ralplan

name	ralplan
description	Planning workflow with critic gate before execution

[RALPLAN]

Ralplan is a planning workflow that produces implementation-ready artifacts and requires critic approval before execution begins.

<Use_When>

• User says ralplan or asks for a consensus plan
• Task is broad, risky, or ambiguous enough to require planning before execution
• Ralph execution should be gated on approved planning artifacts </Use_When>

<Do_Not_Use_When>

• User wants direct implementation without a planning pass
• Task is simple enough that a full planning workflow is unnecessary </Do_Not_Use_When>

<Why_This_Exists> Executors move faster and more safely when planning artifacts are concrete, testable, and grounded in the repository. Ralplan exists to prevent vague plans from leaking into execution. </Why_This_Exists>

<Execution_Policy>

• Plan before implementation
• Keep the plan concrete, testable, and repo-grounded
• Prefer concise output, but do not omit acceptance criteria or verification steps
• Do not approve shallow or vague plans </Execution_Policy>

1. Read the task and inspect the relevant repository context. 2. Produce a PRD artifact under `.omx/plans/`. 3. Produce a test spec artifact under `.omx/plans/`. 4. Run an independent plan review using `critic`. 5. If rejected, revise the plan and review again. 6. If approved, hand off to Ralph for implementation. Planning is complete only after both files exist under `.omx/plans/`: - `prd-*.md` - `test-spec-*.md`

Requirements:

• PRD must describe the goal, scope, constraints, and implementation direction
• Test spec must describe how completion will be verified
• Both artifacts must be specific enough that an executor can proceed without guessing

<Critic_Gate> Use critic to review the plan before implementation starts.

The critic should reject plans that are:

• vague
• internally inconsistent
• missing concrete file/module touchpoints
• missing acceptance criteria
• missing verification steps

Possible outcomes:

• OKAY: plan is actionable
• REJECT: plan needs revision

On rejection:

• revise the PRD and/or test spec
• run critic again
• do not hand off to Ralph until the plan is approved </Critic_Gate>

<Ralph_Gate> When Ralph is entered from Ralplan, treat the approved files under .omx/plans/ as the authoritative execution inputs. Do not bypass the planning gate. </Ralph_Gate>

State And Files

Relevant OMX paths:

• .omx/plans/ — canonical planning artifacts
• .omx/state/ — workflow state when used
• .omx/context/ — planning context snapshots when used
• .omx/logs/ — workflow logs

Do not casually delete planning artifacts. These files are the execution gate for Ralph.

<Completion_Standard> Ralplan completes only when all are true:

• PRD exists
• test spec exists
• critic approved the plan
• the plan is concrete enough for executor/verifier-driven Ralph execution </Completion_Standard>