name: plan-round description: Use when starting a new round (substrate-touching / fix-round / admin) to generate a complete handoff doc from scope + prior-round context. Dispatches the planner sub-agent and validates output before writing.
plan-round
Generates a round handoff at docs/superpowers/plans/{YYYY-MM-DD}-{round_name}-handoff.md by
dispatching the planner sub-agent with a self-contained brief, then validating its output
against the corresponding handoff template (18 / 12 / 10 section).
When to invoke
- User says "let's plan R{N}" or "create handoff for R{N}"
- User runs
/plan-roundslash-command - A new round-name appears in conversation without a corresponding handoff doc
Prerequisites
Requires the arcgentic CLI installed (the Python toolkit):
- Stable:
pipx install arcgentic(post-v0.2.0 PyPI release) - Dev (in this repo):
cd toolkit && pip install -e ".[dev]"
The CLI runs in a subprocess; this markdown skill is the thin shim that invokes it.
For V1 rounds with external workflow inputs, first validate source/spec context:
arcgentic source-intake validate docs/source-intake/*.yaml
arcgentic capability-registry build <marketplace-catalog.json>
arcgentic spec-governance status <change-dir>
For projects with project.session_mode already set, include the inherited mode
and dispatch order in the handoff instead of asking again:
arcgentic orchestrator-dispatch \
--round <round_name> \
--handoff <handoff-path> \
--mode <single-session|multi-session>
Inputs
Parse from $ARGUMENTS (passed by Claude Code):
round_name— e.g. "R10-L3-aletheia" or "R1.6.1"round_type— one of: substrate-touching | fix-round | entry-admin | close-admin | meta-admin-sweepprior_round_anchor— full 40-char SHA of prior round's last commitscope_description— optional 1-3 sentence scope (can be filled later in handoff)
If any required input is missing, ASK the user before proceeding.
Workflow
When invoked with all inputs:
Validate
round_namematches the patternR<phase>[.<round>[.<fix>]]orR<phase>-<name>.Validate
prior_round_anchoris a full 40-character hex SHA (NOT short).Shell out to the CLI:
arcgentic plan-round-impl \ --round=<round_name> \ --type=<round_type> \ --anchor=<prior_round_anchor> \ --scope=<scope_description>Read the CLI's stdout — it contains either:
plan-round succeeded: wrote <path>+ section_count + loc + (optional) warningsFAILED: <error>(exit code 1 or 2)
Report to the user: handoff path, section count, dispatch order, and any warnings.
If validation failed (exit code 1 or 2): explain the failure + suggest a fix (re-run with correct anchor, etc.).
Failure modes
- Missing args: ask the user.
- CLI not installed: instruct user to
pipx install arcgenticorpip install -e toolkit/. - CLI returns FAILED with TBD/TODO/XXX warning: this is the planner self-check working —
the planner's output had unfilled placeholders. Re-run with more specific
--scope=...OR open the handoff file at the reported path and fill the placeholders manually. - Section count mismatch: the planner produced wrong number of sections. Possible causes: template files (templates/handoff_*) updated but skill cache stale — surface as a bug.
See also
agents/planner.md— the sub-agent dispatched by this skill (defines the planner's role + output contract)templates/handoff_18_section.md/handoff_12_section.md/handoff_10_section.md— section templatestoolkit/src/arcgentic/skills_impl/plan_round.py— Python algorithm (full validation logic + adapter dispatch)skills/source-intake/SKILL.md— V1 external source record workflowskills/spec-governance/SKILL.md— V1 spec artifact workflow- spec § 4.1 — full algorithm specification
- spec § 5.1 — planner agent contract
- spec § 7 — handoff doc templates (authoritative)