| name | research-and-plan |
| description | Research the codebase and create a concise implementation plan in one step. Use for small, focused changes where you want to go straight from research to a ready-to-implement plan without back-and-forth. For larger or more complex changes, use /research-codebase followed by /create-plan instead. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Grep, Glob, Bash, Agent, mcp__plugin_claude-mem_mcp-search__smart_search, mcp__plugin_claude-mem_mcp-search__smart_outline, mcp__plugin_claude-mem_mcp-search__smart_unfold |
| model | opus |
Research and Plan
Research the codebase, then write a concise plan. No interactive Q&A — just research and output.
Exploration Tools Priority
For code file exploration, prefer smart-explore tools (4-18x token savings):
| Tool | Use instead of |
|---|
smart_search(query, path) — discover files + symbols in one call | Glob + Grep discovery loop |
smart_outline(file_path) — structural skeleton (~1-2k tokens) | Read on files > 100 lines |
smart_unfold(file_path, symbol_name) — one symbol's full source | Read on large files for one function |
Rule: Use Read only for files < 100 lines or non-code files (markdown, JSON, config).
Process
1. Read Mentioned Files First
For code files > 100 lines, prefer smart_outline + smart_unfold over Read.
For small files, config, or markdown: use Read directly.
2. Research in Parallel
Spawn:
- codebase-locator: Find WHERE relevant files/components live
- codebase-analyzer: Understand HOW the affected code currently works
If thoughts/ exists, also spawn:
- thoughts-locator: Find relevant prior context
Wait for ALL to complete.
3. Write Concise Plan
If thoughts/ exists: thoughts/shared/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-description.md
Otherwise: choose a sensible path in the project
# Plan: [Task]
## What & Why
[1-2 sentences]
## Current State
- `path/to/file:line` — [what exists now]
## Changes
### 1. [Component/File]
**File**: `path/to/file`
- [Specific change, with line reference if applicable]
### 2. [Next component]
...
## Success Criteria
- [ ] [Automated check]
- [ ] [Manual verification]
## Out of Scope
- [What we're NOT doing]
4. Present
Show plan location and a one-line summary. Ask: "Does this look right, or anything to adjust?"
