planning

Principles

• One question at a time. Each question should resolve a branching decision in the plan. Avoid generic or out-of-domain questions.
• Surface constraints early. If a user decision would constrain downstream options, flag it before the plan is finalized.
• Keep plans short. Only include tasks that are necessary for the user's stated goal.
• Don't ask what you already know. Check conversation history and project files before asking the user.

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Phase 1: Brainstorming

Goal: Understand what the user wants to accomplish and identify which skills belong in the plan.

Read references/input-output-contracts.md, references/model-customization-plan.md, and references/evaluate-first-plan.md to:

• Identify which skills could be relevant to the user's stated goal.
• Check whether the user has the necessary input artifacts for each skill. If not, find the skills that generate those inputs and add them first.
• Order skills to allow a smooth transition from one to the next and avoid dead ends.
• Check if a recommended workflow matches the user's needs. If not, assess what modifications are needed and verify they are possible against the contracts table.
• Decide which skills in a matching workflow can be skipped.
• Surface limitations early — if a user decision (model choice, region, evaluation method) would constrain downstream options, mention it proactively, get user feedback, and adapt the plan accordingly.

During brainstorming:

• Workflow choice gate: Before generating any plan, determine whether the user wants the evaluate-first workflow or the direct fine-tuning workflow. If the user has explicitly chosen (e.g., "evaluate first", "skip evaluation", "already evaluated the base model"), proceed with their choice. Otherwise, present both options with brief pros/cons and ask the user to choose. Saying "fine-tune" or naming a technique alone is NOT an explicit choice to skip evaluation — the user may not know evaluate-first is an option. Do NOT present a plan until the user has chosen a path. After they choose, read ONLY the corresponding reference plan.
• Use the Restrictions column of the contracts table to flag constraints as soon as the relevant decision is made. Examples (non-comprehensive list, check contracts table for the full picture):
  • User picks a Nova model → alert that deployment regions are limited.
  • User picks a region → alert if it conflicts with model availability.
• If a restriction applies, check whether it requires changes to other steps in the plan.
• Do NOT ask the user about base model selection or preferences. Model selection is handled exclusively by the model-selection skill.
• Move to Phase 2 as soon as you can determine which skills and tools the plan needs.