create-plan_skill

Overview

This skill generates detailed, execution-ready implementation plans for complex tasks without making code changes. It produces Markdown plans with objectives, checkbox-based step tasks, verification criteria, risk assessments, and alternative approaches. Every plan must be validated with the included validation script before being considered final.

How this skill works

The skill inspects the codebase, identifies relevant files and patterns, and produces a structured Markdown plan in the plans/ directory following a strict naming convention. Plans include clear objectives, checklist-style implementation tasks that state what to do and why, measurable verification criteria, risk mitigations, and alternative approaches. The final step is running the provided validation script to ensure the plan meets all format and content rules.

When to use it

• When you explicitly request a roadmap, implementation strategy, or formal plan for a feature or change
• When a complex task needs a structured breakdown before implementation begins
• When you need risk analysis and alternative approaches to compare trade-offs
• When architectural decisions require pre-implementation evaluation and documentation
• When preparing work for implementation agents who will execute step-by-step

Best practices

• Make reasonable assumptions for ambiguous areas and document them clearly in the plan
• Cite relevant files using filepath:line format and explain how tasks affect those files
• Use checkbox tasks for every implementation step and include rationale and integration points
• Provide specific, measurable verification criteria so reviewers can validate completion
• Offer multiple solution paths for major decisions and weigh trade-offs explicitly

Example use cases

• Planning a new authentication module that touches multiple crates and services
• Breaking down a large refactor into discrete, verifiable tasks for distributed teams
• Evaluating alternatives and risks before introducing a new persistence layer
• Creating a pre-release checklist and verification criteria for a major feature
• Preparing a handoff-ready plan for implementation agents to follow step-by-step