation plans and PRDs contain sensitive system architecture, database schemas, and private business logic. Pasting them into third-party cloud tools poses privacy risks, and copying edits back by hand breaks the local file loop your agent reads from.
How does NoteLoom read and write local files without uploading them?
NoteLoom uses the browser-native File System Access API in Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Arc). Once granted permission, it reads and writes files directly on your disk within your local browser sandbox. Opening, editing, and saving those .md files happens on your disk, and that path has no upload step.
If I edit the plan.md in NoteLoom, will Claude Code pick it up immediately?
Yes. Pressing Ctrl+S in NoteLoom writes directly back to the original file on your disk. When Claude Code or Cursor executes the next step, it reads the updated file right away.
Which browsers are supported?
Chromium-based desktop browsers with File System Access API support. NoteLoom is tested in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Arc.
Does the NoteLoom AI chat panel send my plan.md anywhere?
Only when you open the panel and send a message. What leaves your machine is the conversation, plus whatever note text the model reads through a tool call, and each read shows a card with the file path and a character count. The free tier runs one built-in model, GLM-5.3-Flash, through chat.noteloom.cc. If you add your own DeepSeek or Zhipu GLM key on the web, requests go straight from your browser to that provider. Opening, editing, and saving the .md file itself is a separate path that stays on your disk. The panel defaults to the "Approve each change" permission tier, so it asks before writing to a file.

Review AI Plans in a Dedicated Browser Window

Stop squeezing long plans into crowded IDE split panes. Open NoteLoom in Chrome or Edge, mount your workspace, and review plan.md with clean rendering and live edits saved directly to disk.

Review Plans in Browser Without Install →

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