pick-next-shell

name	pick-next-shell
description	Pick the next shell whose dependencies are satisfied and carry it through planning: expand, refine, self-improve, halt. Use when the user asks to "pick next shell", "next shell", "continue project", "what's next", "next implementation step", or "continue with the plan".

Pick Next Shell

Pick the next shell from .turbo/shells/ whose dependencies are satisfied, then carry it through the planning pipeline: expand → refine → self-improve → halt.

Task Tracking

At the start, use TaskCreate to create a task for each step:

1. Scan shells and pick next
2. Run /expand-shell skill
3. Run /refine-plan skill
4. Run /self-improve skill
5. Mark plan ready
6. Summarize and halt

Step 1: Scan Shells and Pick Next

Check terminal conditions first:

• No shells and no plans — nothing to pick; stop
• No shells, but plans exist with status: done for all — the project is complete; stop
• No shells, but plans exist with a non-done status — there are unfinished plans; stop

If shells exist in .turbo/shells/, glob .turbo/shells/*.md and read each file's YAML frontmatter. A shell's depends_on entry is satisfied when .turbo/plans/<dep-slug>.md exists with status: done in its frontmatter.

• Candidates — shells whose depends_on are all satisfied
• Blocked — shells with one or more unsatisfied depends_on

If there are no candidates (everything is blocked), report which shells are blocked and which dependencies they're waiting on, then stop.

If multiple candidates exist, pick the one with the lowest shell number (from the NN- prefix /draft-shells gives each file). If ambiguous, use AskUserQuestion to let the user choose.

State the picked shell path and its dependencies before continuing.

Step 2: Run /expand-shell Skill

Run the /expand-shell skill, passing the shell file path. Capture the resulting plan path for Step 3.

Step 3: Run /refine-plan Skill

Run the /refine-plan skill with the plan path from Step 2.

Step 4: Run /self-improve Skill

Run the /self-improve skill to compound planning learnings.

Step 5: Mark Plan Ready

Update the plan's YAML frontmatter to status: ready.

Step 6: Summarize and Halt

Present a brief summary of the finished plan: the essence of what it builds and the key decisions behind it, short enough to read at a glance so the user does not have to open the full plan file. When the plan delivers value to a user, developer, or operator, also present a short list of stories capturing what that person gains, in the form "As a , I want so that ". Skip the stories only when no beneficiary or outcome can be named, such as a purely mechanical refactor. Fit both to the plan rather than a fixed template.

Then halt with this message:

Plan ready at <plan path>.

Planning context is likely full, and the plan is comprehensive enough to continue fresh. Run /clear, then /implement-plan <slug> to implement. After that, run /pick-next-shell again for the next shell.

Rules

• Do not edit plan files directly. Revisions go through /refine-plan.
• Never modify the spec file.
• Do not attempt to auto-implement. The user drives implementation with /implement-plan in a fresh session.
• If a shell file is missing or has invalid frontmatter, halt and report.