name: planning
description: Load for new features, design tasks, and architecture decisions. Provides structured workflow for UNDERSTAND → RESEARCH → DESIGN → HANDOFF phases.
Planning
Merged Skills
- requirements: Clarifying scope, boundaries, acceptance criteria
- architecture: High-level design decisions, component structure
⚠️ Critical Gotchas
| Category |
Pattern |
Solution |
| Premature code |
Implementing without design |
Create blueprint FIRST in .project/ |
| External first |
Searching web before local |
Check docs/ + codebase BEFORE external |
| Scope creep |
Expanding beyond boundaries |
Define scope in blueprint, stick to it |
| Complexity |
Underestimating 6+ file changes |
Complex tasks MUST use planning phase |
| Handoff |
No clear transition to BUILD |
End planning with task list + skill annotations |
Rules
| Rule |
Pattern |
| Blueprint first |
Create .project/{feature}.md before any code |
| Local research |
grep docs/ + codebase before external search |
| Scope boundaries |
Define what's IN and OUT in blueprint |
| Task decomposition |
Break into <3 file tasks where possible |
| Skill annotation |
Tag tasks with [skill-name] for BUILD phase |
Avoid
| ❌ Bad |
✅ Good |
| Start coding immediately |
Create blueprint first |
| Research externally first |
Check local docs/ first |
| Undefined scope |
Explicit IN/OUT boundaries |
| Monolithic tasks |
Decomposed to <3 files each |
| Untracked design changes |
Update blueprint as design evolves |
Patterns
# Blueprint: {Feature Name}
## Scope
- **Goal:** One sentence describing outcome
- **IN:** What this feature includes
- **OUT:** What this feature excludes
- **Files:** Estimated file count and locations
## Design
- **Approach:** High-level solution strategy
- **Components:** Key parts and their responsibilities
- **Dependencies:** External services, libraries, other features
## Tasks
1. [ ] Task description [backend-api]
2. [ ] Task description [frontend-react]
3. [ ] Task description [testing]
## Research Notes
- {Finding 1}
- {Finding 2}
Workflow
| Phase |
Action |
Output |
| UNDERSTAND |
Clarify requirements, ask questions |
Clear scope statement |
| RESEARCH |
Local first, then external |
Research notes in blueprint |
| DESIGN |
Create blueprint with approach |
.project/{feature}.md |
| HANDOFF |
Transition to BUILD phase |
Task list with skills |
Commands
| Task |
Command |
| Create blueprint |
touch .project/{feature}.md |
| Find existing patterns |
grep -r "pattern" docs/ backend/ frontend/ |
| Check similar features |
ls .project/ |
By