phase-review_skill

Overview

This skill reviews implementation plans for a single phase inside a larger task and flags flaws, gaps, and risky assumptions before execution. It returns actionable suggestions and clear findings for the orchestrating agent to present to the user. It does not edit plan files but instructs the orchestrator on status updates and notes to record.

How this skill works

Given a phase plan from the .tasks/ directory, the skill reads the plan context and checks for missing steps, unclear acceptance criteria, hidden dependencies, and unrealistic time estimates. It compares the phase tasks to the overall task context to ensure alignment and detects potential regressions or security and deployment risks. The skill outputs a concise review, prioritized recommendations, and a single status change instruction for the task.md file.

When to use it

• Before committing a phase to execution
• When a phase plan is newly authored or modified
• When verifying correctness against overall project context
• When release windows, security, or infra constraints matter
• When acceptance criteria or testing steps seem vague

Best practices

• Preserve the original plan file; provide suggestions separately
• Confirm the overall task context before recommending removals
• Prioritize safety, testability, and rollback options in recommendations
• Call out missing acceptance criteria and measurable success signals
• Recommend small, testable increments rather than large risky changes

Example use cases

• Review a development phase for missing unit/integration tests and rollout steps
• Validate a deployment phase for missing rollback or monitoring hooks
• Check a migration phase for data integrity and backward-compatibility assumptions
• Verify time estimates and concurrent dependency coordination before scheduling