make-plan

name: make-plan description: Create an implementation plan with documentation discovery. Use for complex features or multi-phase tasks that need structured planning before execution.

Make Plan Skill

Create LLM-friendly implementation plans that can be executed in phases, using subagents for research and fact-gathering.

When to Use

• Complex features requiring multiple steps
• Tasks that need documentation research first
• Multi-file or multi-system changes
• Anything where "just winging it" would lead to invented APIs

How It Works

You are an ORCHESTRATOR. Create plans in phases that can be executed consecutively.

Delegation Model

• Use subagents for fact gathering: docs, examples, signatures, grep results
• Keep synthesis and plan authoring with the orchestrator
• If a subagent report is incomplete, re-check with targeted reads/greps

Subagent Reporting Contract (MANDATORY)

Each subagent response must include:

1. Sources consulted - files/URLs and what was read
2. Concrete findings - exact API names/signatures, exact file paths
3. Copy-ready snippet locations - example files/sections to copy
4. Confidence note + gaps - what might still be missing

Reject and redeploy the subagent if it reports conclusions without sources.

Plan Structure

Phase 0: Documentation Discovery (ALWAYS FIRST)

Before planning implementation, deploy "Documentation Discovery" subagents to:

1. Search for and read relevant documentation, examples, and existing patterns
2. Identify the actual APIs, methods, and signatures available (not assumed)
3. Create a brief "Allowed APIs" list citing specific documentation sources
4. Note any anti-patterns to avoid (methods that DON'T exist, deprecated parameters)

Then consolidate findings into a single Phase 0 output.

Each Implementation Phase Must Include

1. What to implement - Frame tasks to COPY from docs, not transform existing code
   • ✅ Good: "Copy the V2 session pattern from docs/examples.ts:45-60"
   • ❌ Bad: "Migrate the existing code to V2"
2. Documentation references - Cite specific files/lines for patterns to follow
3. Verification checklist - How to prove this phase worked (tests, grep checks)
4. Anti-pattern guards - What NOT to do (invented APIs, undocumented params)

Final Phase: Verification

1. Verify all implementations match documentation
2. Check for anti-patterns (grep for known bad patterns)
3. Run tests to confirm functionality

Key Principles

• Documentation Availability ≠ Usage: Explicitly require reading docs
• Task Framing Matters: Direct agents to docs, not just outcomes
• Verify > Assume: Require proof, not assumptions about APIs
• Session Boundaries: Each phase should be self-contained with its own doc references

Anti-Patterns to Prevent

• ❌ Inventing API methods that "should" exist
• ❌ Adding parameters not in documentation
• ❌ Skipping verification steps
• ❌ Assuming structure without checking examples

Example Usage

When asked to implement a complex feature:

User: Add WebSocket support to the server

You (orchestrator):
1. Deploy subagent: "Research WebSocket implementation patterns in this codebase and any docs"
2. Receive findings with specific file references and API signatures
3. Write Phase 0 output with allowed APIs
4. Write Phase 1-N implementation phases with verification checklists
5. Output the complete plan for execution with /do-plan

Output Format

Write the plan to a file (e.g., plans/feature-name.md) so it can be referenced by /do-plan.