| name | phase-wise-checklist |
| description | Create or maintain evidence-backed, phase-wise implementation checklists in CodeHound plans. Use when a task asks to plan work by phase, update checklist status while implementing, reconcile shipped work with plan rows, or produce one canonical execution ledger. |
Phase-Wise Checklist
Create one canonical plan under plans/ and treat it as a live execution ledger. For gopdfsuit this usually means one ledger per PDF op or frontend area, with fixtures in sampledata/<area>/.
Workflow
-
Read the named parent plan/checklist and inspect the current implementation before changing any status. For engine work read internal/pdf/ plus pkg/gopdflib/ first. For API work read internal/handlers/ plus internal/models/.
-
Use the repository graph tools for code discovery when available; otherwise use focused source search. Treat plan prose as a claim, not evidence.
-
Start with the required plan shape:
# <Hierarchy> - <Title>
> **Parent:** `<path>` - reference
> **Status:** current state
> **Estimated effort:** estimate
---
## Overview
## Executive Summary
## Phase 1: <Area>
### 1.1 <Slice>
- [ ] Verifiable action
## Dependencies
-
Make every checklist row atomic: one code change or one validation result. Include the affected path, rule/issue ID, expected behavior, and required proof where useful. Example: internal/pdf/compress/* - Heavy tier keeps text sharp - proof: make test-verify-pdfs.
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Order phases by dependency and risk: correctness/security first, then API/data contracts, then performance/cleanup, then closure gates. For PDF work put correctness plus PDF/A-4 and PDF/UA-2 compliance before perf tiers.
-
Use statuses consistently:
[ ] not started or not proven;[x] implemented and validated with current evidence;[~] intentionally deferred/partial, with reason, owner boundary, and next gate.
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Update a row only after the matching source/test/benchmark check succeeds. Record the command and outcome beside closure gates; keep release measurements distinct from dev-loop measurements.
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If a row is moved to a newer canonical ledger, rewrite the source row as [~] with an explicit pointer. Do not leave duplicate active work in multiple files.
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Preserve unrelated worktree changes. Do not close a security, performance, or migration item merely because a plan says it was done.
Evidence Rules
- Prefer current code, tests, benchmarks, scanner output, and CI configuration over historical notes.
- State negative results precisely: e.g. "no production
unsafe beyond X found in this audit", never "no bugs exist".
- Keep risk statements separate from confirmed defects. Label hypotheses and give their validation step.
- For performance items, include the exact release command, dataset/path, cold/warm cache state, and metric; successful execution is not benchmark proof. Use
sampledata/gopdflib/zerodha/ or sampledata/benchmarks/ paths when relevant.
- For PDF output items, cite
test/verify_pdfs.sh output plus veraPDF plus structure tree check, not just go test.
Completion Handoff
Before declaring a phase complete, confirm its rows, run the smallest relevant validation, synchronize the checklist, and provide a concise result plus the next unchecked phase. Do not create a second status document unless it is explicitly a deferred ledger with a pointer from the canonical plan.
Required Checks
- For documentation-only changes (
guides/, plans/, *.md), do not run lint or test checks.
- For every non-documentation change, run
make fmt && make lint && make test before marking the phase complete. Add make test-integration when internal/handlers/ or internal/pdf/ changed. Add make test-verify-pdfs when PDF bytes changed. Add cd frontend && npm run build when frontend/src/ changed. Record all outcomes in the canonical checklist; leave the row unchecked if any command fails.
