branch-plan

name	branch-plan
description	Create a plan document for the current branch, or for a specified new/existing branch. The complete template and all instructions are provided below — do not search for examples elsewhere.
disable-model-invocation	true

Branch Plan Skill

Usage

/branch-plan [<branch-name>]

• /branch-plan — plan for the current branch
• /branch-plan ray/refactor-backend-gateway — create branch and plan

Instructions for Claude

When the user invokes /branch-plan:

1. Discover branch: Use current branch, or create the named branch
2. Create plan file: PLAN.<sanitized-name>.md (replace / with -) using the template below
3. Update CLAUDE.local.md: Replace existing @PLAN.*.md (or legacy @CLAUDE.*.md) reference with the new file
4. Ask the user for a one-line goal (optional)
5. Report created branch and file paths
6. On "what's next" prompts during the branch's lifecycle: offer 2–3 short options with tradeoffs, not a sequential rundown. Users steer better from a menu than a march.

Planning and execution guidelines

When populating or updating a plan:

Vertical slice: One branch = one complete feature, backend to frontend. No horizontal layers. For multi-slice plans, number slices (Slice 1, 2) with per-slice Scope/Tasks sections and prefixed task IDs (1.1a, 1.2, 2.1a).

Test-first: Tests (lettered sub-IDs: 1a, 1b) precede implementation (2, 3). Implementation makes tests pass — no more, no less. Note explicitly when test-first isn't feasible.

Single plan file: Tests and implementation tasks together in execution order.

Refactoring slices first: When a feature will awkwardly extend existing structure (renames, contract widenings, constraint changes), plan a dedicated refactoring slice before the feature slice. Behavior-preserving + test-covered. Keeps each PR reviewable and limits blast radius.

Split plan at slice boundaries once a slice seals: When a multi-slice plan's shipped-slice detail starts crowding the active slice, split into PLAN.<branch>-1.md (shipped, reference) + PLAN.<branch>-2.md (active). Update CLAUDE.local.md to point at the active file.

Update after each phase: After each phase completes (tests written, implementation passing, frontend updated, verification), immediately update the plan: mark completed tasks, record findings/decisions, update Current State.

Scope decisions: Record deferrals and rationale. Cross resolved Questions off with the decision made — don't delete them, rejected alternatives need to stay findable. Number questions as Q1, Q2, … so later plan sections and PRs can reference them unambiguously.

External reference materials: When porting a reference design or spec, include:

• File path + one-line summary of what to port (a bare "see the reference" line rots the moment the file moves).
• An index table mapping reference-unit → location → target-file (e.g. function + line → file). Drives each task with zero ambiguity.
• Storage + deletion policy from day 1: either (a) a gitignored durable location that survives worktree resets, or (b) a committed-then-deleted-post-port path with the deletion commit pre-planned. Avoid the middle-state of "checked in and forgotten".

Schema + deploy safety (when a plan touches the database):

• Audit the deploy mechanism first. Verify the project's deploy pipeline auto-runs migrations on release (release hooks, CI migration steps, etc.). If it doesn't, the first task of the plan is wiring that up — a dev shouldn't need to remember a manual migration step.
• Audit production data before tightening a nullable → NOT NULL or adding a new constraint. Include the concrete query + expected outcome as an explicit sub-task. Zero offending rows → proceed; any rows → pause and resolve with the user.
• Capture a pre-deploy snapshot/backup before the first release carrying a schema change, regardless of the platform's automatic backup story. Explicit labeled backups make rollback decisions fast.

Commit + merge hygiene:

• Hold commits for user review by default on feature-shaping work. Propose a commit message + summary, pause, commit on explicit go. Trivial fixups inside an active task (getting a test to green) can commit without a pause.
• Squash pre-PR into logical commits, not via squash-merge at PR time. When a working branch has 5+ commits with mid-implementation reverts and plan-doc churn, squash locally into 2–4 reviewable commits before pushing. Preserves reviewer context and gives control over commit messages.
• Force-push blast-radius check before rewriting shared branch history: (a) anyone else pulled this branch? (b) CI/deploy hooks off feature-branch pushes? (c) is the target branch the protected main/trunk? (Refuse if so without explicit override.)

Post-feature refactor pass: Once a feature lands and tests are green, allow a scope-limited refactor pass:

• List 3–5 candidate extractions based on architectural smells surfaced by the new code.
• Ship 1–3; reject the rest with a one-line reason in the plan ("X rejected because ceremonial", "Y rejected because obsoleted by Qn").
• Sweep the newly-landed services/modules for logic that should live in domain objects instead — validation, cross-field rules, enrichment.

Goal: remove friction, not build a parallel architecture.

Markdownlint clean: The final plan document must have no markdownlint warnings. Verify before finishing. Note: line-length limits (MD013) are disabled — do not wrap lines to 80 characters. If a .markdownlint.json does not already exist in the project root, create one to codify these and any other deliberate rule exclusions from this skill.

Plan file lifecycle

Plan files are working docs, not ADRs. They carry in-progress states, rejected alternatives, self-debates that rot post-merge. Decide upfront per project whether:

• Plan lives in main after merge: noisy but built-in audit trail.
• Plan archived out before merge: clean main; decisions captured in commit messages, PR body, and any project-specific decisions doc (e.g. doc/future-work.md for deferrals).

Ask the user which convention applies when creating a new plan. If archived, the archive location is a project-specific choice (common options: a gitignored in-repo directory, an external notes vault, etc.).

Plan File Template

# [Title based on branch name]

> **IMPORTANT**: This plan must be kept up-to-date at all times. Assume context can be cleared at any time — this file is the single source of truth for the current state of this work. Update this plan before and after task and subtask implementations.

## Branch

`<branch-name>`

## Goal

[To be filled in]

## Strategy: Vertical Slice

Deliver a complete, testable feature end-to-end:

1. **Backend test** — Write failing test for new behavior (red)
2. **Backend implementation** — Make the test pass (green)
3. **Frontend update** — Remove old logic, consume new API
4. **Verify** — Manual or E2E test confirms behavior

## Current State

- [ ] Plan created
- [ ] [Additional items to be added]

## Key Findings

[Analysis of existing code, capabilities, and gaps — to be filled in during investigation]

## Questions

> Questions must be numbered (Q1, Q2, ...) and crossed off when resolved. Note the decision made.

- [ ] Q1. [To be added]

## Scope

[What's in and out of scope]

**Backend changes**:

- [Description of backend work]

**Frontend changes**:

- [Description of frontend work]

## Tasks

> **Check tasks off as soon as each one (or each grouped set) is finished** — do not batch multiple completions before updating the plan.
>
> **Test-first**: Write or update tests that fail (red) before writing the implementation to make them pass (green).

- [ ] 1a [Failing test for expected behavior]
- [ ] 1b [Additional test scenarios]
- [ ] 2 [Implementation to make tests pass]
- [ ] 3 [Frontend update]
- [ ] 4 Manual verification

## Manual test feedback

> Captured during in-browser / staging verification. Each item: observation → fix direction → decision → status.

- [ ] [Item 1]

## Completed

(none yet)

---

Last updated: [date]

Example

Input: /branch-plan ray/add-file-uploads

Creates:

• Branch: ray/add-file-uploads
• File: PLAN.ray-add-file-uploads.md
• Updates: CLAUDE.local.md → @PLAN.ray-add-file-uploads.md