| name | map-plan |
| description | ARCHITECT phase - decompose complex tasks into atomic subtasks with research, spec, and branch-scoped plan artifacts under .map. |
map-plan — ARCHITECT Phase (Decomposition Only)
Purpose: Plan and decompose complex tasks into atomic subtasks. This skill ONLY plans — it does NOT execute or verify.
When to use:
- Starting a new feature, refactoring, or complex bug fix
- Need to break work into manageable pieces with clear task boundaries
Produces:
.map/<branch>/research/plan__discovery.md — plan-scope discovery notes (legacy .map/<branch>/findings_<branch>.md is read only as a compatibility fallback)
.map/<branch>/spec_<branch>.md — spec with decisions, invariants, ACs
.map/<branch>/blueprint.json — raw decomposer output (required by map-efficient)
.map/<branch>/task_plan_<branch>.md — human-readable plan with AAG contracts
.map/<branch>/step_state.json — initialized workflow state
Related skills: $map-efficient (execute approved plans), $map-fast (small changes), $map-check (post-execution verification)
Pre-flight: Mode Detection
Read $ARGUMENTS for mode flags before any other action. Strip detected flags from $ARGUMENTS before using the remainder as the task description.
| Flag | Mode | Effect |
|---|
--light | LIGHT | Spec-only, no research. Skip Step 0, Step 0.5 (Already-Implemented Gate), and Step 2b (Devil's Advocate Review). Limit decomposition to 2–5 minimal subtasks. Fastest plan mode — use when scope is small and well-understood. |
--deep | DEEP | Full research + architecture review. Add extended research sweep before Step 0 and an architecture review step after Step 3. Use when scope is large or risk is high. |
--force-full | DEEP alias | Identical to --deep. Overrides any scale auto-advisory toward maximum planning depth. |
--force-fast | FAST exit | Recommend $map-fast and STOP. Use when the task is clearly trivial and MAP planning overhead is not warranted. |
If no flag is present (standard mode), run all steps as written. The Scale Advisory in the Workflow-Fit Gate may suggest a mode when scope is clear from the task description.
Pre-flight: Resume Detection
Before any step, detect which artifacts already exist AND whether the request matches the existing plan's goal:
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
echo "BRANCH=$BRANCH"
python3 .map/scripts/map_step_runner.py check_plan_resume "$ARGUMENTS"
This reports the existing artifacts (plan__discovery or legacy findings/spec/task_plan/step_state) AND a verdict comparing the prior plan's goal against the current request — so a branch that already hosts a completed plan for a different goal is not mistaken for "this plan is done" (a single branch can host several sequential plans over its lifetime).
Branch on verdict:
no_plan → no prior artifacts; plan fresh from Step 0
goal_mismatch → the branch already holds a plan for a different goal. Do NOT print "plan complete" and do NOT overwrite the prior spec/blueprint/task_plan. Follow the recommendation: archive or rename the existing .map/<branch>/ artifacts (or run $map-plan on a fresh branch) — confirm with the operator first — then plan the new goal
resume → the request matches the existing plan (or no request text was supplied to compare); apply the per-artifact resume rules below
Per-artifact resume rules (only when verdict is resume):
- plan discovery EXISTS → prefer
.map/<branch>/research/plan__discovery.md. If only legacy .map/<branch>/findings_<branch>.md exists, read it as a compatibility fallback and migrate it with save_research "$BRANCH" plan discovery ONLY if the file has an Already Implemented section; if it predates that format, re-run Step 0 so the Step 0.5 gate has its evidence
spec EXISTS → skip Steps 1-2, read existing spec
task_plan EXISTS → skip Steps 4-6, read existing plan
step_state.json EXISTS → plan is complete, print checkpoint and STOP
Pre-flight: Workflow-Fit Gate
Assess whether MAP planning is warranted. Evaluate these signals:
expected_diff_size: tiny / small / medium / large
has_new_invariants: introduces/changes domain contracts or schema rules?
needs_independent_review: risky enough to require review?
has_clear_acceptance_criteria: can be executed without a planning pass?
test_first_required: TDD warranted because behavior contract matters?
depends_on_runtime_state: does correctness depend on current production/runtime state (applied migration head, a table/column/index/enum value present in the live DB, current row counts / backfill volume, the actual value of a feature flag or config, runtime capacity/traffic)? Ask the operator when unsure — if unsure, true. False for refactors, tests, docs, static-config; "code will run in prod" is not runtime-dependence. When true, Step 0.6 runs.
Pick one outcome:
direct-edit — tiny, isolated, clear acceptance criteria, no new invariants
map-fast — small bounded change where MAP overhead is not justified
map-plan — non-trivial; needs SPEC + PLAN before execution
Record the decision:
shell_command:
cmd: |
python3 .map/scripts/map_step_runner.py record_workflow_fit \
"<direct-edit|map-fast|map-plan>" \
--diff-size "<tiny|small|medium|large>" \
--has-new-invariants <0|1> --needs-independent-review <0|1> \
--has-clear-acceptance-criteria <0|1> --test-first-required <0|1> \
--depends-on-runtime-state <0|1> \
--summary "<one-sentence decision summary>"
- Outcome
direct-edit: print off-ramp explanation and STOP.
- Outcome
map-fast: recommend $map-fast and STOP.
- Outcome
map-plan: continue below.
Scale Advisory (standard mode only, when no --light/--deep flag was given): After recording a map-plan outcome, estimate the task scope and run:
shell_command:
cmd: python3 .map/scripts/classify_scope.py --files ESTIMATED_FILES --lines ESTIMATED_LINES
If auto_enabled: true in the JSON result, surface an advisory based on bracket (do not block):
small → advise re-invoking as $map-plan --light.
large → advise re-invoking as $map-plan --deep.
trivial → advise $map-fast instead.
medium → no advisory; standard mode is appropriate.
Step 0: Quick Discovery (Optional but Recommended; SKIP in LIGHT mode)
LIGHT mode: Skip this step entirely — proceed directly to Step 1. The spec is written from stated requirements without a prior research phase.
DEEP mode: Before this step, run an extended research sweep (full codebase exploration, dependency and hotspot analysis). Dispatch a researcher with a wider scope than the standard Step 0 prompt below; cover recent-change hotspots, dependency graph, existing test coverage gaps, and architectural friction points. Save findings to .map/$BRANCH/research/plan__deep_discovery.md in addition to the standard plan__discovery.md.
Skip if .map/<branch>/research/plan__discovery.md already exists AND contains an Already Implemented section (resume rule above), or if the task is greenfield with a fully-provided spec. If the canonical file is absent but legacy .map/<branch>/findings_<branch>.md exists, read it as a fallback and migrate it to the canonical research path only if it has the required section. If an existing discovery file predates this format (no Already Implemented section), re-run discovery so the Step 0.5 gate has its evidence.
spawn_agent(
agent_type="researcher",
message="""Locate the most relevant code for this request and return:
- 5-15 key file paths (1-line reason each)
- existing similar implementations and patterns to follow
- risks, unknowns, and integration points
- which parts of the request are ALREADY IMPLEMENTED vs genuinely missing
For EVERY file path:
1. Use find/rg to verify it actually exists
2. If the spec says "create new file X" — confirm X is absent
3. Mark each path as EXISTING (verified) or NEW (confirmed not found)
4. For existing files: approximate LOC and key symbols
For the request itself: search for an existing implementation BEFORE
reporting a behavior as missing. For each asked-for behavior/acceptance
criterion, decide if it is already implemented and cite `file:line` proof.
User request:
<paste user_requirements here>
Output format:
## Already Implemented
- "<feature part>" -> `path/to/file.py:NN` — proof (or: "none found (searched: <queries>)")
## Existing Files (verified)
- `path/to/file.py` (NNN LOC) — ClassX, relevant because...
## Files to Create (confirmed absent)
- `path/to/new.py` — needed for...
## Patterns Found
- ...
## Risks / Unknowns
- ...
"""
)
Save discovery to the canonical research namespace:
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
python3 .map/scripts/map_step_runner.py save_research "$BRANCH" plan discovery << 'DISCOVERY_EOF'
<paste researcher output here>
DISCOVERY_EOF
Step 0.5: Already-Implemented Gate (MANDATORY when discovery ran; SKIP in LIGHT mode)
LIGHT mode: Skip this step — no discovery was run, so there is no evidence base for the gate. Surface any overlap during spec writing.
Reconcile the request against the discovery Already Implemented section BEFORE interview/spec. Do not plan work the codebase already does. If discovery was skipped (greenfield or fully-provided spec), state the gate was skipped and why. If the findings file lacks an Already Implemented section (it predates this format), re-run Step 0 first — do NOT run the gate on incomplete evidence.
- Whole feature already implemented — every asked-for behavior exists with
file:line proof. Off-ramp: report the evidence, state no plan is needed, and STOP (no spec, no blueprint). If the user may want changes, ask them to restate the specific gap.
- Partially implemented — move already-done parts into the spec's Out of Scope > Already Implemented subsection (with
file:line proof) so decomposition plans ONLY the remaining gap. Re-scope to the gap before continuing.
- Not implemented — nothing matching exists; continue normally.
When unsure whether existing code truly satisfies the request, treat it as partial and surface it in the interview / Open Questions — never silently re-plan code that already exists.
Step 0.6: Verify Live/Runtime State Gate (MANDATORY when depends_on_runtime_state=true)
The runtime analogue of Step 0.5. Step 0.5 stops you re-planning code that already exists; Step 0.6 stops you planning against runtime facts that have drifted from the design docs / memory the plan copied them from. Skip only when depends_on_runtime_state=false.
Static discovery reads only the repo — it cannot see prod row counts, the enum labels actually present in a live DB, a column that already exists, the applied migration head, or a live feature-flag value. Caution: code can exist in the repo (Step 0.5 file:line proof) while its migration / feature flag is NOT yet applied in prod; verify runtime separately.
Signals that arm the gate: a DB migration / data backfill; "measured on prod" / "currently" / "as of" numbers in the source; count-based acceptance criteria referencing current state ("migrate the 10k existing rows"), not a forward target ("1k RPS"); a feature-flag / config cutover; capacity / latency assumptions; "this column/table/enum value already exists".
For each assumption the plan's correctness rests on:
- Verifiable read-only now — confirm via an approved read-only source (read replica, dashboard, runbook,
INFORMATION_SCHEMA / pg_enum / migration-head introspection). Record the fact + source, not the raw rows.
- Prod unreachable / unchecked — record an
Unverified Runtime Assumption under spec Open Questions / Risks with the exact read-only check + safe source, and mark dependent subtasks provisional. Do NOT bake the assumption in as fact.
Safety: this skill is a planning-time gate, NOT a runtime tool — it suggests checks, it does not run them (defer to the operator or an authorized sub-agent). Prefer bounded / metadata queries over full scans / COUNT(*); never write, mutate, or flip flags; never paste PII, secrets, or bulky prod output into the spec or .map/<branch>/ artifacts (they may be committed); no isolation-level / NOLOCK hints. Do not hard-stop merely because prod is unreachable — record-the-check is the contract. If a runtime dependency surfaces later during decomposition, loop back and verify-or-record it.
Step 1: Assess Scope and Decide Interview Depth
Read the user's requirements and decide if a deep interview is needed.
Interview REQUIRED when:
- 2+ features in one request
- Vague product idea without clear technical approach
- New project (stack + features undefined)
- Batch of bugs/issues to fix together
- Obvious gaps or unstated assumptions in requirements
Interview SKIPPED when:
- Task is well-defined with clear acceptance criteria
- Small isolated change (single bug fix, test update)
- User explicitly provided a spec or detailed description
If skipping, go directly to Step 2a (write spec without interview).
Step 2: Deep Interview (Spec Discovery)
Ask the user non-obvious questions to surface decisions and tradeoffs BEFORE planning. Use plain text questions. If the runtime supports request_user_input, use it; otherwise print questions and wait for answers.
Rules:
- Questions must be NON-OBVIOUS (do not re-ask what the user already stated)
- Ask in small rounds: 1-2 high-signal questions, up to 4 if needed
- Continue until all critical architectural decisions are captured
Interview dimensions:
- Technical: Stack choices, data model, API contracts, state management
- UX: User flows, error states, edge cases
- Tradeoffs: Performance vs simplicity, flexibility vs speed, build vs buy
- Risks: What can break? Blast radius? Rollback strategy?
- Scope: What is explicitly OUT of scope?
- Integration: Existing code interactions? Migration needed?
- Contract Clarity: Every goal stated as a verifiable outcome (not process)
Example plain-text interview round:
Questions for this task:
1. [Token store] Should refresh tokens be stored server-side (Redis/DB — revocable,
adds infra) or stateless JWT (no infra, harder to revoke)?
2. [Session UX] When a session expires mid-action, should the app: silent refresh
in background / show a re-login modal preserving form state / redirect to login?
Please answer both before I proceed.
After answers are collected, write the spec:
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
mkdir -p .map/${BRANCH}
cat > .map/${BRANCH}/spec_${BRANCH}.md << 'SPEC_EOF'
# Spec: [Title]
**Date:** $(date -u +%Y-%m-%d)
**Branch:** ${BRANCH}
## Decisions Made
| # | Question | Decision | Rationale |
|---|----------|----------|-----------|
| 1 | [question] | [decision] | [rationale] |
## Invariants
Hard constraints — violating any invariant is a blocker.
- [e.g., "All API endpoints require auth except /health and /login"]
## Constraints
```yaml
constraints:
max_files: null
max_subtasks: null
scope_glob: null
Edge Cases
| # | Edge Case | Expected Behavior | Priority |
|---|
| 1 | [case] | [behavior] | must-handle |
Priority: must-handle / should-handle / won't-handle
Acceptance Criteria
| ID | Criterion | Verification Method |
|---|
| AC-1 | [criterion] | [test command or manual check] |
Security Boundaries
(Include for security-critical tasks; omit for cosmetic/internal changes)
- Trust boundary: [...]
- Auth model: [...]
Out of Scope
- [explicitly excluded items]
Already Implemented
- ["" ->
file:line proof] — decomposer must NOT create subtasks for these (Step 0.5 gate)
Open Questions
- [anything unresolved]
SPEC_EOF
**Requirements Index (MANDATORY):** After writing the spec, populate the `mapify:requirements-index:v1` sentinel-wrapped fenced YAML block (defined in the spec template) with exactly ONE `{id, kind}` entry per acceptance criterion, invariant, hard constraint, and cross-cutting requirement. `kind` must be one of `acceptance_criterion | invariant | hard_constraint | cross_cutting`. IDs must be canonical: prefix in `{AC, INV, HC, CCR}`, no leading zeros, uppercase (e.g. `AC-1`, `INV-2`, `HC-3`). These IDs are **exactly** the keys the decomposer must map in `coverage_map` — the forward-completeness gate diffs the index IDs against `coverage_map` keys to detect uncovered requirements.
---
## Step 2a: Write Spec (interview skipped)
If interview was skipped, still write `spec_<branch>.md` using the same template.
Populate from user requirements and discovery findings:
- **Decisions Made:** extract from user's request (may be short or N/A)
- **Invariants:** derive from existing code patterns found in discovery
- **Acceptance Criteria:** REQUIRED — must be testable, define "done"
- **Edge Cases:** from task description and affected code
**Completeness rule:** If the source defines explicit ACs, enumerate ALL of them — do NOT summarize N criteria as "key M". Every AC that is not listed will be silently dropped by the decomposer.
**Requirements Index (MANDATORY):** Same as above — populate the `mapify:requirements-index:v1` sentinel block with one `{id, kind}` entry per AC/INV/HC/CCR. IDs are the exact `coverage_map` keys the decomposer must map.
---
## Step 2b: Devil's Advocate Review (SPEC_REVIEW; always SKIP in LIGHT mode)
> **LIGHT mode:** Skip this step unconditionally.
**Skip if ALL true (standard/DEEP mode):**
- Source spec is under 200 lines
- Fewer than 5 subtasks expected
- No cross-cutting concerns (observability, security, concurrency, multi-service)
**ALWAYS run if ANY true:**
- Source spec exceeds 500 lines
- 10+ acceptance criteria defined
- Multiple services, subgraphs, or subsystems involved
- Task includes concurrency, recovery, or multi-transport requirements
spawn_agent(
agent_type="monitor",
message="""You are reviewing a SPECIFICATION (not code). Act as Devil's Advocate.
Read the spec at: .map//spec_.md
(Use shell_command to cat the file.)
Check for:
- Race conditions / concurrency gaps — shared resources without defined conflict resolution?
- Ownership ambiguity — could two components both assume the other handles something?
- Missing edge cases — invariant violations not covered by the Edge Cases section?
- Contradictions — decisions that contradict invariants or acceptance criteria?
- Security gaps — incomplete trust boundaries or unaddressed injection vectors?
- Implicit assumptions — things assumed but not stated?
Output format (for each finding):
SEVERITY: HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW
CATEGORY: [concurrency|ownership|edge-case|contradiction|security|assumption]
DESCRIPTION: [what the issue is]
SUGGESTED FIX: [how to resolve]
If no HIGH-severity issues: output exactly "SPEC APPROVED" at the end.
If HIGH-severity issues exist: list them clearly — do not output "SPEC APPROVED".
"""
)
**After Devil's Advocate review:**
- `SPEC APPROVED` (no HIGH findings): proceed to Step 3.
- HIGH findings found: present them to the user in plain text and wait for resolution. Update the spec before proceeding. Do NOT silently proceed past HIGH findings.
- MEDIUM/LOW findings: add to spec's Open Questions section and proceed.
---
## Step 3: Create Branch Directory
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
mkdir -p .map/${BRANCH}
echo "Working directory: .map/${BRANCH}"
If multiple valid designs exist and the user did not specify an approach, propose 2-3 options with tradeoffs and get confirmation before decomposition.
**Architecture Graph (REQUIRED for complexity >= 3):** Append to `spec_<branch>.md` before calling the decomposer:
Architecture Graph
ComponentA -[calls]-> ComponentB -[has_many]-> ComponentC
api/routes/foo.py -[uses]-> FooService
GET /foo -[filters_by]-> archived_at
Format: `A -[relationship]-> B` (arrow notation). Keep under 200 tokens — only nodes touched by the feature. Relationships: has_many, has_one, calls, extends, uses, creates.
---
## Step 3.5: Architecture Review (DEEP mode only)
> **Standard / LIGHT mode:** Skip this step.
Before decomposition, dispatch a monitor agent to review the spec and discovery findings for architecture concerns: component boundary clarity, dependency direction violations, state ownership ambiguity, untestable seams, and conflicts with `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`.
spawn_agent(
agent_type="monitor",
message="""You are reviewing a SPECIFICATION for architecture quality (not code). DEEP mode.
Read the spec at: .map//spec_.md
Read deep discovery at: .map//research/plan__deep_discovery.md (if present)
(Use shell_command to cat both files.)
Check for:
- Component boundary clarity — are module/service responsibilities well-defined and non-overlapping?
- Dependency direction — does the proposed flow violate layering or create circular dependencies?
- State ownership — is shared mutable state owned by exactly one component?
- Untestable seams — are there coupling points that make unit testing impractical?
- Architecture conflicts — does this design contradict decisions in docs/ARCHITECTURE.md?
Output per finding:
SEVERITY: CRITICAL | HIGH | MEDIUM
CATEGORY: [boundary|dependency|state|testability|architecture-conflict]
DESCRIPTION: [what the issue is, citing the spec section]
RECOMMENDATION: [how to resolve]
If no CRITICAL or HIGH findings: output "ARCHITECTURE APPROVED" at the end.
"""
)
- `ARCHITECTURE APPROVED` (no CRITICAL/HIGH findings): proceed to Step 4.
- CRITICAL or HIGH findings: present them and update the spec before decomposition.
- Add unresolved risks to spec Open Questions.
---
## Step 4: Call Task Decomposer
spawn_agent(
agent_type="decomposer",
message="""Break down this task into atomic, testable subtasks.
USER REQUEST:
SPEC FILE: .map//spec_.md
(Cat the file with shell_command to read it.)
DISCOVERY: .map//research/plan__discovery.md (or legacy .map//findings_.md fallback if it exists and has not yet been migrated)
Output requirements per subtask:
- id: ST-NNN
- title:
- aag_contract: "Actor -> Action(params) -> Goal" [REQUIRED for every subtask]
- description: what needs to be done
- affected_files: [list of file paths]
- dependencies: [] or [ST-NNN, ...]
- complexity_score: 1-10
- risk_level: low | medium | high
- expected_diff_size: tiny | small | medium | large
- concern_type: api | config | data | docs | infra | observability | refactor | release | runtime | security | tests | ui | mixed
- one_logical_step: true
- split_rationale: required when expected_diff_size is large, otherwise omit
- concern_justification: required when concern_type is mixed, otherwise omit
- validation_criteria: ["VC1 [AC-1]: ...", "VC2 [INV-1]: ..."]
- test_strategy: {unit: [...], integration: [...]}
- hard_constraints: [{id: "HC-1", description: "non-negotiable requirement"}]
- soft_constraints: [{id: "SC-1", description: "preference", tradeoff_rationale: "if not covered"}]
Target subtask size: completable within ~4000 tokens (SFT comfort zone).
Aim for 3-7 subtasks; flag if more than 10 are needed.
LIGHT mode: target 2-5 minimal bite-sized subtasks; prefer merging related concerns over splitting.
Coverage requirements:
- Do NOT create subtasks for behavior listed under the spec's "Out of Scope > Already Implemented" subsection — that work already exists. Plan only the remaining gap.
- Every spec AC must appear as a validation_criteria in exactly one subtask.
- Every validation_criteria item that proves a mapped requirement must cite the matching coverage_map key in brackets, e.g.
VC1 [AC-1]: ....
- Every hard_constraints id must appear in coverage_map and as a matching validation_criteria bracket tag.
- Every soft_constraints id must either appear in coverage_map or include tradeoff_rationale explaining the tradeoff.
- For cross-cutting requirements (observability, error handling, structured logging,
budget tracking), create a dedicated subtask or add them as validation_criteria
to the subtask that implements the relevant infrastructure.
- For each structured result type, ALL fields (including optional envelope fields
like budget_state, deferred_work, recovery_state) must be in validation_criteria.
- Output a coverage_map field for every acceptance criterion, invariant, and cross-cutting requirement: {"AC-1": "ST-NNN", "AC-2": "ST-MMM", ...}
Return structured JSON:
{
"summary": "",
"hard_constraints": [{"id": "HC-1", "description": "Non-negotiable requirement"}],
"soft_constraints": [{"id": "SC-1", "description": "Preference", "tradeoff_rationale": "Only if not covered"}],
"coverage_map": {"HC-1": "ST-001", "AC-1": "ST-001"},
"subtasks": [{"id": "ST-001", "validation_criteria": ["VC1 [HC-1] [AC-1]: ..."]}]
}
"""
)
---
## Step 5: Save Blueprint JSON
Save the decomposer output as `.map/<branch>/blueprint.json`. This file is required by `$map-efficient` for parallel wave computation.
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
cat > .map/${BRANCH}/blueprint.json << 'BLUEPRINT_EOF'
BLUEPRINT_EOF
echo "Saved blueprint.json"
If the decomposer returned markdown instead of JSON, construct the JSON from the subtask list. This step is mandatory — without `blueprint.json`, `$map-efficient` cannot compute parallel execution waves.
If `blueprint.json` already exists and only needs a partial update, use `apply_patch` instead of a full heredoc rewrite to avoid clobbering unchanged fields.
---
## Step 5.2: Post-Save Blueprint Validation (MANDATORY)
After writing `blueprint.json`, run this deterministic check. If it reports an
invalid blueprint, re-run Step 4 (the decomposer) BEFORE proceeding to Step 5.5.
shell_command:
cmd: |
python3 .map/scripts/map_step_runner.py validate_blueprint_contract
If the validator exits non-zero, return to Step 4 with the exact JSON `errors`
and `warnings`. Ask the decomposer to fix the oversized, mixed-concern,
untraceable, or malformed subtasks. After the second decomposer run, re-save
`blueprint.json` and re-run this validator. Two consecutive failures = STOP
and report the validator errors to the user.
---
## Step 5.5: Decomposition Coverage Check
Before writing the human-readable plan, verify coverage. The decomposer may silently drop requirements.
**1. AC mapping:** For each spec AC, identify which ST-NNN covers it. If an AC has no owner, add it to an existing subtask's validation_criteria or create a new subtask.
**2. Result schema check:** For each structured result type in the spec, verify ALL fields appear in at least one subtask's validation_criteria.
**3. Cross-cutting concerns scan:** Confirm these have an explicit owner:
- Observability / structured logging
- Error codes and structured error types
- Concurrency / locking
- Budget tracking and exhaustion
- Recovery state for write-capable workflows
**4. Invariant coverage:** Each spec invariant must have at least one subtask AC that would catch a violation.
**5. Edge case / overflow rules:** Each boundary condition in the spec must have a corresponding test in at least one subtask's test_strategy.
If gaps are found, update the decomposition before proceeding.
---
## Step 6: Create Human-Readable Plan
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
cat > .map/${BRANCH}/task_plan_${BRANCH}.md << 'PLAN_EOF'
<MAP_Plan_v1_0 branch="" created="YYYY-MM-DD">
Task Plan: [Brief Title]
Workflow: map-plan
Overview
[1-2 sentence description of the overall goal]
Subtasks
ST-001: [Subtask Title]
- Status: pending
- AAG Contract:
Actor -> Action(params) -> Goal
- Complexity: [low/medium/high]
- Expected Diff Size: [tiny|small|medium|large]
- Concern Type: [api|config|data|docs|infra|observability|refactor|release|runtime|security|tests|ui|mixed]
- One Logical Step: [true|false]
- Dependencies: [none | ST-XXX]
- Description: [what needs to be done]
- Acceptance Criteria:
- Verification:
ST-002: [Next Subtask]
...
Execution Order
- ST-001 (no deps)
- ST-002 → ST-003 (ST-003 depends on ST-002)
Spec Coverage
| Spec Section | Requirement ID | Description | Owner ST | Verified By |
|---|
| MVP AC | AC-1 | [criterion] | ST-NNN | [test or check] |
| Invariant | INV-1 | [invariant] | ST-NNN | [test or check] |
| Cross-cutting | Observability | [structured logs] | ST-NNN | [check] |
Rules: every AC, invariant, result schema field, and cross-cutting concern must have a row.
A row with no Owner ST means the plan is incomplete.
Notes
[Any important context, gotchas, or design decisions]
</MAP_Plan_v1_0>
PLAN_EOF
echo "Saved task_plan_${BRANCH}.md"
**AAG Contract is REQUIRED for every subtask.** Copy from decomposer output's `aag_contract` field. Without it, executors reason instead of compile.
---
## Step 6.5: Validate Constraints
If the spec has a `## Constraints` section with non-null `scope_glob`, validate before finalizing the planning artifacts:
shell_command:
cmd: |
SCOPE_GLOB=""
if echo "$SCOPE_GLOB" | grep -qE '(..)|^/|{'; then
echo "ERROR: Invalid scope_glob '$SCOPE_GLOB'. Must be relative, no '..' or brace expansion."
exit 1
fi
echo "scope_glob OK: $SCOPE_GLOB"
On validation failure: print error and STOP. Do not finalize the plan handoff.
---
## Step 7: Record Planning Artifacts
Do **NOT** create `step_state.json` in `$map-plan`.
`step_state.json` is the execution runtime state owned by `map_orchestrator.py`. Writing a planning-only state file here creates a contract mismatch with `$map-efficient` and can cause execution to skip the first subtask or bypass `resume_from_plan`.
`$map-plan` must stop after producing planning artifacts only:
- `spec_<branch>.md`
- `task_plan_<branch>.md`
- `blueprint.json`
- `artifact_manifest.json`
- optional `research/plan__discovery.md` (or legacy `findings_<branch>.md` fallback) and `workflow-fit.json`
The execution state must be initialized later by:
shell_command:
cmd: python3 .map/scripts/map_orchestrator.py resume_from_plan
That runtime bootstrap comes from task_plan_<branch>.md and blueprint.json, not from parsing reviewer-facing markdown.
Record artifacts in the manifest:
shell_command:
cmd: |
python3 .map/scripts/map_step_runner.py record_plan_artifacts
---
## Step 8: Output Checkpoint
Print a clear checkpoint:
shell_command:
cmd: |
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed -E 's|/|-|g; s|[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]|-|g; s|-{2,}|-|g; s|^-||; s|-$||')
echo "==================================================="
echo "WORKFLOW CHECKPOINT: PLAN PHASE COMPLETE"
echo "==================================================="
echo "[ok] Workflow-fit: map-plan"
echo "[ok] Discovery completed (or skipped)"
echo "[ok] Already-implemented gate: ran (or skipped with reason)"
echo "[ok] Interview completed (or skipped)"
echo "[ok] Devil's Advocate review completed (or skipped)"
echo "[ok] Architecture graph written to spec_${BRANCH}.md"
echo "[ok] Blueprint saved to .map/${BRANCH}/blueprint.json"
echo "[ok] Coverage check passed"
echo "[ok] Plan written to .map/${BRANCH}/task_plan_${BRANCH}.md"
echo "[ok] artifact_manifest.json updated"
echo "[ok] Mode: [standard | light | deep]"
echo ""
echo "Next steps:"
echo " 1. Review .map/${BRANCH}/task_plan_${BRANCH}.md"
echo " 2. Execute subtasks sequentially (map-task or map-efficient)"
echo " 3. Verify completion: $map-check"
echo ""
echo "Execution state intentionally deferred to $map-efficient / resume_from_plan"
echo "==================================================="
---
## Step 9: Context Distillation + STOP
Before stopping, verify distilled state is self-contained. The next session starts fresh — it will ONLY see files, not this conversation. Runtime execution state will be rebuilt later via `resume_from_plan`.
DISTILLATION CHECKLIST:
[x] task_plan_.md — AAG contracts for every subtask + Spec Coverage table
[x] blueprint.json — raw decomposer output with coverage_map + per-subtask aag_contract (for map-efficient)
[x] spec_.md — architecture graph + decisions + COMPLETE acceptance criteria
[x] artifact_manifest.json — records workflow_fit + spec + plan stage artifacts
[x] research/plan__discovery.md — plan-scope research pointers (if discovery was done)
TARGET: Executor reads <=4000 tokens of distilled state to start any subtask.
If plan files exceed this, condense descriptions — keep AAG contracts and criteria.
The Spec Coverage table MUST NOT be condensed — it is the review contract.
**This phase ends here.** Do NOT proceed to execution. The next invocation starts fresh with focused attention on individual subtasks (use `$map-task` or `$map-efficient`).