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plan-parallel
// [Planning] Use when you need to create detailed plan with parallel-executable phases.
// [Planning] Use when you need to create detailed plan with parallel-executable phases.
[HINT] Download the complete skill directory including SKILL.md and all related files
| name | plan-parallel |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| description | [Planning] Use when you need to create detailed plan with parallel-executable phases. |
| disable-model-invocation | false |
Goal: Create a detailed implementation plan with phases optimized for parallel execution by multiple agents.
Workflow:
Key Rules:
Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).
Activate planning skill.
DO NOT use the
EnterPlanModetool โ you are ALREADY in a planning workflow. DO NOT implement or execute any code changes. COLLABORATE with the user: ask decision questions, present options with recommendations. After plan creation, ALWAYS run/plan-reviewto validate the plan. ASK user to confirm the plan before any next step.
## Naming section in injected context.
Make sure you pass the directory path to every subagent during the process.planning skill.researcher agents (max 2 agents) in parallel to research for this task:
Each agent research for a different aspect of the task and are allowed to perform max 5 tool calls.backend-patterns-reference.md, frontend-patterns-reference.md, and project-structure-reference.md file.
ONLY PERFORM THIS FOLLOWING STEP IF reference docs are placeholders or older than 3 days: Use /scout <instructions> slash command to search the codebase for files needed to complete the task.planner subagent with the prompt to create a parallel-optimized implementation plan.planner subagent, and ask user to review the planAfter plan creation, offer validation interview to confirm decisions before implementation.
Check ## Plan Context -> Validation: mode=X, questions=MIN-MAX:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
prompt | Ask user: "Validate this plan with a brief interview?" -> Yes (Recommended) / No |
auto | Automatically execute /plan-validate {plan-path} |
off | Skip validation step entirely |
If mode is prompt: Use AskUserQuestion tool with options above.
If user chooses validation or mode is auto: Execute /plan-validate {plan-path} SlashCommand.
CRITICAL: The planner subagent must create phases that:
Parallelization Strategy:
Phase Organization Example:
Phase 01: Database Schema (can run independently)
Phase 02: Backend API Layer (can run independently)
Phase 03: Frontend Components (can run independently)
Phase 04: Integration Tests (depends on 01, 02, 03)
Plan Directory Structure (use Plan dir: from ## Naming section)
{plan-dir}/
โโโ research/
โ โโโ researcher-XX-report.md
โ โโโ ...
โโโ reports/
โ โโโ XX-report.md
โ โโโ ...
โโโ scout/
โ โโโ scout-XX-report.md
โ โโโ ...
โโโ plan.md
โโโ phase-XX-phase-name-here.md
โโโ ...
Research Output Requirements
Plan File Specification
Every plan.md MUST ATTENTION start with YAML frontmatter:
---
title: '{Brief title}'
description: '{One sentence for card preview}'
status: pending
priority: P2
story_points: { 1-21 modified fibonacci }
complexity: '{ Low | Medium | High | Critical }'
man_days_traditional: '{ e.g., 4d (2.5d code + 1.5d test) }'
man_days_ai: '{ e.g., 2d (1.3d code + 0.7d test) }'
effort: { sum of phases, e.g., 4h }
branch: { current git branch }
tags: [relevant, tags]
created: { YYYY-MM-DD }
---
Save the overview access point at {plan-dir}/plan.md. Keep it generic, under 80 lines, and list each implementation phase with status, progress, parallelization group, and links to phase files.
For each phase, create {plan-dir}/phase-XX-phase-name-here.md containing the following sections in order:
Main plan.md must include:
TaskCreate## Test Specifications with TC-{FEAT}-{NNN} IDs to every phase file. Use /tdd-spec if feature docs exist. Use Evidence: TBD for TDD-first mode./plan-validate skill to interview the user with critical questions and validate plan assumptions/plan-review skill to auto-review plan for validity, correctness, and best practicesbottom_up_hours = ฮฃ phase_hours from finalized phase files; (b) recompute likely_days, risk_margin_pct, min-max range per SYNC:estimation-framework; (c) compare to current frontmatter man_days_traditional / story_points. If |delta| > 20% โ UPDATE frontmatter, add reestimate_delta_pct: <signed> + 1-line reestimate_reason. If |delta| > 50% โ flag SHOULD-RESCOPE and surface to user via AskUserQuestion before implementation.IMPORTANT: Analyze the skills catalog and activate the skills that are needed for the task during the process. IMPORTANT: Ensure token efficiency while maintaining high quality. IMPORTANT: Sacrifice grammar for the sake of concision when writing reports. IMPORTANT: In reports, list any unresolved questions at the end, if any. IMPORTANT: Each phase MUST ATTENTION have exclusive file ownership - no file can be modified by multiple phases.
DO NOT use
EnterPlanModetool. DO NOT start implementing. ALWAYS validate with/plan-reviewafter plan creation. ASK user to confirm the plan before any implementation begins. ASK user decision questions with your recommendations when multiple approaches exist.
AskUserQuestion. Skip if inside workflow.)MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION โ NO EXCEPTIONS: If this skill was called outside a workflow, you MUST ATTENTION use
AskUserQuestionto present these options. Do NOT skip because the task seems "simple" or "obvious" โ the user decides:
If already inside a workflow, skip โ the workflow handles sequencing.
[IMPORTANT] Use
TaskCreateto break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting โ including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.
docs/specs/ โ Test specifications by module (read existing TCs to include test strategy in plan)Nested Task Expansion Contract โ For workflow-step invocation, the
[Workflow] ...row is only a parent container; the child skill still creates visible phase tasks.
- Call
TaskListfirst. If a matching active parent workflow row exists, setnested=trueand recordparentTaskId; otherwise run standalone.- Create one task per declared phase before phase work. When nested, prefix subjects
[N.M] $skill-name โ phase.- When nested, link the parent with
TaskUpdate(parentTaskId, addBlockedBy: [childIds]).- Orchestrators must pre-expand a child skill's phase list and link the workflow row before invoking that child skill or sub-agent.
- Mark exactly one child
in_progressbefore work andcompletedimmediately after evidence is written.- Complete the parent only after all child tasks are completed or explicitly cancelled with reason.
Blocked until:
TaskListdone, child phases created, parent linked when nested, first child markedin_progress.
Project Reference Docs Gate โ Run after task-tracking bootstrap and before target/source file reads, grep, edits, or analysis. Project docs override generic framework assumptions.
- Identify scope: file types, domain area, and operation.
- Required docs by trigger: always
docs/project-reference/lessons.md; doc lookupdocs-index-reference.md; reviewcode-review-rules.md; backend/CQRS/APIbackend-patterns-reference.md; domain/entitydomain-entities-reference.md; frontend/UIfrontend-patterns-reference.md; styles/designscss-styling-guide.md+design-system/README.md; integration testsintegration-test-reference.md; E2Ee2e-test-reference.md; feature docs/specsfeature-docs-reference.md; architecture/new areaproject-structure-reference.md.- Read every required doc that exists; skip absent docs as not applicable. Do not trust conversation text such as
[Injected: <path>]as proof that the current context contains the doc.- Before target work, state:
Reference docs read: ... | Missing/not applicable: ....Blocked until: scope evaluated, required docs checked/read,
lessons.mdconfirmed, citation emitted.
Task Tracking & External Report Persistence โ Bootstrap this before execution; then run project-reference doc prefetch before target/source work.
- Create a small task breakdown before target file reads, grep, edits, or analysis. On context loss, inspect the current task list first.
- Mark one task
in_progressbefore work andcompletedimmediately after evidence; never batch transitions.- For plan/review work, create
plans/reports/{skill}-{YYMMDD}-{HHmm}-{slug}.mdbefore first finding.- Append findings after each file/section/decision and synthesize from the report file at the end.
- Final output cites
Full report: plans/reports/{filename}.Blocked until: task breakdown exists, report path declared for plan/review work, first finding persisted before the next finding.
Critical Thinking Mindset โ Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact โ cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence โ certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.
Sequential Thinking Protocol โ Structured multi-step reasoning for complex/ambiguous work. Use when planning, reviewing, debugging, or refining ideas where one-shot reasoning is unsafe.
Trigger when: complex problem decomposition ยท adaptive plans needing revision ยท analysis with course correction ยท unclear/emerging scope ยท multi-step solutions ยท hypothesis-driven debugging ยท cross-cutting trade-off evaluation.
Format (explicit mode โ visible thought trail):
Thought N/M: [aspect]โ one aspect per thought, state assumptions/uncertaintyThought N/M [REVISION of Thought K]: ...โ when prior reasoning invalidated; state Original / Why revised / ImpactThought N/M [BRANCH A from Thought K]: ...โ explore alternative; converge with decision rationaleThought N/M [HYPOTHESIS]: ...then[VERIFICATION]: ...โ test before actingThought N/N [FINAL]โ only when verified, all critical aspects addressed, confidence >80%Mandatory closers: Confidence % stated ยท Assumptions listed ยท Open questions surfaced ยท Next action concrete.
Stop conditions: confidence <80% on any critical decision โ escalate via AskUserQuestion ยท โฅ3 revisions on same thought โ re-frame the problem ยท branch count >3 โ split into sub-task.
Implicit mode: apply methodology internally without visible markers when adding markers would clutter the response (routine work where reasoning aids accuracy).
Deep-dive: see
/sequential-thinkingskill (.claude/skills/sequential-thinking/SKILL.md) for worked examples (api-design, debug, architecture), advanced techniques (spiral refinement, hypothesis testing, convergence), and meta-strategies (uncertainty handling, revision cascades).
Understand Code First โ HARD-GATE: Do NOT write, plan, or fix until you READ existing code.
- Search 3+ similar patterns (
grep/glob) โ citefile:lineevidence- Read existing files in target area โ understand structure, base classes, conventions
- Run
python .claude/scripts/code_graph trace <file> --direction both --jsonwhen.code-graph/graph.dbexists- Map dependencies via
connectionsorcallers_ofโ know what depends on your target- Write investigation to
.ai/workspace/analysis/for non-trivial tasks (3+ files)- Re-read analysis file before implementing โ never work from memory alone
- NEVER invent new patterns when existing ones work โ match exactly or document deviation
BLOCKED until:
- [ ]Read target files- [ ]Grep 3+ patterns- [ ]Graph trace (if graph.db exists)- [ ]Assumptions verified with evidence
Estimation Framework โ Bottom-up first; SP DERIVED; output min-max range when likely โฅ3d. Stack-agnostic. Baseline: 3-5yr dev, 6 productive hrs/day. AI estimate assumes Claude Code + project context.
Method:
- Blast Radius pass (below) โ drives code AND test cost
- Decompose phases โ hours/phase โ
bottom_up_hours = ฮฃ phase_hourslikely_days = ceil(bottom_up_hours / 6) ร productivity_factor- Sum Risk Margin (base + add-ons) โ
max_days = likely_days ร (1 + margin)min_days = likely_days ร 0.9- Output as range when
likely_days โฅ3; single point allowed<3(still record margin)man_days_ai= same range ร AI speedupstory_pointsDERIVED fromlikely_daysvia SP-Days โ NEVER driver. Disagreement >50% โ trust bottom-upProductivity factor: 0.8 strong scaffolding+codegen+AI hooks ยท 1.0 mature default ยท 1.2 weak patterns ยท 1.5 greenfield
Cost Driver Heuristic (apply BEFORE work-type row):
- UI dominates in CRUD/business apps โ 1.5-3x backend (states, validation, responsive, a11y, polish)
- Backend dominates ONLY: multi-aggregate invariants, cross-service contracts, schema migrations, heavy query/perf, new event flows
Reuse-vs-Create axis (PRIMARY lever, per layer):
UI tier Cost Reuse component on existing screen 0.1-0.3d Add control/column to existing screen 0.3-0.8d Compose components into NEW screen 1-2d NEW screen, custom layout/states/validation 2-4d NEW shared/common component (themed, tested) 3-6d+
Backend tier Cost Reuse query/handler from new place 0.1-0.3d Small update existing handler/entity 0.3-0.8d NEW query on existing repo/model 0.5-1d NEW command/handler on existing aggregate (additive) 1-2d NEW aggregate/entity (repo, validation, events) 2-4d NEW cross-service contract OR schema migration 2-4d each Multi-aggregate invariant / heavy domain rule 3-5d Rule: Sum tiers across UI+backend+tests, apply productivity factor. Reuse short-circuits tiers โ call out.
Test-Scope drivers (compute test_count EXPLICITLY โ "+tests" hand-wave is #1 failure):
Driver Count Happy-path journeys 1 per story / AC main flow State-machine transitions reachable transitions ร allowed actors Multi-entity state combos state(A) ร state(B) โ REACHABLE only, not Cartesian Authorization matrix (owner, non-owner, elevated, unauth) ร each mutation Validation rules 1 per required field / boundary / format / cross-field UI states (per new screen/dialog) happy, loading, empty, error, partial โ present only Negative paths / invariants 1 per violatable business rule
Test tier (Trad, incl. setup+assert+flake) Cost 1-5 cases, fixtures reused 0.3-0.5d 6-12 cases, 1 new fixture 0.5-1d 13-25 cases, multi-entity setup 1-2d 26-50 cases OR new state-machine coverage 2-3d >50 cases OR full E2E journey 3-5d Test multipliers: new fixture/seed harness +0.5d ยท cross-service/bus assertion +0.3d each ยท UI E2E ร1.5 ยท each new role +1-2 cases
Blast Radius (mandatory pre-pass โ affects code AND test):
- Files/components directly modified โ count
- Of those, "complex" (>500 LOC, multi-handler, central, frequently-modified) โ count
- Downstream consumers (callers, event subscribers, cross-service) โ list
- Shared/common code touched (multi-app blast) โ yes/no
- Regression scope โ areas needing re-test
Rule: Complex touch โ add
risk_factors. Each downstream consumer โ +1-3 regression cases. Blast >5 areas OR >2 complex โ re-evaluate SPLIT before estimating.Risk Margin (drives max bound):
likely_days Base margin <1d trivial +10% 1-2d small additive +20% 3-4d real feature +35% 5-7d large +50% 8-10d very large +75% >10d +100% AND flag SHOULD SPLIT Risk-factor add-ons (additive โ enumerate in
risk_factors):
Factor +margin touches-complex-existing-feature(>500 LOC, multi-handler, central)+20% cross-service-contractchange+25% schema-migration-on-populated-data+25% new-tech-or-unfamiliar-pattern+30% regression-fan-out(โฅ3 downstream areas re-test)+20% performance-or-latency-critical+20% concurrency-race-event-ordering+25% shared-common-code(multi-consumer/multi-app)+25% unclear-requirements-or-design+30% Collapse rule: total margin >100% โ STOP, split (padding past 2x is dishonesty). Margin <15% on
likely_days โฅ5โ under-estimated, widen.Work-Type Caps (hard ceilings on
likely_days):
Work type Max SP Max likely Single field / config flag / style fix 1 0.5d Add property to existing model + bind to existing UI 2 1d Additive endpoint + minor UI control (button/menu/column), reuses fixtures 3 2-3d Additive endpoint + NEW UI surface OR additive multi-layer + new domain rule + 2+ test files 5 3-5d NEW model/aggregate OR migration OR cross-module contract OR heavy test (>1.5d) OR NEW UI + non-trivial backend 8 5-7d NEW UI surface + (NEW aggregate OR migration OR cross-service contract) 13 SHOULD split Cross-service contract + migration combined 13 SHOULD split Beyond 21 MUST split SPโDays (validation only): 1=0.5d/0.25d ยท 2=1d/0.35d ยท 3=2d/0.65d ยท 5=4d/1.0d ยท 8=6d/1.5d ยท 13=10d/2.0d (Trad/AI likely) AI speedup: SP 1โ2x ยท 2-3โ3x ยท 5-8โ4x ยท 13+โ5x. AI cost =
(code_gen ร 1.3) + (test_gen ร 1.3)(30% review overhead).MANDATORY frontmatter:
story_points: <n> complexity: low | medium | high | critical man_days_traditional: '<min>-<max>d' # range when likely โฅ3d; '<N>d' when <3d man_days_ai: '<min>-<max>d' risk_margin_pct: <n> # base + add-ons risk_factors: [touches-complex-existing-feature, regression-fan-out] # closed-list from add-ons; [] if none blast_radius: touched_areas: <n> complex_touched: <n> downstream_consumers: [list or count] shared_common_code: yes | no estimate_scope_included: [code, integration-tests, frontend, i18n, docs] estimate_scope_excluded: [unit-tests, e2e, perf, deployment, code-review-rounds] estimate_reasoning: | 5-7 lines covering: (a) UI tier โ row applied (b) Backend tier โ row applied (c) Test scope โ case breakdown by driver, file count, fixtures, tier row (d) Cost driver โ dominant tier + why (e) Blast radius โ touched, complex, regression scope (f) Risk factors โ list driving margin; why not larger/smaller Example: "UI: compose Form/Table/Dialog โ NEW screen (~1.5d). Backend: NEW command on existing aggregate, reuses validation+repo (~1d). Tests: 4 transitions ร 2 actors + 3 validation + 2 UI states = 13 cases, 1 new fixture โ tier 13-25 ~1.5d. Driver: UI composition + new states. Blast: 4 areas, 1 complex. Risk: base 35% + touches-complex +20% = 55% โ max 3.9d โ range 2.5-4d."Sanity self-check:
likely_days โฅ3dand single-point? โ reject, must be range- Margin <15% on
likely_days โฅ5d? โ under-estimated, widen- Margin >100%? โ STOP, split instead of buffer
- Complex existing feature touched, no regression budget in
(c)? โ reject- Blast
>5areas OR>2complex, no split discussion? โ reject- Purely additive on existing model AND existing UI? โ cap SP 3 unless tests >1.5d
- NEW UI surface (page/complex form/dashboard)? โ SP 5+ even if backend one endpoint
- Backend cross-service / migration / multi-aggregate? โ SP 8+ regardless of UI
bottom_up_hours / 6vs SP-Days disagreement >50%? โ trust bottom-up, downgrade SP- Without tests, SP drops โฅ1 bucket? โ tests dominate; state explicitly
- Reasoning called out UI vs backend vs blast vs risk factors? โ if missing, add
Plan Quality โ Every plan phase MUST ATTENTION include test specifications.
- Add
## Test Specificationssection with TC-{FEAT}-{NNN} IDs to every phase file- Map every functional requirement to โฅ1 TC (or explicit
TBDwith rationale)- TC IDs follow
TC-{FEATURE}-{NNN}format โ reference by ID, never embed full content- Before any new workflow step: call
TaskListand re-read the phase file- On context compaction: call
TaskListFIRST โ never create duplicate tasks- Verify TC satisfaction per phase before marking complete (evidence must be
file:line, not TBD)Mode: TDD-first โ reference existing TCs with
Evidence: TBD. Implement-first โ use TBD โ/tdd-specfills after.
Iterative Phase Quality โ Score complexity BEFORE planning.
Complexity signals: >5 files +2, cross-service +3, new pattern +2, DB migration +2 Score >=6 โ MUST ATTENTION decompose into phases. Each phase:
- โค5 files modified
- โค3h effort
- Follows cycle: plan โ implement โ review โ fix โ verify
- Do NOT start Phase N+1 until Phase N passes VERIFY
Phase success = all TCs pass + code-reviewer agent approves + no CRITICAL findings.
AI Mistake Prevention โ Failure modes to avoid on every task:
Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips โ not just happy path. When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer โ never patch symptom site. Assume existing values are intentional โ ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. Holistic-first debugging โ resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. Surgical changes โ apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. Surface ambiguity before coding โ don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.
man_days_traditional (ฮฃh/6 ร productivity_factor); SP DERIVED. UI cost usually dominates โ bump SP one bucket if NEW UI surface (page/complex form/dashboard). Frontmatter MUST include story_points, complexity, man_days_traditional, man_days_ai, estimate_scope_included, estimate_scope_excluded, estimate_reasoning (UI vs backend cost driver). Cap SP 3 for additive-on-existing-model+existing-UI unless test scope >1.5d. SP 13 SHOULD split, SP 21 MUST split.
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION include ## Test Specifications with TC IDs per phase. Call TaskList before creating new tasks.
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search 3+ existing patterns and read code BEFORE any modification. Run graph trace when graph.db exists.
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION score complexity first. Score >=6 โ decompose. Each phase: plan โ implement โ review โ fix โ verify. No skipping.
MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking โ every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.
MUST ATTENTION apply sequential-thinking โ multi-step Thought N/M, REVISION/BRANCH/HYPOTHESIS markers, confidence % closer; see /sequential-thinking skill.
MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention โ holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.
plans/reports/ incrementally and synthesize from disk.Reference docs read: ....lessons.md; project conventions override generic defaults.[N.M] $skill-name โ phase prefixes and one-in_progress discipline.IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION include Test Specifications section and story_points in plan frontmatter
[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.