implement

name

implement

description

Execute an approved implementation plan through subagent-driven development, committing each completed step for traceability, and opening a PR when done. Use when the user has a reviewed plan committed in the repo and says "implement", "build the plan", "execute the plan", "implement the plan", or wants to go from approved plan to pull request. Also use when the user references a plan file (e.g. `/implement path/to/plan.md`) and wants it implemented with quality gates. When a file path argument is provided, ALWAYS treat it as a plan to implement -- never as code to deploy directly.

Implement: Plan to Pull Request

Execute an approved plan by dispatching a fresh subagent per task, with two-stage review after each (spec compliance, then code quality). Commit after every completed step so the git history reads like the plan. Open a PR when all tasks pass.

Core loop: For each task: implement -> spec review -> quality review -> commit. Then PR.

Arguments

/implement [path/to/plan.md]

• No argument: Search the repo for a plan file (see Step 1)
• File path argument: Read the file at that path and implement it as a plan. The argument is ALWAYS a plan to implement, not a file to deploy. Read the file, extract the tasks, and execute the implementation workflow below.

When to Use

• The user invokes /implement path/to/plan.md -- implement the plan at that path
• A plan file exists in the repo (or the user points you at one)
• The plan has been reviewed and approved (by humans, gstack reviews, or equivalent)
• The user wants to go from "approved plan" to "pull request"

Don't use for:

• Writing the plan itself (use a planning skill for that)
• Deploying code that's already implemented (use your platform's PR/push workflow)
• Exploratory prototyping with no plan

Prerequisites

Before starting, verify:

1. You're on a feature branch (not main/master)
2. A plan file exists and is committed (or the user provides one)
3. The working tree is clean (uncommitted changes should be committed or stashed first)

Workflow

digraph implement {
    rankdir=TB;

    find_plan [label="1. Find & validate plan" shape=box];
    check_review [label="2. Check review status" shape=box];
    extract [label="3. Extract tasks" shape=box];

    subgraph cluster_per_task {
        label="4. Per task";
        implement [label="Dispatch implementer" shape=box];
        questions [label="Questions?" shape=diamond];
        answer [label="Answer, re-dispatch" shape=box];
        work [label="Implement + test + self-review" shape=box];
        spec [label="Spec compliance review" shape=box];
        spec_ok [label="Spec pass?" shape=diamond];
        fix_spec [label="Fix spec gaps" shape=box];
        quality [label="Code quality review" shape=box];
        quality_ok [label="Quality pass?" shape=diamond];
        fix_quality [label="Fix quality issues" shape=box];
        commit [label="Commit step" shape=box];
    }

    more [label="More tasks?" shape=diamond];
    final_review [label="5. Final review" shape=box];
    pr [label="6. Open PR" shape=box];

    find_plan -> check_review -> extract;
    extract -> implement;
    implement -> questions;
    questions -> answer [label="yes"];
    answer -> implement;
    questions -> work [label="no"];
    work -> spec;
    spec -> spec_ok;
    spec_ok -> fix_spec [label="no"];
    fix_spec -> spec [label="re-review"];
    spec_ok -> quality [label="yes"];
    quality -> quality_ok;
    quality_ok -> fix_quality [label="no"];
    fix_quality -> quality [label="re-review"];
    quality_ok -> commit [label="yes"];
    commit -> more;
    more -> implement [label="yes"];
    more -> final_review [label="no"];
    final_review -> pr;
}

Step 1: Find and Validate the Plan

Locate the plan file. Check in order:

1. The user provided a file path as an argument (e.g. /implement plans/auth.md) -- use it directly. Read the file and proceed. This is a plan to implement, not a file to commit or PR.
2. Look for recently committed plan files: git log --diff-filter=A --name-only --format="" -20 | grep -iE 'plan|design|spec|rfc'
3. Search the repo: files matching *plan*.md, *design*.md, *rfc*.md, *spec*.md

If multiple candidates, ask the user which one. Read the plan fully -- you'll need to extract all tasks and provide their full text to subagents (subagents never read the plan file themselves).

Step 2: Require Engineering Review

An engineering review must be cleared before implementation begins. Implementing unreviewed plans leads to wasted effort when the architecture is wrong -- it's much cheaper to catch design issues in review than to rewrite code after implementation.

Check the plan for eng review status:

1. Gstack review report: Look for a ## GSTACK REVIEW REPORT section. Parse the Eng Review row -- it must show status CLEAR (either CLEAR (PLAN) from /plan-eng-review or CLEAR (DIFF) from /review). Any other status (missing, --, stale) means not cleared.

2. Other review markers: Look for sections like ## Engineering Review, ## Technical Review, or approval markers (Approved by:, LGTM, Reviewed-by:) that indicate an engineering-level review has been done.

3. Git history: git log --oneline -- <plan-file> -- look for commits with review-related messages (e.g., "eng review", "plan-eng-review", "autoplan").

If eng review is CLEAR: Note it briefly and continue. Example: "Eng review CLEAR (via /autoplan). Proceeding with implementation."

If eng review is NOT clear: Stop and prompt the user:

This plan has no cleared engineering review. Engineering review catches architecture and design issues before implementation -- fixing them in review is much cheaper than rewriting code later.

Options: A) Run engineering review now (recommended -- e.g., /plan-eng-review) B) Skip and implement anyway (I accept the risk)

If the user chooses A, stop and let them run the review. They can invoke /implement again after the review clears. If the user chooses B, log their override and continue -- but note in the PR body that eng review was skipped.

Never silently skip this check. The user must explicitly acknowledge if they're implementing without review.

Step 3: Extract Tasks

Parse the plan into discrete tasks. Plans typically organize tasks as:

• Numbered sections (## 1. ..., ### Task 1: ...)
• Headed sections (## Authentication Layer, ## Database Schema)
• Checkbox lists (- [ ] Implement ...)

For each task, extract:

• Title: The heading or first line
• Full text: Everything under that heading until the next task heading
• Dependencies: Any references to other tasks ("after Task 1", "depends on ...")
• Files mentioned: Paths referenced in the task description

Create a task list to track progress. Order tasks respecting dependencies -- independent tasks can go in any order, but a task that depends on another must come after it.

Step 4: Execute Tasks (the core loop)

Process tasks sequentially. For each task:

4a. Dispatch Implementer Subagent

Spawn a fresh subagent with the task. The subagent gets:

• Full text of the task (copied from the plan, not a file reference)
• Context about where this fits in the overall plan
• The working directory
• Instructions to implement, test, and self-review

Use the implementer prompt template in references/implementer-prompt.md.

Model selection: Use the least capable model that fits the task complexity.

• 1-2 files, clear spec -> fast/cheap model
• Multi-file integration -> standard model
• Architecture decisions or broad codebase changes -> most capable model

4b. Handle Implementer Response

The implementer reports a status:

Status	Action
DONE	Proceed to spec review
DONE_WITH_CONCERNS	Read concerns. If about correctness, address before review. If observations, note and proceed.
NEEDS_CONTEXT	Provide missing context, re-dispatch
BLOCKED	Assess: provide more context, use stronger model, break task apart, or escalate to human

Never ignore an escalation. If the implementer is stuck, something needs to change.

4c. Spec Compliance Review

Dispatch a fresh reviewer subagent to verify the implementation matches the task spec. The reviewer independently reads the code -- it does not trust the implementer's report.

Use the spec reviewer prompt template in references/spec-reviewer-prompt.md.

• If pass: proceed to code quality review
• If fail: the implementer fixes the gaps, then the spec reviewer re-reviews. Loop until pass.

4d. Code Quality Review

Dispatch a fresh reviewer subagent to check code quality: clean code, test coverage, file responsibility, maintainability.

Use the code quality reviewer prompt template in references/code-quality-reviewer-prompt.md.

• If pass: proceed to commit
• If fail: the implementer fixes the issues, then the quality reviewer re-reviews. Loop until pass.

Ordering matters: Never start code quality review before spec compliance passes. There's no point polishing code that doesn't meet spec.

4e. Commit the Step

After both reviews pass, commit the work with a message that ties back to the plan:

<type>: <what was done>

Plan step <N>/<total>: <task title>

Example:

feat: add JWT authentication middleware

Plan step 2/5: Authentication Layer

This makes the git history directly traceable to the plan. Anyone reading the log can follow the implementation order and connect each commit to its specification.

Mark the task complete in your task tracker and move to the next task.

Step 5: Final Review

After all tasks are complete, do a holistic review of the entire implementation:

• Read through all changes: git diff <base>...HEAD
• Check that tasks integrate correctly (interfaces match, no gaps between components)
• Run the full test suite if one exists
• Look for cross-cutting concerns that per-task reviews might miss

If the final review surfaces issues, fix them and commit as a separate "integration fix" commit.

Step 6: Open Pull Request

Create a PR that connects the implementation back to the plan:

Title: Concise summary of what the plan implements (under 70 characters).

Body structure:

## Summary

Implements [plan-file-name](link-to-plan-file).

<Brief description of what this plan delivers -- 2-3 sentences.>

## Plan Steps

- [x] Step 1: <title> (<commit-sha>)
- [x] Step 2: <title> (<commit-sha>)
- [x] Step 3: <title> (<commit-sha>)
...

## Review Status

<Paste review status from the plan if available, e.g., gstack review report.>
<If eng review was skipped by user override, state: "Eng review: SKIPPED (user override)">

## Test Plan

- [ ] <Key verification steps for reviewers>

Use your platform's CLI to create the PR (e.g., gh pr create for GitHub, glab mr create for GitLab). Push the branch first if needed.

Red Flags

Never:

• Skip either review stage (spec compliance OR code quality)
• Dispatch multiple implementer subagents in parallel (they'll conflict on shared files)
• Make a subagent read the plan file (provide full text in the prompt)
• Start code quality review before spec compliance passes
• Proceed past a failed review without fixes and re-review
• Commit broken or untested code for the sake of traceability
• Force-push or rewrite history -- each commit is a trace of a completed step

If something goes wrong:

• Implementer fails -> re-dispatch with more context or stronger model, don't retry blindly
• Review finds issues -> implementer fixes, reviewer re-reviews, repeat until clean
• Entire task is misspecified -> escalate to user, don't implement something wrong
• Test suite breaks -> fix before committing, don't commit broken tests

Integration with Other Skills

This skill works well with:

• Plan creation skills (gstack's /autoplan, superpowers' writing-plans) for creating the plan
• Plan review skills (gstack's /plan-eng-review, /plan-ceo-review) for approving the plan
• Code review skills (pr-code-review) for reviewing the final PR
• superpowers' finishing-a-development-branch for wrapping up after the PR is created