phase-prep

name	phase-prep
description	Check prerequisites before starting a phase. Use before /phase-start to verify dependencies are met and context is loaded.
argument-hint	["phase-number"]
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Glob, Grep, Skill, AskUserQuestion, WebFetch, WebSearch

I want to execute Phase $1 from EXECUTION_PLAN.md. Before starting, read EXECUTION_PLAN.md and check:

CONTINUITY RULE: After emitting the report you MUST evaluate the Auto-Advance section at the end of this file. Auto-advance is frequently dropped when phase-prep is invoked from a parent skill (/fresh-start or /go). Skipping it breaks the execution chain. The checklist below tracks this — do not mark "Done" until the auto-advance decision is made.

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Phase Prep Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Run pre-flight checks 1-7
- [ ] Step 2: Verify all prerequisites pass
- [ ] Step 3: Load phase context and task list
- [ ] Step 4: Check for blocking dependencies
- [ ] Step 5: Emit report and log results
- [ ] Step 6: Auto-advance decision (MUST COMPLETE — do not stop before this)

External Tool Documentation Protocol

CRITICAL: Before providing setup instructions for any external service (Supabase, Stripe, Firebase, Auth0, Vercel, etc.), you MUST read the latest official documentation first.

When to Fetch Docs

Fetch documentation when ANY of these apply:

• Pre-Phase Setup mentions an external service
• You're about to provide step-by-step setup instructions
• The phase involves integrating with a third-party API
• Environment variables reference external services (e.g., STRIPE_API_KEY, SUPABASE_URL)

How to Fetch Docs

1. Identify the service from Pre-Phase Setup items or EXECUTION_PLAN.md
2. Fetch official docs using WebFetch or WebSearch:
   • Primary: Official quickstart/setup guide
   • Secondary: API reference for specific integrations
3. Cache per session — Don't re-fetch the same docs within one session
4. Handle failures gracefully:
   • Retry with exponential backoff (2-3 attempts)
   • If all retries fail: warn user and proceed with best available info
   • Never block entirely on doc fetch failure

Documentation URLs by Service

See SERVICES.md for the full list of service documentation URLs and setup patterns.

Integration with Setup Instructions

When generating detailed setup guides (see "Detailed Setup Instructions" section below):

1. Fetch docs FIRST
2. Cross-reference fetched content with your instructions
3. Update any outdated steps (UI changes, renamed fields, new requirements)
4. Include version/date context: "As of {date}, the Supabase dashboard..."

Context Detection

Determine working context:

1. If current working directory matches pattern */features/*:

   • PROJECT_ROOT = parent of parent of CWD (e.g., /project/features/foo → /project)
   • MODE = "feature"

2. If current working directory matches pattern */plans/greenfield*:

   • PROJECT_ROOT = parent of parent of CWD (e.g., /project/plans/greenfield → /project)
   • MODE = "greenfield"

3. Otherwise:

   • PROJECT_ROOT = current working directory
   • MODE = "greenfield-legacy"

Directory Guard (Wrong Directory Check)

Before starting, confirm the required files exist:

• EXECUTION_PLAN.md exists in the current working directory

• PROJECT_ROOT/AGENTS.md exists

• If either does not exist, STOP and tell the user:

  • They are likely in the toolkit repo (or the wrong folder)
  • If plans/greenfield/EXECUTION_PLAN.md exists in the current working directory, tell them to cd plans/greenfield first
  • They should cd into their project/feature directory (the one containing EXECUTION_PLAN.md) and re-run /phase-prep $1

Context Check

Before starting: If context is below 40% remaining, run /compact first. This ensures the full command instructions remain in context throughout execution. Compaction mid-command loses procedural instructions.

Pre-Flight Checks

1. Pre-Phase Setup — Check the "Pre-Phase Setup" section for Phase $1:

   • For each setup item, run its Verify: command if provided
   • Mark each item as PASS/FAIL/BLOCKED based on command output
   • Auto-generate Verify commands if missing (see below)
   • Identify environment variables or secrets needed
   • Note any external services that must be configured

   Auto-Verify Generation: If a setup item lacks a Verify: line, infer one based on item type. See SERVICES.md for the auto-verify command templates. After auto-generating, add the Verify: line to EXECUTION_PLAN.md for future runs.

2. Dependencies — Verify prior phases are complete:

   • Check that all tasks from previous phases have checked boxes
   • Flag any incomplete dependencies

3. Verification Config — Check .claude/verification-config.json:

   • If file is completely missing → run /configure-verification to auto-detect
   • If file exists but some command keys are omitted → treat as "not configured for that check" (don't block, don't ask to configure)
   • If upcoming phase has BROWSER:* criteria in EXECUTION_PLAN.md and config has no auth or deployment section → emit warning (non-blocking):

     WARNING: Phase $1 has browser criteria but no auth/deployment configured.
     Browser tests will run against localhost without authentication.
     Configure these in verification-config.json if needed.
     

4. Git Status — Check repository state:

   • Run git status to verify clean working tree (or understand current state)
   • Note the current branch

5. Tool Availability — Check optional tools by attempting a harmless call:

   Tool	Check	If Unavailable
   ExecuteAutomation Playwright	Check for mcp__playwright__* or mcp__executeautomation__*	Next in chain
   Browser MCP	Check for mcp__browsermcp__* tools	Next in chain
   Microsoft Playwright MCP	Check for mcp__playwright__* tools	Next in chain
   Chrome DevTools MCP	Call mcp__chrome-devtools__list_pages	Manual verification
   code-simplifier	Check agent type available	Skip code simplification
   Trigger.dev MCP	mcp__trigger__list_projects	Skip Trigger.dev features

   Browser tool fallback chain: ExecuteAutomation Playwright → Browser MCP → Microsoft Playwright → Chrome DevTools → Manual

   Only check tools relevant to this project's tech stack.

6. Criteria Audit — Run /criteria-audit when preparing Phase 1:

   • If $1 is 1, run /criteria-audit
   • If FAIL, block phase start until metadata is fixed
   • If $1 is not 1, skip unless EXECUTION_PLAN.md was edited since last phase

7. Permissions — Review the tasks in Phase $1:

   • Identify any tools or permissions needed for autonomous execution
   • Check if any tasks require browser verification

Detailed Setup Instructions (When Items Incomplete)

If any Pre-Phase Setup items are FAIL or BLOCKED, provide detailed step-by-step instructions for each:

For Each Incomplete Item

1. Identify the service/tool involved (e.g., Supabase, Stripe, Firebase)

2. Research if needed — Use WebFetch/WebSearch to get current setup steps

3. Generate a complete guide including:

   • Direct links to dashboards/consoles
   • Exact field values to enter
   • What to copy and where to paste
   • Verification steps to confirm completion

Example Transformation

Instead of:

Pre-Phase Setup:
- [ ] Create Supabase project — BLOCKED

Output:

PRE-PHASE SETUP GUIDE
=====================

## Create Supabase Project

1. Go to https://supabase.com/dashboard
2. Sign in or create account
3. Click "New Project" (green button, top right)
4. Fill in:
   - Organization: Select or create one
   - Name: `{project-name}` (or your preference)
   - Database Password: Click "Generate" and SAVE THIS
   - Region: Choose closest to your users
5. Click "Create new project"
6. Wait 2-3 minutes for provisioning

## Get Credentials

1. In Supabase dashboard, click "Project Settings" (gear icon)
2. Click "API" in the left menu
3. Copy these values:
   - Project URL: `https://xxxxx.supabase.co` → SUPABASE_URL
   - anon public key: `eyJ...` → SUPABASE_ANON_KEY

## Update .env File

Add to `.env`:

SUPABASE_URL=PASTE_PROJECT_URL SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=PASTE_ANON_PUBLIC_KEY

## Verify Setup

Run `/phase-prep $1` again to confirm all items complete.

Common Service Templates

See SERVICES.md for setup patterns for: Supabase, Firebase, Stripe, Auth0, Vercel/Netlify, and other common services.

---

Future Phase Preview

After showing current phase prerequisites, scan ALL remaining phases and show human-required items.

What to Extract

For each phase after $1, extract ONLY human-required setup items:

• Account creation (external services)
• API key acquisition
• Manual configuration tasks
• External service setup

Do NOT include:

• Automated checks
• Code-related tasks
• Verification steps

Output Format

## Future Phase Preview

Items below require human action. Complete now to avoid blockers later.

### Phase {N+1}: {Phase Title}
Human Setup Required:
- {Human item 1}
- {Human item 2}

### Phase {N+2}: {Phase Title}
Human Setup Required:
- {Human item 1}

### Phase {N+3}: {Phase Title}
(No human setup items)

---
TIP: Complete future setup now to avoid blockers later.
Run `/phase-prep {N}` for detailed instructions on any item.

If no future phases have human items, omit this section.

---

Report

PHASE $1 PREREQUISITES
======================

Documents:
- EXECUTION_PLAN.md: ✓ | ✗
- AGENTS.md (at PROJECT_ROOT): ✓ | ✗
- Prior phases: Complete | N/A

Verification Config:
- verification-config.json: ✓ | ✗
- Configured: {list only commands that ARE in config, e.g., "test, lint, build"}
- Not configured: {list omitted commands, or "none" if all present}

Git: {branch}, {clean | dirty}

Pre-Phase Setup:
- {items with PASS/FAIL/BLOCKED}

[If any FAIL/BLOCKED, show detailed setup guide above]

Environment:
- {env vars or "None required"}

Tools:
- ExecuteAutomation Playwright: ✓ | ✗ (primary)
- Browser MCP Extension: ✓ | ✗
- Microsoft Playwright MCP: ✓ | ✗
- Chrome DevTools MCP: ✓ | ✗
- code-simplifier: ✓ | ✗
- Trigger.dev MCP: ✓ | ✗ | N/A

Criteria Audit: PASS | WARN | FAIL

Status: READY | BLOCKED | READY WITH NOTES
{Details if not READY}

---

## Future Phase Preview

[Show human items for all remaining phases]

After reporting, append the pre-phase results to .claude/verification-log.jsonl with timestamps and any evidence paths (if collected).

Example log entry:

{
  "timestamp": "{ISO timestamp}",
  "scope": "phase-prep",
  "phase": "$1",
  "check": "pre-phase-setup",
  "status": "PASS",
  "evidence": null
}

Error Handling

Situation	Action
EXECUTION_PLAN.md not found in working directory	STOP and tell user to cd into their project or feature directory containing EXECUTION_PLAN.md
WebFetch/WebSearch fails when fetching service documentation	Retry with exponential backoff (2-3 attempts); if all retries fail, warn user and proceed with best available info
Pre-Phase Setup Verify: command returns unexpected output	Mark item as FAIL, show the raw command output, and include it in the detailed setup instructions
.claude/verification-config.json missing entirely	Run /configure-verification to auto-detect; do not block on omitted keys in an existing config
Git working tree is in a conflicted or detached-HEAD state	Report the git state clearly, suggest resolution steps, and mark Git check as BLOCKED

---

STOP — READ THIS BEFORE RETURNING: You are NOT done. You MUST complete Step 6 below (Auto-Advance). Do not return to a parent skill or report readiness without making the auto-advance decision first.

---

Auto-Advance (After Prep Passes) — STEP 6: MUST COMPLETE

Check if auto-advance is enabled and this prep passes all checks.

Configuration Check

Read .claude/settings.local.json for auto-advance configuration:

{
  "autoAdvance": {
    "enabled": true      // default: true
  }
}

If autoAdvance is not configured, use defaults (enabled: true).

Auto-Advance Conditions

Auto-advance to /phase-start $1 ONLY if ALL of these are true:

1. ✓ All Pre-Phase Setup items are PASS (none FAIL or BLOCKED)
2. ✓ Dependencies (prior phases) are complete
3. ✓ Verification config file exists (omitted keys are OK — treated as not applicable)
4. ✓ Criteria audit passed (for Phase 1)
5. ✓ --pause flag was NOT passed to this command
6. ✓ autoAdvance.enabled is true (or not configured, defaulting to true)

Rationale: Auto-advance only proceeds when all prerequisites are verified (PASS). Re-running /phase-prep after completing human setup confirms readiness and allows auto-advance.

If Auto-Advance Conditions Met

1. Write completion marker (so parent skills can detect success):

   // Write to .claude/phase-prep-result.json
   {
     "phase": $1,
     "status": "READY",
     "auto_advanced": true,
     "timestamp": "{ISO timestamp}"
   }
   

2. Show brief notification:

   AUTO-ADVANCE
   ============
   All Phase $1 prerequisites verified. Proceeding to execution...
   

3. Execute immediately:

   • Track this command in auto-advance session log
   • Read executionMode from .claude/settings.local.json. If "codex", pass --codex.
   • Invoke /phase-start $1 [--codex] using the Skill tool
   • Phase-start will continue, and its checkpoint will continue the chain

If Auto-Advance Conditions NOT Met

Write completion marker (so parent skills can detect the outcome):

// Write to .claude/phase-prep-result.json
{
  "phase": $1,
  "status": "BLOCKED",
  "auto_advanced": false,
  "reason": "{first failing condition}",
  "timestamp": "{ISO timestamp}"
}

Stop and report why:

AUTO-ADVANCE STOPPED
====================

Reason: {one of below}
- Pre-Phase Setup items failed or blocked
- Prior phases not complete
- Verification config not configured
- Criteria audit failed (Phase 1 only)
- Auto-advance disabled via --pause flag
- Auto-advance disabled in settings

{If human items exist:}
Human setup required:
- [ ] {human item 1} — See detailed instructions above
- [ ] {human item 2}

Next steps:
1. Complete the setup items above
2. Run /phase-start $1 manually when ready

Auto-Advance Session Tracking

If this is part of an auto-advance chain (.claude/auto-advance-session.json exists), append this command to the session log:

{
  "commands": [
    // ... previous commands
    {"command": "/phase-prep $1", "status": "PASS", "timestamp": "{ISO}"}
  ]
}

If auto-advance stops here, generate the session report (see phase-checkpoint for format) and clean up the session file.