In January 2026, delivered a structured TL;DR checkpoint for Plan Mode in zed-industries/codex to promote exploration-first behavior, reduce premature prompts, and improve alignment before drafting long-form plans. Implemented gated progress: require at least one targeted non-mutating exploration pass prior to the first user question, and inserted a TL;DR checkpoint between Phase 2 (intent) and Phase 3 (implementation). Provided explicit guidance for the TL;DR: label 'Proposed Plan (TL;DR)', 3–5 bullets prefixed with '- ', and exactly one option ('Approve'); documented that 'None of the above' is the edit path. Verified end-to-end flow via local CLI tests, ensuring exploration-first behavior, proper checkpoint prompts, and delayed drafting of the full plan until approval. This work improves alignment, reduces premature plan commitments, and enhances reliability of Codex planning interactions.