mthines/create-plan

Create Plan Artifact

Generate .gw/{branch-name}/plan.md — the single source of truth for autonomous execution.

A new Claude session MUST be able to execute from this plan alone without the original conversation.

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Prerequisites

Before invoking this skill:

1. Phase 0 (Validation) must be complete — requirements confirmed with user
2. Phase 1 (Planning) must be complete — codebase analyzed, decisions made
3. Confidence gate should have passed (90%+ on plan mode)
4. A worktree must exist — plan.md is created INSIDE the worktree, never on main

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Procedure

Step 1: Determine file location

Run this command to get the artifact path — do NOT guess the branch name:

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current) && mkdir -p ".gw/${BRANCH}" && echo ".gw/${BRANCH}/plan.md"

Use the output as the file path. Do NOT hardcode or guess the branch name.

Step 2: Write plan.md

Create the file at the path from Step 1 using the EXACT template structure below. Every section is MANDATORY. Fill each section from the Phase 0-1 conversation context.

Step 3: Validate completeness

After writing, verify against the checklist at the bottom of this skill. If any item fails, fix it immediately.

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Template

All timestamps MUST use full ISO 8601 with time: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ

---
created: { TIMESTAMP }
branch: { BRANCH }
task: { TASK_DESCRIPTION }
complexity: { LOW | MEDIUM | HIGH }
status: approved
approved: true
---

# Plan: {TASK_DESCRIPTION}

## Summary

<!-- What, why, and definition of "done" in 2-3 sentences -->

## Background & Context

<!-- Why is this needed? What problem does it solve? Include history and motivation
     from Phase 0 discussion. Write so a reader with zero prior context understands
     the full "why". -->

## Requirements

<!-- ALL requirements from Phase 0. Tag each one. Include non-functional requirements
     (performance, compatibility, security) inline. -->

1. {requirement} — [user-stated | inferred]

### Out of Scope

<!-- Items discussed but explicitly excluded, with reason. Prevents scope creep. -->

1. {item} — {reason}

## Decisions

<!-- Every decision from Phase 0-1, including rejected alternatives and rationale.
     Critical for context recovery — a new session needs to know WHY, not just WHAT. -->

| Decision | Alternatives Rejected | Rationale |
| -------- | --------------------- | --------- |

## Technical Approach

<!-- Architecture, data flow, integration points. Specific enough for a new session
     to implement without the original conversation. -->

### Patterns to Follow

<!-- Existing codebase patterns to match. Reference specific files as examples. -->

### Edge Cases

| Edge Case | Handling |
| --------- | -------- |

### API / Interfaces

<!-- Type signatures, function signatures, config shapes. Omit section if N/A. -->

## Implementation Order

<!-- Ordered steps for Phase 3 execution. Each step should be atomic and verifiable.
     Enables context recovery if interrupted mid-implementation. -->

1. {step}

## File Changes

<!-- ALL files: create, modify, or delete. Include docs. -->

| Action | File   | Change                  | Reason |
| ------ | ------ | ----------------------- | ------ |
| create | {path} | {purpose / key exports} | {why}  |
| modify | {path} | {specific changes}      | {why}  |

## Tests

<!-- Specific test cases, not categories. Each row is a concrete test. -->

| Type        | Test Case      | File   | Validates  |
| ----------- | -------------- | ------ | ---------- |
| unit        | {case}         | {file} | {behavior} |
| integration |                |        |            |
| manual      | {step-by-step} |        |            |

## Dependencies

<!-- "None" or list with versions. Mark new additions with [new]. -->

## Risks

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
| ---- | ---------- | ------ | ---------- |

## Verification

<!-- Commands to run. Determine from package.json, Makefile, or project config. -->

- **After editing**: {fast check: type-check or compile}
- **Before PR**: {full suite: build + test + lint}

## Progress Log

<!-- Append-only. Updated at phase transitions and key milestones. -->

- [{TIMESTAMP}] Phase 1: Plan created
- [{TIMESTAMP}] Phase 2: Worktree created at {branch}

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Validation Checklist

After writing plan.md, verify ALL of the following. Fix any failures immediately.

• [ ] File location: Path from git branch --show-current — inside the worktree (NOT on main)
• [ ] Frontmatter complete: created, branch, task, complexity, status, approved — all filled
• [ ] Timestamps: All timestamps use ISO 8601 with time (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ)
• [ ] Summary: Concise what/why/done definition (2-3 sentences)
• [ ] Background & Context: Full motivation — a stranger understands the "why"
• [ ] Requirements: Every requirement tagged [user-stated] or [inferred]
• [ ] Out of Scope: At least considered (can be "None discussed")
• [ ] Decisions: Every decision includes rejected alternatives and rationale
• [ ] Technical Approach: Specific enough to implement without conversation context
• [ ] Patterns to Follow: References actual files in the codebase
• [ ] Implementation Order: Numbered, atomic, verifiable steps
• [ ] File Changes: Every file listed with action, path, change description, and reason
• [ ] Tests: Specific test cases (not just "unit tests for X")
• [ ] Verification commands: Both after-edit and before-PR commands identified
• [ ] Progress Log: Initialized with Phase 1 entry
• [ ] Self-contained: A new Claude session can execute from this plan alone

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Common Failures

| Failure | Fix | | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Sparse sections ("TBD", "see above") | Fill from conversation context — every section must be self-contained | | Missing decisions rationale | Add "Alternatives Rejected" and "Rationale" for each decision | | Vague implementation steps | Make each step atomic: "Add X to file Y" not "implement feature" | | No file paths in Patterns | Reference specific existing files, not abstract descriptions | | Requirements not tagged | Add [user-stated] or [inferred] to every requirement | | Timestamps missing time component | Use 2026-03-07T14:30:00Z not 2026-03-07 |