| name | planning |
| description | Creates and maintains execution plans in .agents/plans/. Use when the user asks for a plan, roadmap, phased breakdown, implementation checklist, or progress tracker. Plans must include a completion status, a top-of-file checklist covering every step, and detailed phases with actionable steps. |
Planning
Use this skill when the user asks you to make a plan, break work into phases, or track progress against a plan.
Plan Location
- Save all plans in
.agents/plans/
- Use a numeric prefix and a short descriptive kebab-case name:
- Format:
NNN-plan-name.md (e.g., 000-initial-setup.md, 001-refactor-auth.md)
- Increment the number based on the highest existing plan in the folder.
Required Plan Rules
Every plan you create or update must follow these rules:
- The plan lives in
.agents/plans/
- The plan includes a
Status: field near the top with one of these exact values:
- The top of the plan contains a
## Master Checklist section
- The master checklist must include every step in the plan, not just the phases
- The body of the plan must be broken into phases
- Each phase must contain clear step-by-step tasks
- When a step is completed, update both:
- the matching item in the master checklist
- the matching item in the phase section
- Only mark the plan as
completed when every checklist item and every phase step is done
Workflow
When asked to make a plan:
- Clarify the goal and constraints if needed
- Choose a descriptive filename in
.agents/plans/
- Write the master checklist first so progress is visible immediately
- Break the work into ordered phases
- Add actionable steps inside each phase
- Keep the top checklist and the phase details in sync as the work changes
- Update the overall
Status: field when the plan is fully done
Plan Structure
Use this structure for every plan:
# Plan: <title>
Status: not completed
## Master Checklist
- [ ] Phase 1 / Step 1: <step>
- [ ] Phase 1 / Step 2: <step>
- [ ] Phase 2 / Step 1: <step>
## Goal
<short summary of what the plan is for>
## Phase 1: <phase name>
Status: not completed
- [ ] Step 1: <action>
- [ ] Step 2: <action>
## Phase 2: <phase name>
Status: not completed
- [ ] Step 1: <action>
- [ ] Step 2: <action>
Rules for Good Plans
- Keep steps concrete and executable
- Prefer small steps over vague tasks
- Put phases in execution order
- Make the master checklist a flattened view of all steps
- If steps change later, immediately update the master checklist to match
- If all steps are checked off, change every unfinished phase status and the main status to
completed
Template
See the shared template at ../../plans/plan-template.md.