plan

``` ██████╗ ██╗ █████╗ ███╗ ██╗ ██╔══██╗██║ ██╔══██╗████╗ ██║ ██████╔╝██║ ███████║██╔██╗ ██║ ██╔═══╝ ██║ ██╔══██║██║╚██╗██║ ██║ ███████╗██║ ██║██║ ╚████║ ╚═╝ ╚══════╝╚═╝ ╚═╝╚═╝ ╚═══╝ ``` # Plan in vertical, executable slices A plan good enough that a context-free executor with questionable taste could follow it without guessing. Vague plans get vague work. ## Slices are vertical tracer bullets Each task cuts end-to-end through **whatever layers the artifact actually has** and leaves the program **working**. For a web feature that may be schema → API → logic → UI → tests; for a CLI it's flag → handler → output; for a library it's public function → behavior → test. The rule is end-to-end-to-an-observable-result — *not* a fixed layer list. Never slice horizontally (all of one layer, then all of the next) — horizontal slices can't be verified until the end and hide integration problems until they're expensive. Among valid first slices, pick the one that **retires the most risk** — the integration most likely to be wrong (the unproven third-party call, the gnarly migration), not merely the easiest. De-risk first; polish later. ## Each task is bite-sized and test-shaped Size each task to **one RED→GREEN→commit cycle** — the minimum change that makes exactly one new test pass. If a task needs two assertions about two different behaviors, split it. (The loop itself lives in `forge:tdd` — don't restate it; plan just chooses the slices.) Write each task so a context-free executor can run it. Give every task these fields: - **id** (T1, T2…) + a one-line **intent** - **target** — the file(s) and the function/signature it adds or changes - **test** — the assertion that should fail first, then pass (the success criterion — a concrete check, never "make it work") - **blocked-by** — real task IDs, or "none" (This is `forge:principles` #4 made concrete.) ## No placeholders The executor may read tasks out of order and has no context beyond the plan. Therefore: - No "TBD", no "add appropriate error handling", no "handle edge cases." - No "similar to Task 3" — restate the actual intent/code, because Task 3 may not have been read. - If a value, path, or signature matters, write it down. ## Order and parallelism - Order by dependency. Reference blockers by real task IDs ("blocked by T2"), added only once T2 exists. - Mark which tasks are independent and safe to parallelize — hand those to `forge:orchestrate` to run concurrently with fresh agents. - Keep the plan in a file, not just the conversation — it's a durable artifact that survives compaction. ## Exit Execute with `forge:tdd` (one slice at a time), request `forge:review` after meaningful chunks, and `forge:verify` before claiming done.