plan_skill

Overview

This skill transforms research outputs into a rigorous, evidence-backed technical architecture during the ARCHITECT phase. It interactively produces five mandatory artifacts (Design Rationale & Evidence, Tree of Thought, Chain of Draft, YAGNI Declaration, Pattern Selection) and enforces contract-aligned decisions. The process is iterative, verification-driven, and stops for human judgment when needed.

How this skill works

The skill reads the task file and verifies the research phase and task-contract as the authoritative scope. It spawns parallel verification agents to extend research intelligence, map system flows, surface git history, predict failures, and enumerate risks. After a human checkpoint it generates three distinct architecture options, iterates through three drafts, and emits the five required artifacts plus an architecture decision record and builder handoff.

When to use it

• You have completed research and need a production-ready implementation plan.
• You must translate findings and acceptance criteria into concrete files, patterns, and validation steps.
• You need multiple alternative architectures evaluated with evidence and risk ratings.
• You must lock scope with a YAGNI declaration to avoid feature creep.
• You require pattern choices tied explicitly to research-sourced confidence.

Best practices

• Read all referenced research files fully before any design work.
• Treat the task-contract as the single source of truth; stop if it is missing or ambiguous.
• Be interactive: require explicit user confirmation at checkpoints before advancing.
• Document evidence for every decision: code refs, commits, or research citations.
• Avoid fabricating patterns — only use patterns present in the research context.

Example use cases

• Convert a research brief into an implementation sequence with concrete files to change and create.
• Compare three fundamentally different approaches (monolith refactor, service split, adapter layer) and pick a winner with risks and complexity scored.
• Produce a YAGNI-bound plan for a minimum viable production rollout while noting deferred enhancements.
• Create an architecture decision record for builders with automated and manual validation gates.
• Validate that acceptance criteria are covered or append formal amendments to the contract.