| name | whats-next |
| description | Session orientation skill. Re-audits stint tasks, checks open PRs, and rewrites WHATS_NEXT.md (the Arc + Priority Stack). Use at the start of any session when you don't know what to work on next, or after a batch of merges when priorities may have shifted. Also called inline by merge-pr after each merge to keep the file in sync. |
What's Next
Session orientation AND the shared WHATS_NEXT.md update routine. Called by /merge-pr after every merge so the file is always current. Also invoke manually at session start.
Inclusion Rule (contract with create-stint)
This section is the single source of truth for what belongs in WHATS_NEXT.md. create-stint references it; do not restate it elsewhere.
An item may appear in the file only if all of these hold:
- Entirely actionable. No open decisions remain except ordinary implementation choices an agent makes while coding. If a product, pricing, architecture, or scope decision is still open, the item is not ready for the file.
- The decision itself can be the task. Unresolved-decision work enters the file only as an explicit spec/decision stint task (e.g.
0315 monetization spec). Making the decision is the actionable unit; downstream tasks stay blocked by it and appear only as indented children.
- Implementation detail lives on the stint task, never here. The stint task body owns instructions, acceptance criteria, and context — written there by
create-stint before the ID is slotted into this file. The file carries only the task ID plus a one-line outcome framing (what epoch/outcome it serves).
- Done work leaves immediately. Landed tasks move to
docs/DEVLOG.md; they never linger as history here.
Flow: idea → /create-stint (full detail on the task) → /whats-next slots the ID into the Arc under the outcome it serves. Never the reverse.
Step 1 — Gather live state
Run all of these in parallel:
stint list 2>&1
stint status 2>&1
git log --oneline -10 2>&1
gh pr list --state open --limit 20 2>&1
Cross-check: any task the file lists as ready/P0/P1 must still exist and be non-done in stint list. stint show <id> anything suspicious — merged PRs referencing a stint ID mean the task is done even if the file says otherwise.
Step 2 — Classify every task
For each task in stint list output, assign it to one of:
| Bucket | Criteria |
|---|
| P0 — on fire | Broken demo path, regression visible to any user |
| P1 — ship blocker | Required for first-user story or unblocks a P1 chain |
| P2 — important | Core feature, significant tech debt, or blocks P2 chain |
| P3 — polish | Nice to have, infra hygiene, non-blocking |
| blocked | Has an unresolved blocked by dependency |
| in-pipeline | PR is open — check gh pr list |
Cross-reference blocked by chains. A task blocked by a blocked task is deep-blocked; note it.
Apply the Inclusion Rule: tasks failing it stay in stint list only (maintenance, undecided ideas) and do not enter the file.
Step 3 — Audit the v1 finish-line gap
The finish line: a stranger installs Plexi, an agent builds a working app from the scaffold on the first try, a reviewed free app installs from the hosted registry. Check whether anything on that path lacks a task; flag gaps as missing rather than inventing entries.
Step 4 — Rewrite WHATS_NEXT.md
Overwrite .agents/skills/whats-next/WHATS_NEXT.md preserving its current structure:
- Header quote block — pointers to this skill,
docs/DEVLOG.md, NORTH_STAR.md. Sprints are retired; never reintroduce sprint fields.
- Current State (date) — alpha HEAD, what landed since last audit (one sentence, then move detail to DEVLOG), open PRs that affect priority reading, "not real yet" list.
- The Arc — epochs ordered toward
NORTH_STAR.md. Tasks indented under the outcome they serve; nested tasks are blocked by their parent. One line per task: ID + outcome framing, nothing more (Inclusion Rule §3).
- Priority Stack (flat view) — P0/P1 as ID lists,
* marks blocked, single next recommended task line.
- Key Reference Docs — table of doc pointers.
- How To Update This File — points back at this skill.
Fill every section from the live data gathered in Steps 1–3. Landed-work history goes to docs/DEVLOG.md (append a dated entry), never accumulates in the file.
Step 5 — Present the summary
After writing the file, output a terse summary to the user:
WHATS_NEXT.md updated.
P0 (3): 0330 DX chain head, 0327 event bus, 0280 palette scroll
P1 (6): [ids + one-word hooks]
Blocked chain: 0285 → 0286 → 0287
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Start with 0330 (app-dev CLI audit, P0 chain head) — unblocks 0331/0332/0215.
The recommendation must be a single next task — the one the user should pick up right now.
