parallel-plan-execution

name	parallel-plan-execution
description	Create decomposed, parallelizable execution plans with copy-pasta prompts for multi-agent workflows. Use when planning large migrations, refactoring tasks, or any work that can benefit from parallel execution across multiple agents.

Parallel Plan Execution Strategy

This skill guides you through creating execution plans that can be efficiently parallelized across multiple Cursor agents, maximizing throughput while minimizing user effort.

When to Use This Skill

Use this approach when:

• Working on tasks affecting 10+ files
• Multiple independent changes can be made simultaneously
• User wants to leverage parallel agent execution
• Task can be broken into logical, independent units of work

Core Principles

AGENT BEHAVIOR: When a copy-pasta prompt is pasted, execute it immediately. The act of pasting IS the instruction to execute. See "Executing Copy-Pasta Prompts" below.

1. Dependency Analysis

Before creating plans, identify:

• Sequential dependencies: Task B requires Task A completion (phases must run in order)
• Parallel opportunities: Tasks can execute simultaneously (agents within a phase)
• Shared resources: Files modified by multiple tasks (requires coordination)

Critical distinction:

• Phases: Run sequentially (Phase 1 completes → Phase 2 starts → Phase 3 starts).
• Within a phase, order matters. If the "How to use" says "run A, then B, then C and D in parallel", that means: run A → wait for A to finish → run B → wait for B to finish → then run C and D in parallel; wait for all agents in the parallel group before the next phase.
• Agents marked "in parallel" in the same step run simultaneously; do not start them until any "then" steps before them in that phase are done.

2. Plan Hierarchy

Create a clear hierarchy:

feature-00-EXECUTION-ORDER.md    # Master orchestration guide
feature-00-SUMMARY.md            # Complete scope and file inventory
feature-01-area-1.md             # Focused execution plan
feature-02-area-2.md             # Focused execution plan
...
feature-COPY-PASTA.md            # Ready-to-paste agent prompts

Plans live under .llm/plans/active/[plan-set-name]/. See plan-files-convention.

3. DRY Principle for Plans

Detailed plans: Keep full instructions, file lists, and code examples in numbered plan files. Copy-pasta file: Should reference plan files, not duplicate their content.

Example copy-pasta prompt:

Read and execute .llm/plans/active/feature/08-dashboard-pages.md

Follow all instructions to update 5 dashboard-related files.

Core rule: [One-line reminder of key principle]

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Scope

1. Count affected files
2. Group by feature area, directory, or logical domain
3. Map dependencies
4. Estimate complexity

Step 2: Create Master Summary

File: 00-SUMMARY.md — total file count, breakdown, strategy overview.

Step 3: Create Execution Order

File: 00-EXECUTION-ORDER.md — phases (critical path sequential, feature groups parallel).

Step 4: Create Focused Execution Plans

One file per parallelizable group with scope, per-file instructions, and verification commands.

Step 5: Create Copy-Pasta File

File: COPY-PASTA.md

CRITICAL: Make execution rules clear at the top:

• Phases are SEQUENTIAL (must wait for each to complete)
• Agents WITHIN phases run in PARALLEL when marked

Naming Conventions

• 00- prefix: Meta files (summary, execution order)
• 01-99: Execution plans (numbered by phase/group)
• Descriptive names: 08-dashboard-pages.md not 08.md

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Do not copy all details into copy-pasta prompts — reference plan files
• Do not create artificial parallelization (files that could conflict)
• Do not make phases too granular (1 file per plan); group related files (3–7 per plan)
• Do not skip verification steps

Executing Copy-Pasta Prompts

When a copy-pasta prompt from COPY-PASTA.md is pasted:

1. Execute immediately — do not ask for confirmation
2. Prompt is self-contained — read the referenced plan file and implement
3. Recognition: message references .llm/plans/active/... with no extra user instructions

Final COPY-PASTA step

When the pasted prompt is the last step in the plan set:

• Assume the operator ran all prior COPY-PASTA prompts without running tests.
• After implementation and plan archiving, end the response with all cumulative verification commands for the entire set in one fenced bash block (see response-ending-make-verify and plan-completion skills).

Related Skills

• plan-files-convention — directory layout and when to stop at plan creation
• plan-completion — move finished plans to completed/
• plan-execution-completion-tracking rule — mark COPY-PASTA progress during execution
• response-ending-make-verify — operator verification commands