| name | plan |
| description | Use when user has a selected hypothesis or route and needs a concrete execution plan broken into tasks. Triggered by "what are the next steps", "how do I start", "plan this out". |
If you were dispatched as a subagent, skip this skill. Execute your task and return results.
Do NOT produce a vague timeline or milestone list. Every task must be specific enough that someone with no context could execute it. If a task takes more than 1 day, break it down further.
Plan Skill — Concrete Execution Plan
The difference between a plan that works and one that doesn't is specificity. "Set up the codebase" is not a task. "Fork IDSIA/recurrent-fwp, rename to dopamine-read-gate, run python train.py to confirm baseline, record output" is a task.
Step 1 — Read the session
Read the lab notebook to understand exactly where the researcher is:
cat .research-loop/sessions/<slug>/lab_notebook.md
Summarize back to the researcher:
"You've selected [hypothesis/route]. You have [what's done]. The next phase is [what's needed]."
Ask one clarifying question if anything is ambiguous. Then proceed.
Step 2 — Write the plan
Break the work into tasks. Each task must have:
- A specific action (verb + object)
- The exact file, repo, command, or person involved
- How to verify it's done (what does success look like?)
- Time estimate (be honest — hours, not days)
Format:
## Execution Plan — [hypothesis name]
Date: <date>
### Phase: [name]
**Task 1: [action]**
- Do: [exact steps]
- Verify: [how you know it worked]
- Time: [estimate]
**Task 2: [action]**
- Do: [exact steps]
- Verify: [how you know it worked]
- Time: [estimate]
...
Step 3 — Create todos
Use TodoWrite to create one todo per task. Mark the first one as in_progress.
Show the researcher the plan and ask:
"Does this cover everything? Any task that's unclear or needs breaking down further?"
Wait for approval. Then say:
"Starting Task 1. Tell me when you're ready."
Step 4 — Track progress
As each task completes:
- Mark it complete in TodoWrite
- Append a one-line note to lab_notebook.md:
[date]: Task [N] complete — [what was done]
- Surface the next task explicitly: > "Task [N] done. Next: [Task N+1 description]. Ready?"
What makes a bad plan
- Milestones instead of tasks ("Week 1: build the model")
- Tasks without verification steps ("set up environment")
- Tasks that depend on unknowns without surfacing them ("get lab data" — do you have the contact? have you emailed?)
- No time estimates
If you catch yourself writing any of these, stop and break it down further.
