sddplan

name	sdd:plan
description	Refine, parallelize, and verify a draft task specification into a fully planned implementation-ready task
argument-hint	Path to draft task file (e.g., ".specs/tasks/draft/add-validation.feature.md") [options]

Refine Task Workflow

Role

You are a task refinement orchestrator. Take a draft task file created by /add-task and refine it through a coordinated multi-agent workflow with quality gates after each phase.

Goal

This workflow command refines an existing draft task through:

1. Parallel Analysis - Research, codebase analysis, and business analysis in parallel
2. Architecture Synthesis - Combine findings into architectural overview
3. Decomposition - Break into implementation steps with risks
4. Parallelize - Reorganize steps for maximum parallel execution
5. Verify - Add LLM-as-Judge verification sections
6. Promote - Move refined task from draft/ to todo/

All phases include judge validation to prevent error propagation and ensure quality thresholds are met.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

---

Command Arguments

Parse the following arguments from $ARGUMENTS:

Argument Definitions

Argument	Format	Default	Description
task-file	Path to task file	Required	Path to draft task file (e.g., .specs/tasks/draft/add-validation.feature.md)
--continue	--continue [stage]	None	Continue refining from a specific stage. Stage is optional - resolve from context if not provided.
--target-quality	--target-quality X.X	3.5	Target threshold value (out of 5.0) for judge pass/fail decisions.
--max-iterations	--max-iterations N	3	Maximum implementation + judge retry cycles per phase before moving to next stage (regardless of pass/fail).
--included-stages	--included-stages stage1,stage2,...	All stages	Comma-separated list of stages to include.
--skip	--skip stage1,stage2,...	None	Comma-separated list of stages to exclude.
--fast	--fast	N/A	Alias for --target-quality 3.0 --max-iterations 1 --included-stages business analysis,decomposition,verifications
--one-shot	--one-shot	N/A	Alias for --included-stages business analysis,decomposition --skip-judges - minimal refinement without quality gates.
--human-in-the-loop	--human-in-the-loop phase1,phase2,...	None	Phases after which to pause for human verification.
--skip-judges	--skip-judges	false	Skip all judge validation checks - phases proceed without quality gates.
--refine	--refine	false	Incremental refinement mode - detect changes against git and re-run only affected stages (top-to-bottom propagation).

Stage Names (for --included-stages / --skip)

Stage Name	Phase	Description
research	2a	Gather relevant resources, documentation, libraries
codebase analysis	2b	Identify affected files, interfaces, integration points
business analysis	2c	Refine description and create acceptance criteria
architecture synthesis	3	Synthesize research and analysis into architecture
decomposition	4	Break into implementation steps with risks
parallelize	5	Reorganize steps for parallel execution
verifications	6	Add LLM-as-Judge verification rubrics

Configuration Resolution

Parse $ARGUMENTS and resolve configuration as follows:

# Extract task file path (first positional argument, required)
TASK_FILE = first argument that is a file path (must exist in .specs/tasks/draft/)

# Parse alias flags first (they set multiple defaults)
if --fast present:
    THRESHOLD = 3.0
    MAX_ITERATIONS = 1
    INCLUDED_STAGES = ["business analysis", "decomposition", "verifications"]

if --one-shot present:
    INCLUDED_STAGES = ["business analysis", "decomposition"]
    SKIP_JUDGES = true

# Initialize defaults
THRESHOLD ?= --target-quality || 3.5
MAX_ITERATIONS ?= --max-iterations || 3
INCLUDED_STAGES ?= --included-stages || ["research", "codebase analysis", "business analysis", "architecture synthesis", "decomposition", "parallelize", "verifications"]
SKIP_STAGES = --skip || []
HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES = --human-in-the-loop || []
SKIP_JUDGES = --skip-judges || false
REFINE_MODE = --refine || false
CONTINUE_STAGE = null

if --continue [stage] present:
    CONTINUE_STAGE = stage or resolve from context

# Compute final active stages
ACTIVE_STAGES = INCLUDED_STAGES - SKIP_STAGES

Context Resolution for --continue

When --continue is used without explicit stage:

1. Stage Resolution:
   • Parse the task file for completion markers (e.g., [x] checkboxes)
   • Identify the last completed phase/judge
   • Resume from the next incomplete phase

Refine Mode Behavior (--refine)

When --refine is used:

1. Change Detection:

   • First check file status: git status --porcelain -- <TASK_FILE>
   • Compare current task file against last git commit: git diff HEAD -- <TASK_FILE>
     • This captures both staged and unstaged changes vs HEAD
   • If file is untracked or has no git history, compare against the original task structure
   • Identify which sections have been modified by the user
   • Look for // comment markers indicating user feedback/corrections

2. Top-to-Bottom Propagation:

   • Determine the earliest modified section (highest in document)
   • Re-run only stages that correspond to or come after the modified section
   • Earlier stages (above the modification) are preserved as-is

3. Section-to-Stage Mapping:

   Modified Section	Re-run From Stage
   Description / Acceptance Criteria	business analysis (Phase 2c)
   Architecture Overview	architecture synthesis (Phase 3)
   Implementation Process / Steps	decomposition (Phase 4)
   Parallelization / Dependencies	parallelize (Phase 5)
   Verification sections	verifications (Phase 6)

4. Refine Execution:

   • Skip research (2a) and codebase analysis (2b) unless explicitly requested
   • Pass user modifications and // comments as additional context to agents
   • Agents should incorporate user feedback while preserving unchanged content

5. Example:

   # User edited the Architecture Overview section
   /plan .specs/tasks/todo/my-task.feature.md --refine
   
   # Detects Architecture section changed → re-runs from Phase 3 onwards
   # Skips: research, codebase analysis, business analysis
   # Runs: architecture synthesis, decomposition, parallelize, verifications
   

Human-in-the-Loop Behavior

Human verification checkpoints occur:

1. Trigger Conditions:

   • After implementation + judge verification PASS for a phase in HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES
   • After implementation + judge + implementation retry (before the next judge retry)

2. At Checkpoint:

   • Display current phase results summary
   • Display generated artifacts with paths
   • Display judge score and feedback
   • Ask user: "Review phase output. Continue? [Y/n/feedback]"
   • If user provides feedback, incorporate into next iteration
   • If user says "n", pause workflow

3. Checkpoint Message Format:

   ---
   ## 🔍 Human Review Checkpoint - Phase X
   
   **Phase:** {phase name}
   **Judge Score:** {score}/{THRESHOLD} threshold
   **Status:** ✅ PASS / ⚠️ RETRY {n}/{MAX_ITERATIONS}
   
   **Artifacts:**
   - {artifact_path_1}
   - {artifact_path_2}
   
   **Judge Feedback:**
   {feedback summary}
   
   **Action Required:** Review the above artifacts and provide feedback or continue.
   
   > Continue? [Y/n/feedback]:
   ---
   

---

Usage Examples

# Refine a draft task with all stages
/plan .specs/tasks/draft/add-validation.feature.md

# Fast refinement with minimal stages
/plan .specs/tasks/draft/quick-fix.bug.md --fast

# Continue from a specific stage
/plan .specs/tasks/draft/complex-feature.feature.md --continue decomposition

# High-quality refinement with checkpoints
/plan .specs/tasks/draft/critical-api.feature.md --target-quality 4.5 --human-in-the-loop 2,3,4,5,6

# Incremental refinement after user edits (re-runs only affected stages)
/plan .specs/tasks/todo/my-task.feature.md --refine

Pre-Flight Checks

Before starting workflow:

1. Validate task file exists:

   • If REFINE_MODE is false: Check that TASK_FILE exists in .specs/tasks/draft/
   • If REFINE_MODE is true: Check that TASK_FILE exists in .specs/tasks/todo/ or .specs/tasks/draft/
   • If not found, show error and exit

2. Parse and display resolved configuration:

   ### Configuration
   
   | Setting | Value |
   |---------|-------|
   | **Task File** | {TASK_FILE} |
   | **Target Quality** | {THRESHOLD}/5.0 |
   | **Max Iterations** | {MAX_ITERATIONS} |
   | **Active Stages** | {ACTIVE_STAGES as comma-separated list} |
   | **Human Checkpoints** | Phase {HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES as comma-separated} |
   | **Skip Judges** | {SKIP_JUDGES} |
   | **Refine Mode** | {REFINE_MODE} |
   | **Continue From** | {CONTINUE_STAGE} or "Start" |
   

3. Handle --continue mode:

   If CONTINUE_STAGE is set:

   • Read the task file to get current state
   • Identify completed phases from task file content
   • Skip to CONTINUE_STAGE (or auto-detected next incomplete stage)
   • Pre-populate captured values from existing artifacts
   • Resume workflow from the appropriate phase

4. Handle --refine mode:

   If REFINE_MODE is true:

   • Check file status: git status --porcelain -- <TASK_FILE>
     • M (staged) or M (unstaged) or MM (both) → proceed with diff
     • ?? (untracked) → error: "File not tracked by git, cannot detect changes"
     • Empty output → no changes detected

Update each todo to in_progress when starting a phase and completed when judge passes.

CRITICAL

• Do not mark PASS for any judge if it did not pass the rubric. Retry the judge after each implementation change till it passes the check!
• Do not read task files in .claude or .specs directories, your job is orchestrate agents that will do the work, not do it by yourself!
• Use THRESHOLD (default 3.5) for all judge pass/fail decisions, not hardcoded values!
• Use MAX_ITERATIONS (default 3) for retry limits, not hardcoded values!
• After MAX_ITERATIONS reached: PROCEED to next stage automatically - do NOT ask user unless phase is in HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES!
• Skip phases not in ACTIVE_STAGES entirely - do not launch agents for excluded stages!
• Trigger human-in-the-loop checkpoints ONLY after phases in HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES!
• If SKIP_JUDGES is true: Skip ALL judge validation - proceed directly to next phase after each implementation phase completes!
• Task file must exist in .specs/tasks/draft/ before running this command (unless --refine mode)!
• If REFINE_MODE is true: Detect changes via git diff, skip unchanged stages, pass user feedback to agents!

Execution & Evaluation Rules

• Use foreground agents only: Do not use background agents. Launch parallel agents when possible. Background agents constantly run in permissions issues and other errors.

Relaunch judge till you get valid results, of following happens:

• Reject Long Reports: If an agent returns a very long report instead of using the scratchpad as requested, reject the result. This indicates the agent failed to follow the "use scratchpad" instruction.
• Judge Score 5.0 is a Hallucination: If a judge returns a score of 5.0/5.0, treat it as a hallucination or lazy evaluation. Reject it and re-run the judge. Perfect scores are practically impossible in this rigorous framework.
• Reject Missing Scores: If a judge report is missing the numerical score, reject it. This indicates the judge failed to read or follow the rubric instructions.

Workflow Execution

You MUST launch for each step a separate agent, instead of performing all steps yourself.

CRITICAL: For each agent you MUST:

1. Use the Agent type and Model specified in the step
2. Provide the task file path and user input as context
3. Provide the value of ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} so agents can resolve paths like @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/create-scratchpad.sh
4. Require agent to implement exactly that step, not more, not less
5. After each sub-phase, launch a judge agent to validate quality before proceeding

Complete Workflow Overview

Note: Phases not in ACTIVE_STAGES are skipped. If SKIP_JUDGES is true, all judge steps are skipped entirely. Human checkpoints (🔍) occur after phases in HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES.

Input: Draft Task File (.specs/tasks/draft/*.md)
    │
    ▼
Phase 2: Parallel Analysis
    │
    ├─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┐
    ▼                     ▼                     ▼
Phase 2a:             Phase 2b:             Phase 2c:
Research              Codebase Analysis     Business Analysis
[sdd:researcher sonnet]   [sdd:code-explorer sonnet]  [sdd:business-analyst opus]
Judge 2a              Judge 2b              Judge 2c
(pass: >THRESHOLD)     (pass: >THRESHOLD)     (pass: >THRESHOLD)
    │                     │                     │
    └─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘
                          │
                          ▼
                    Phase 3: Architecture Synthesis
                    [sdd:software-architect opus]
                    Judge 3 (pass: >THRESHOLD)
                          │
                          ▼
                    Phase 4: Decomposition
                    [sdd:tech-lead opus]
                    Judge 4 (pass: >THRESHOLD)
                          │
                          ▼
                    Phase 5: Parallelize
                    [sdd:team-lead opus]
                    Judge 5 (pass: >THRESHOLD)
                          │
                          ▼
                    Phase 6: Verifications
                    [sdd:qa-engineer opus]
                    Judge 6 (pass: >THRESHOLD)
                          │
                          ▼
                    Move task: draft/ → todo/
                          │
                          ▼
                    Complete

---

Phase 2: Parallel Analysis

Phase 2 launches three analysis phases in parallel, each with its own judge validation.

Phase 2a/2b/2c: Parallel Sub-Phases

Launch these three phases in parallel immediately:

---

Phase 2a: Research

Model: sonnet Agent: sdd:researcher Depends on: Task file exists Purpose: Gather relevant resources, documentation, libraries, and prior art. Creates or updates a reusable skill.

Launch agent:

• Description: "Research task resources and create/update skill"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  Task Title: <title from task file>
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR RESEARCH, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND SKILL FILE.
  

Capture:

• Skill file path (e.g., .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md)
• Skill action (Created new / Updated existing)
• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Number of resources gathered
• Key recommendation summary

CRITICAL: If expected files not created, launch the agent again with the same prompt.

---

Phase 2b: Codebase Impact Analysis

Model: sonnet Agent: sdd:code-explorer Depends on: Task file exists Purpose: Identify affected files, interfaces, and integration points

Launch agent:

• Description: "Analyze codebase impact"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  Task Title: <title from task file>
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR ANALYSIS, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND ANALYSIS FILE.
  

Capture:

• Analysis file path (e.g., .specs/analysis/analysis-{name}.md)
• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Files affected count (modify/create/delete)
• Risk level assessment
• Key integration points

CRITICAL: If expected files not created, launch the agent again with the same prompt.

---

Phase 2c: Business Analysis

Model: opus Agent: sdd:business-analyst Depends on: Task file exists Purpose: Refine description and create acceptance criteria

Launch agent:

• Description: "Business analysis"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/plan/analyse-business-requirements.md and execute it exactly as is!
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  Task Title: <title from task file>
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR BUSINESS ANALYSIS, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND UPDATE THE TASK FILE.
  

Capture:

• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Acceptance criteria count
• Scope defined (yes/no)
• User scenarios documented

---

Judge 2a/2b/2c: Validate Parallel Phases

After each parallel phase completes, launch its respective judge with the same agent type and model.

Judge 2a: Validate Research/Skill

Model: sonnet Agent: sdd:researcher Depends on: Phase 2a completion Purpose: Validate skill completeness and relevance

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge skill quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to skill file from Phase 2a}
  
  ### Context
  This is a skill document for task: {task title}. Evaluate comprehensiveness and reusability.
  
  ### Rubric
  1. Resource Coverage (weight: 0.30)
     - Documentation and references gathered?
     - Libraries and tools identified with recommendations?
     - 1=Missing critical resources, 2=Basic coverage, 3=Adequate, 4=Comprehensive, 5=Excellent
  
  2. Pattern Relevance (weight: 0.25)
     - Are identified patterns applicable?
     - Are recommendations actionable?
     - 1=Irrelevant, 2=Somewhat useful, 3=Adequate, 4=Well-targeted, 5=Perfect fit
  
  3. Issue Anticipation (weight: 0.20)
     - Common pitfalls identified with solutions?
     - 1=None identified, 2=Few issues, 3=Adequate, 4=Good coverage, 5=Comprehensive
  
  4. Reusability (weight: 0.15)
     - Is the skill general enough to help multiple tasks?
     - Does it avoid task-specific details?
     - 1=Too specific, 2=Limited reuse, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Highly reusable
  
  5. Task Integration (weight: 0.10)
     - Was task file updated with skill reference?
     - 1=Not updated, 3=Updated, 5=Updated with clear instructions
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Research complete, proceed
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 2a with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to next stage regardless of score (log warning)

---

Judge 2b: Validate Codebase Analysis

Model: sonnet Agent: sdd:code-explorer Depends on: Phase 2b completion Purpose: Validate file identification accuracy and integration mapping

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge codebase analysis quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to analysis file from Phase 2b}
  
  ### Context
  This is codebase impact analysis for task: {task title}. Evaluate accuracy and completeness.
  
  ### Rubric
  1. File Identification Accuracy (weight: 0.35)
     - All affected files identified with specific paths?
     - New files and modifications distinguished?
     - 1=Major files missing, 2=Mostly correct, 3=Adequate, 4=Precise, 5=Complete
  
  2. Interface Documentation (weight: 0.25)
     - Key functions/classes documented with signatures?
     - Change requirements clear?
     - 1=Missing, 2=Partial, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Complete
  
  3. Integration Point Mapping (weight: 0.25)
     - Integration points identified with impact?
     - Similar patterns in codebase found?
     - 1=Missing, 2=Partial, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Comprehensive
  
  4. Risk Assessment (weight: 0.15)
     - High risk areas identified with mitigations?
     - 1=No assessment, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Thorough
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Analysis complete, proceed
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 2b with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to next stage regardless of score (log warning)

---

Judge 2c: Validate Business Analysis

Model: opus Agent: sdd:business-analyst Depends on: Phase 2c completion Purpose: Validate acceptance criteria quality and scope definition

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge business analysis quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to task file from Phase 2c}
  
  ### Context
  This is business analysis output. Evaluate description clarity and acceptance criteria quality.
  
  ### Rubric
  1. Description Clarity (weight: 0.30)
     - What/Why clearly explained?
     - Scope boundaries defined?
     - 1=Vague, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Clear, 5=Excellent
  
  2. Acceptance Criteria Quality (weight: 0.35)
     - Criteria specific and testable?
     - Given/When/Then format for complex criteria?
     - 1=Missing/vague, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Excellent
  
  3. Scenario Coverage (weight: 0.20)
     - Primary flow documented?
     - Error scenarios considered?
     - 1=Missing, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Comprehensive
  
  4. Scope Definition (weight: 0.15)
     - In-scope/out-of-scope explicit?
     - No implementation details in description?
     - 1=Missing, 2=Partial, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Clear
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Business analysis complete, proceed
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 2c with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to next stage regardless of score (log warning)

---

Synchronization Point

Wait for ALL three parallel phases (2a, 2b, 2c) AND their judges to PASS before proceeding to Phase 3.

---

Phase 3: Architecture Synthesis

Model: opus Agent: sdd:software-architect Depends on: Phase 2a + Judge 2a PASS, Phase 2b + Judge 2b PASS, Phase 2c + Judge 2c PASS Purpose: Synthesize research, analysis, and business requirements into architectural overview

Launch agent:

• Description: "Architecture synthesis"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  Skill File: <skill file path from Phase 2a>
  Analysis File: <analysis file path from Phase 2b>
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR ARCHITECTURE SYNTHESIS, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND UPDATE THE TASK FILE.
  

Capture:

• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Sections added to task file
• Key architectural decisions count
• Components identified (if applicable)
• Contracts defined (if applicable)

---

Judge 3: Validate Architecture Synthesis

Model: opus Agent: sdd:software-architect Depends on: Phase 3 completion Purpose: Validate architectural coherence and completeness

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge architecture synthesis quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to task file after Phase 3}
  
  ### Context
  This is architecture synthesis output. The Architecture Overview section should contain
  solution strategy, key decisions, and only relevant architectural sections.
  
  ### Rubric
  1. Solution Strategy Clarity (weight: 0.30)
     - Approach clearly explained?
     - Key decisions documented with reasoning?
     - Trade-offs stated?
     - 1=Missing/unclear, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Clear, 5=Excellent
  
  2. Reference Integration (weight: 0.20)
     - Links to research and analysis files?
     - Insights from both integrated?
     - 1=No links, 2=Partial, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Fully integrated
  
  3. Section Relevance (weight: 0.25)
     - Only relevant sections included (not all)?
     - Sections appropriate for task complexity?
     - 1=Wrong sections, 2=Mostly appropriate, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Precisely targeted
  
  4. Expected Changes Accuracy (weight: 0.25)
     - Files to create/modify listed?
     - Consistent with codebase analysis?
     - 1=Missing/inconsistent, 2=Partial, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Complete
  
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Architecture synthesis complete, proceed
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 3 with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to Phase 4 regardless of score (log warning)

Wait for PASS before Phase 4.

---

Phase 4: Decomposition

Model: opus Agent: sdd:tech-lead Depends on: Phase 3 + Judge 3 PASS Purpose: Break architecture into implementation steps with success criteria and risks

Launch agent:

• Description: "Decompose into implementation steps"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR DECOMPOSITION, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND UPDATE THE TASK FILE.
  

Capture:

• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Implementation steps count
• Total subtasks count
• Critical path steps
• High priority risks count

---

Judge 4: Validate Decomposition

Model: opus Agent: sdd:tech-lead Depends on: Phase 4 completion Purpose: Validate implementation steps quality and completeness

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge decomposition quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to task file after Phase 4}
  
  ### Context
  This is decomposition output. The Implementation Process section should contain
  ordered steps with success criteria, subtasks, blockers, and risks.
  
  ### Rubric
  1. Step Quality (weight: 0.30)
     - Each step has clear goal, output, success criteria?
     - Steps ordered by dependency?
     - No step too large (>Large estimate)?
     - 1=Vague/missing, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Excellent
  
  2. Success Criteria Testability (weight: 0.25)
     - Criteria specific and verifiable?
     - Use actual file paths, function names?
     - Subtasks clearly defined with actionable descriptions?
     - 1=Vague, 2=Partially testable, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=All testable
  
  3. Risk Coverage (weight: 0.25)
     - Blockers identified with resolutions?
     - Risks identified with mitigations?
     - High-risk tasks identified with decomposition recommendations?
     - 1=None, 2=Basic, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Comprehensive
  
  4. Completeness (weight: 0.20)
     - All architecture components have corresponding steps?
     - Implementation summary table present?
     - Definition of Done included?
     - Phases organized: Setup → Foundational → User Stories → Polish?
     - 1=Incomplete, 2=Partial, 3=Adequate, 4=Good, 5=Complete
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Decomposition complete, proceed to Phase 5
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 4 with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to Phase 5 regardless of score (log warning)

Wait for PASS before Phase 5.

---

Phase 5: Parallelize Steps

Model: opus Agent: sdd:team-lead Depends on: Phase 4 + Judge 4 PASS Purpose: Reorganize implementation steps for maximum parallel execution

Launch agent:

• Description: "Parallelize implementation steps"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  
  Use agents only from this list: {list ALL available agents with plugin prefix if available, e.g. sdd:developer, code-review:bug-hunter. Also include general agents: opus, sonnet, haiku}
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR PARALLELIZATION, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND UPDATE THE TASK FILE.
  

Capture:

• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Number of steps reorganized
• Maximum parallelization depth
• Agent distribution summary

---

Judge 5: Validate Parallelization

Model: opus Agent: sdd:team-lead Depends on: Phase 5 completion Purpose: Validate dependency accuracy and parallelization optimization

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge parallelization quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to parallelized task file from Phase 5}
  
  ### Context
  This is the output of Phase 5: Parallelize Steps. The artifact should contain implementation steps
  reorganized for maximum parallel execution with explicit dependencies, agent assignments, and
  parallelization diagram.
  
  Use agents only from this list: {list ALL available agents with plugin prefix if available, e.g. sdd:developer, code-review:bug-hunter. Also include general agents: opus, sonnet, haiku}
  
  ### Rubric
  1. Dependency Accuracy (weight: 0.35)
     - Are step dependencies correctly identified?
     - No false dependencies (steps marked dependent when they're not)?
     - No missing dependencies (steps that actually depend on others)?
     - 1=Major dependency errors, 2=Mostly correct, 3=Acceptable, 5=Precise dependencies
  
  2. Parallelization Maximized (weight: 0.30)
     - Are parallelizable steps correctly marked with "Parallel with:"?
     - Is the parallelization diagram logical?
     - 1=No parallelization/wrong, 2=Some optimization, 3=Acceptable, 5=Maximum parallelization
  
  3. Agent Selection Correctness (weight: 0.20)
     - Are agent types appropriate for outputs (opus by default, haiku for trivial, sonnet for simple but high in volume)?
     - Does selection follow the Agent Selection Guide?
     - Are only agents from the provided available agents list used?
     - 1=Wrong agents, 2=Mostly appropriate, 3=Acceptable, 4=Optimal selection, 5=Perfect selection
  
  4. Execution Directive Present (weight: 0.15)
     - Is the sub-agent execution directive present?
     - Are "MUST" requirements for parallel execution clear?
     - 1=Missing directive, 2=Partial, 3=Acceptable, 4=Complete directive, 5=Perfect directive
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Proceed to Phase 6
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 5 with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to Phase 6 regardless of score (log warning)

Wait for PASS before Phase 6.

---

Phase 6: Define Verifications

Model: opus Agent: sdd:qa-engineer Depends on: Phase 5 + Judge 5 PASS Purpose: Add LLM-as-Judge verification sections with rubrics

Launch agent:

• Description: "Define verification rubrics"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Task File: <TASK_FILE>
  
  CRITICAL: DO NOT OUTPUT YOUR VERIFICATIONS, ONLY CREATE THE SCRATCHPAD AND UPDATE THE TASK FILE.
  

Capture:

• Scratchpad file path (e.g., .specs/scratchpad/<hex-id>.md)
• Number of steps with verification
• Total evaluations defined
• Verification breakdown (Panel/Per-Item/None)

---

Judge 6: Validate Verifications

Model: opus Agent: sdd:qa-engineer Depends on: Phase 6 completion Purpose: Validate verification rubrics and thresholds

Launch judge:

• Description: "Judge verification quality"

• Prompt:

  CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT=${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
  
  Read @${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/prompts/judge.md for evaluation methodology and execute.
  
  ### Artifact Path
  {path to task file with verifications from Phase 6}
  
  ### Context
  This is the output of Phase 6: Define Verifications. The artifact should contain LLM-as-Judge
  verification sections for each implementation step, including verification levels, custom rubrics,
  thresholds, and a verification summary table.
  
  ### Rubric
  1. Verification Level Appropriateness (weight: 0.30)
     - Do verification levels match artifact criticality?
     - HIGH criticality → Panel, MEDIUM → Single/Per-Item, LOW/NONE → None?
     - 1=Mismatched levels, 2=Mostly appropriate, 3=Acceptable, 5=Precisely calibrated
  
  2. Rubric Quality (weight: 0.30)
     - Are criteria specific to the artifact type (not generic)?
     - Do weights sum to 1.0?
     - Are descriptions clear and measurable?
     - 1=Generic/broken rubrics, 2=Adequate, 3=Acceptable, 5=Excellent custom rubrics
  
  3. Threshold Appropriateness (weight: 0.20)
     - Are thresholds reasonable (typically 4.0/5.0)?
     - Higher for critical, lower for experimental?
     - 1=Wrong thresholds, 2=Standard applied, 3=Acceptable, 5=Context-appropriate
  
  4. Coverage Completeness (weight: 0.20)
     - Does every step have a Verification section?
     - Is the Verification Summary table present?
     - 1=Missing verifications, 2=Most covered, 3=Acceptable, 5=100% coverage
  

CRITICAL: use prompt exactly as is, do not add anything else. Including output of implementation agent!!!

Decision Logic:

• PASS (score >= THRESHOLD): Workflow complete, promote task
• FAIL (score < THRESHOLD): Re-launch Phase 6 with feedback
• MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Complete workflow regardless of score (log warning)

---

Phase 7: Promote Task

Purpose: Move the refined task from draft to todo folder

After all phases complete:

1. Move task file from draft to todo:

   git mv <TASK_FILE> .specs/tasks/todo/
   # Fallback if git not available: mv <TASK_FILE> .specs/tasks/todo/
   

2. Update any references in research and analysis files if needed

---

Completion

After all executed phases and judges complete:

1. Use git tool to stage the task file, skill file, analysis file, and scratchpad files (only those that were created)
2. Summarize the workflow results and output to user:

### Task Refined

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| **Original File** | `<original TASK_FILE path>` |
| **Final Location** | `.specs/tasks/todo/<filename>` (ready for implementation) |
| **Title** | `<task title>` |
| **Type** | `<feature/bug/refactor/test/docs/chore/ci>` (from filename) |
| **Skill** | `<skill file path or "Skipped">` |
| **Skill Action** | `<Created new / Updated existing / Skipped>` |
| **Analysis** | `<analysis file path or "Skipped">` |
| **Scratchpad** | `<scratchpad file path>` |
| **Implementation Steps** | `<count or "N/A">` |
| **Parallelization Depth** | `<max parallel agents or "N/A">` |
| **Total Verifications** | `<count or "N/A">` |

### Configuration Used

| Setting | Value |
|---------|-------|
| **Target Quality** | {THRESHOLD}/5.0 |
| **Max Iterations** | {MAX_ITERATIONS} |
| **Active Stages** | {ACTIVE_STAGES as comma-separated list} |
| **Skipped Stages** | {SKIP_STAGES or stages not in ACTIVE_STAGES} |
| **Human Checkpoints** | Phase {HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES as comma-separated} |
| **Skip Judges** | {SKIP_JUDGES} |
| **Refine Mode** | {REFINE_MODE} |

### Quality Gates Summary

| Phase | Judge Score | Verdict |
|-------|-------------|---------|
| Phase 2a: Research | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |
| Phase 2b: Codebase Analysis | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |
| Phase 2c: Business Analysis | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |
| Phase 3: Architecture Synthesis | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |
| Phase 4: Decomposition | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |
| Phase 5: Parallelize | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |
| Phase 6: Verify | X.X/5.0 | ✅ PASS / ⚠️ PROCEEDED (max iter) / ⏭️ SKIPPED |

 {THRESHOLD}/5.0 (or N/A if SKIPITERATIONS reached, proceeded anyway
 ⏭️ SKIPPED - Stage not in ACTIVE

.claude/ └── skills/ └── / └── SKILL.md # Reusable skill document (if research stage ran)

.specs/ ├── tasks/ │ ├── draft/ # Draft tasks (source - now empty for this task) │ ├── todo/ │ │ └── ..md # Complete task specification (ready for implementation) │ ├── in-progress/ # Tasks being implemented (empty) │ └── done/ # Completed tasks (empty) ├── analysis/ │ └── analysis-.md # Codebase impact analysis (if codebase analysis stage ran) └── scratchpad/ └── .md # Architecture thinking scratchpad

### Task Status Management

Task status is managed by folder location:
- `draft/` - Tasks created but not yet refined
- `todo/` - Tasks ready for implementation
- `in-progress/` - Tasks currently being worked on
- `done/` - Completed tasks

### Next Steps

1. Review task: `.specs/tasks/todo/<filename>`
   - Edit the task file directly to make corrections
   - Add `//` comments to lines that need clarification or changes
   - Run `/plan` again with `--refine` to incorporate your feedback — it detects changes against git and propagates updates **top-to-bottom** (editing a section only affects sections below it, not above)
2. If everything is fine, begin implementation: `/implement` (will auto-select the task from todo/)

---

Error Handling

Phase Agent Failure (Exception/Crash)

If any phase agent fails unexpectedly:

1. Report the failure with agent output
2. Ask clarification questions from user that can help resolve the issue
3. Launch the phase agent again with list of questions and answers to resolve the issue

Judge Returns FAIL

If any judge returns FAIL (score < THRESHOLD):

1. Automatic retry: Re-launch the phase agent with judge feedback
2. Human-in-the-loop check: If phase is in HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES, trigger human checkpoint before the next judge retry (after implementation retry but before re-judging)
3. After MAX_ITERATIONS reached: Proceed to next stage automatically (do NOT ask user unless --human-in-the-loop includes this phase)
4. Log warning in completion summary: ⚠️ Phase X did not pass quality threshold (X.X/THRESHOLD) after MAX_ITERATIONS iterations

Retry Flow

Implementation → Judge FAIL → Implementation Retry → Judge Retry
                                                          ↓
                              PASS → Continue to next stage
                              FAIL → Repeat until MAX_ITERATIONS
                                          ↓
                              MAX_ITERATIONS reached → Proceed to next stage (with warning)

Retry Flow with Human-in-the-Loop

When phase is in HUMAN_IN_THE_LOOP_PHASES:

Implementation → Judge FAIL → Implementation Retry
                                    ↓
                    🔍 Human Checkpoint (optional feedback)
                                    ↓
                              Judge Retry
                                    ↓
                    PASS → Continue | FAIL → Repeat until MAX_ITERATIONS
                                                    ↓
                              MAX_ITERATIONS → 🔍 Final Human Checkpoint
                                                    ↓
                                    User confirms → Proceed to next stage