Create Plans
You are now executing the planner-create skill. Follow these steps immediately:
Agent Reference: This skill uses the plan-creator agent (@agents/plan-creator.md) to perform the actual plan creation work.
Template Reference: The default plan template is available at @templates/plan.TEMPLATE.md
Standards Reference: Convention files are available at @templates/standards/
Step 1: Read Smart Parallelism Configuration
Read the user's project configuration to understand the plan creation strategy:
-
Read configuration file: Read
plans/planner.config.json- If successful and valid JSON:
- Parse:
smart_parallelism - Store the value and proceed to Step 2
- Parse:
- If successful and valid JSON:
-
Use default: If file not found or invalid:
smart_parallelism = false
This affects dependency creation:
true: Aggressive parallelization (fewer dependencies, more parallel plans)false: Conservative dependencies (safer sequential execution)
Step 2: Detect Plan Template
Check for a plan template to ensure consistent plan structure:
-
Check user's project first: Use Glob to check if
plans/plan.TEMPLATE.mdexists- If found: Read the file using Read tool and store as
template_content - Set
template_source = "project"
- If found: Read the file using Read tool and store as
-
Fall back to plugin default: If not found in project:
- Read the plugin's default template:
templates/plan.TEMPLATE.mdfrom plugin directory - Store as
template_content - Set
template_source = "default"
- Read the plugin's default template:
-
Check for convention files: Use Glob to check if
plans/standards/*.mdexists- If found: Store paths as
convention_files - If not found: Agent will use built-in conventions
- If found: Store paths as
Template affects plan structure:
- Plans will follow the template's section structure
- Placeholders (
{{PLACEHOLDER}}) guide content placement - Convention
@mentionsare preserved for reference
Step 3: Analyze Existing Plans
Understand the current project structure:
- Use Glob:
plans/*.plan.md(only plan files, not specs or templates) - Store as
existing_plansfor context - Detect naming conventions:
- Prefix patterns (e.g., "auth-", "api-")
- Numbering schemes (e.g., "01-", "02-")
- Naming styles (e.g., kebab-case, descriptive names)
Step 4: Spawn Plan-Creator Agent
CRITICAL: You MUST spawn the plan-creator agent now using the Task tool.
This is NOT optional - the agent performs the actual plan creation work.
Use the Task tool with these exact parameters:
Task tool parameters:
description: "Create plans for: [short summary]"
subagent_type: "planner:plan-creator"
prompt: |
description: "[user's full feature description]"
prefix: "[provided prefix or inferred from description]"
smart_parallelism: [true/false from Step 1]
template_source: [project/default]
template_content: |
[TEMPLATE CONTENT IF FROM PROJECT, OR "use built-in default"]
convention_files:
[LIST OF CONVENTION FILE PATHS, OR "use built-in conventions"]
existing_plans:
[LIST OF EXISTING PLAN FILES]
naming_conventions:
[DETECTED PATTERNS FROM EXISTING PLANS]
IMPORTANT: Follow the template structure when creating plans.
Include @mentions to convention files in the Standards section.
BEGIN CREATION.
Important: Do NOT just gather information - you MUST call the Task tool to spawn the agent.
Step 5: Report Results
After the agent completes, show the creation result:
════════════════════════════════════════
Plans Created Successfully
Feature: [feature description]
Prefix: [prefix used]
Plans created: [N]
Template: [project custom / plugin default]
Plan Execution Order:
Round 1 (parallel): [list of independent plans]
Round 2: [plans depending on Round 1]
Round 3: [plans depending on Round 2]
...
Files created:
- plans/[plan-01].plan.md
- plans/[plan-02].plan.md
- plans/[plan-03].plan.md
- Updated plans/PROGRESS.md
To execute:
/planner:batch --prefix=[prefix]
OR
/planner:batch [plan-01].plan.md [plan-02].plan.md ...
Smart Parallelism: [enabled/disabled]
════════════════════════════════════════
If extra sections were needed:
Note: The following sections were added beyond the template:
- [section name]: [reason]
Reference Information
What This Skill Does
When creating plans for a feature, this skill:
- Reads Configuration: Gets smart parallelism setting from
plans/planner.config.json - Detects Templates: Checks for custom template or uses plugin default
- Analyzes Requirements: Breaks down the feature into manageable plans
- Creates Plan Files: Each plan is self-contained (~40% context usage)
- Determines Dependencies: Identifies sequential vs. parallel execution needs
- Updates Tracking: Adds new plans to
plans/PROGRESS.md
Key Features
- Template Support: Uses project template or plugin default for consistent structure
- Convention References: Includes @mentions to coding standards
- Smart Breakdown: Splits complex features into small, focused plans
- Dependency Analysis: Identifies which plans must run sequentially vs. in parallel
- Context Optimization: Each plan uses ~40% context to leave room for implementation
- Naming Conventions: Follows existing project patterns or creates sensible defaults
- Automatic Tracking: Updates PROGRESS.md with all new plans
- Configurable Strategy: Uses smart parallelism setting for dependency decisions
Template System
The planner uses a template system for consistent plan creation:
Project Template (plans/plan.TEMPLATE.md):
- Custom template for your project
- Created via
/planner:eject-template plan - Takes priority over plugin default
Plugin Default Template:
- Built into the plan-creator agent
- Used when no project template exists
- Includes all standard sections
Convention Files (plans/standards/*.md):
- Referenced via
@templates/standards/[name].md - Provide coding standards and best practices
- Can be customized per project
Smart Parallelism
The smart_parallelism setting in plans/planner.config.json affects how aggressively plans are parallelized:
When true (Aggressive):
- Minimizes dependencies
- Maximizes parallel execution
- Faster overall execution
- Requires careful conflict management
When false (Conservative):
- More sequential dependencies
- Safer execution order
- Slower but more predictable
- Better for complex interdependencies
Plan Structure
Each created plan follows the template structure and includes:
# Configuration
depends_on: "prefix-00-setup.md"
# Plan: prefix-01-database.md
## Objective
[What this plan accomplishes]
## Context
[Relevant codebase context]
## Implementation Steps
### Step 1: [Title]
[Details]
## Files to Modify
| File | Action | Description |
| ---- | ------ | ----------- |
## Standards & Conventions
@templates/standards/coding-style.md
@templates/standards/error-handling.md
## Testing Instructions
[How to verify the changes work]
## Completion
Update plans/PROGRESS.md to mark this plan as COMPLETED.
Example
User: Create plans for user authentication with JWT
Step 1: Read smart_parallelism
→ Found: smart_parallelism: true
Step 2: Detect template
→ Found: plans/plan.TEMPLATE.md (project custom)
→ Found: plans/standards/*.md (8 convention files)
Step 3: Analyze existing plans
→ Found naming pattern: "feature-NN-name.plan.md"
→ Detected numbering scheme: 00, 01, 02, etc.
Step 4: Spawn plan-creator agent
→ Passes config, description, template, and conventions
Agent creates:
→ auth-00-setup.plan.md (no deps)
→ auth-01-database.plan.md (depends on: 00)
→ auth-02-jwt-service.plan.md (depends on: 01)
→ auth-03-api.plan.md (depends on: 02)
→ auth-04-tests.plan.md (no deps - can run in parallel)
Updates PROGRESS.md:
→ Added 5 new plans
Report:
→ Round 1: auth-00-setup.plan.md, auth-04-tests.plan.md
→ Round 2: auth-01-database.plan.md
→ Round 3: auth-02-jwt-service.plan.md
→ Round 4: auth-03-api.plan.md
Suggested command: /planner:batch --prefix=auth
