Planning Skill

Research-first planning methodology that eliminates unknowns before implementation.

Core Principle: Context Density > Brevity | Research First > Implementation | Planning > Coding

Activation Triggers

This skill is mandatory when:

1. User executes /plan command
2. Building plans, roadmaps, or architecture for new features/systems
3. High uncertainty or risk of hallucination without research
4. Multi-step execution requiring task decomposition
5. Third-party integrations (APIs, frameworks, infrastructure)

Skip for: Simple Q&A, pure copywriting, tasks solvable from provided context.

R.P.I.V Workflow

Phase 0: RESEARCH (Always First)

Eliminate unknowns and lock in best-practice approach.

Priority order:

1. Search codebase for patterns, conventions
2. Query Context7 for official docs
3. Tavily web search for best practices
4. Sequential Thinking for complex decisions

Required outputs:

• Findings Table: | # | Finding | Confidence (1-5) | Source | Impact |
• Knowledge Gaps: What remains unknown
• Assumptions to Validate: Explicit assumptions needing confirmation
• Edge Cases: Minimum 5 for L4+ complexity

See references/mcp-usage.md for detailed MCP tool guidance.

Phase 1: PLAN (Before Implementation)

Convert research into execution runbook with atomic tasks.

Each task must have:

• Clear action verb + specific target
• Validation command
• Rollback steps
• Dependencies mapped
• Mark ⚡ PARALLEL-SAFE when independent

Output: docs/PLAN-{task-slug}.md

See references/plan-template.md for complete template structure.

Phase 2: IMPLEMENT (Only If Requested)

Execute per atomic tasks with validation gates.

Pattern: Implement → Validate → Commit (or Rollback)

Quality gates after each task:

• bun run check (TypeScript)
• bun run format (Prettier)
• bun test (Unit tests)

Phase 3: VALIDATE (Always)

• Build: zero errors
• Lint: zero warnings
• Tests: all passing
• Consult specialists if security or schema changes involved

Operating Modes

Complexity Levels

See references/complexity-guide.md for detailed classification.

Anti-Patterns

Quick Reference

R.P.I.V: RESEARCH → PLAN → IMPLEMENT → VALIDATE

GOLDEN RULES:
✓ RESEARCH FIRST — never implement blind
✓ Be EXPLICIT — agent follows literally
✓ Explain WHY — enables generalization
✓ ATOMIC TASKS — small, validated, rollback-ready
✓ REFLECT AFTER TOOLS — think before next action

Post-Planning Message

After creating the plan file:

✅ Plan created: docs/PLAN-{slug}.md

Next steps:
- Review the plan
- Run `/implement` to start implementation
- Or modify plan manually

Resources

• references/plan-template.md — Complete PRP template structure
• references/complexity-guide.md — Task complexity classification
• references/mcp-usage.md — When and how to use MCP tools