create-plans

<essential_principles>

When planning a phase, you are writing the prompt that will execute it.

The quality degradation curve:

• 0-30% context: Peak quality (comprehensive, thorough, no anxiety)
• 30-50% context: Good quality (engaged, manageable pressure)
• 50-70% context: Degrading quality (efficiency mode, compression)
• 70%+ context: Poor quality (self-lobotomization, rushed work)

Critical insight: Claude doesn't degrade at 80% - it degrades at ~40-50% when it sees context mounting and enters "completion mode." By 80%, quality has already crashed.

Solution: Aggressive atomicity - split phases into many small, focused plans.

Examples:

• 01-01-PLAN.md - Phase 1, Plan 1 (2-3 tasks: database schema only)
• 01-02-PLAN.md - Phase 1, Plan 2 (2-3 tasks: database client setup)
• 01-03-PLAN.md - Phase 1, Plan 3 (2-3 tasks: API routes)
• 01-04-PLAN.md - Phase 1, Plan 4 (2-3 tasks: UI components)

Each plan is independently executable, verifiable, and scoped to 2-3 tasks maximum.

Atomic task principle: Better to have 10 small, high-quality plans than 3 large, degraded plans. Each commit should be surgical, focused, and maintainable.

Autonomous execution: Plans without checkpoints execute via subagent with fresh context - impossible to degrade.

See: references/scope-estimation.md

Checkpoint types:

• checkpoint:human-verify - Human confirms Claude's automated work (visual checks, UI verification)
• checkpoint:decision - Human makes implementation choice (auth provider, architecture)

Rarely needed: checkpoint:human-action - Only for actions with no CLI/API (email verification links, account approvals requiring web login with 2FA)

Critical rule: If Claude CAN do it via CLI/API/tool, Claude MUST do it. Never ask human to:

• Deploy to Vercel/Railway/Fly (use CLI)
• Create Stripe webhooks (use CLI/API)
• Run builds/tests (use Bash)
• Write .env files (use Write tool)
• Create database resources (use provider CLI)

Protocol: Claude automates work → reaches checkpoint:human-verify → presents what was done → waits for confirmation → resumes

See: references/checkpoints.md, references/cli-automation.md

During execution, deviations are handled automatically via 5 embedded rules:

1. Auto-fix bugs - Broken behavior → fix immediately, document in Summary
2. Auto-add missing critical - Security/correctness gaps → add immediately, document
3. Auto-fix blockers - Can't proceed → fix immediately, document
4. Ask about architectural - Major structural changes → stop and ask user
5. Log enhancements - Nice-to-haves → auto-log to ISSUES.md, continue

No user intervention needed for Rules 1-3, 5. Only Rule 4 (architectural) requires user decision.

All deviations documented in Summary with: what was found, what rule applied, what was done, commit hash.

Result: Flow never breaks. Bugs get fixed. Scope stays controlled. Complete transparency.