plan-create

Plan Create -- Structured Plan Scaffolding

Create .context/plans/ files that pass structural validation and match local conventions. The workflow ensures every plan has valid frontmatter, clear phases and tasks, and can be immediately reviewed by the plan-review skill.

Prerequisites

• A clear idea of the work to be planned (goal, scope, implementation steps)
• The context-file skill available if frontmatter repair is needed
• The plan-review skill available for post-creation validation (optional)
• Shell access to run validation scripts

When to Use

• Drafting a new implementation plan with multiple phases
• Scoping work that needs review before implementation begins
• Creating a plan that will later be audited by plan-review

When NOT to Use

• For the main project SKILL.md or agent skills -- use the skill template instead
• For one-off notes or scratch files -- use inline notes
• When the work is trivially small (1 step, no phases) -- just write a finding

Workflow

1. Gather the plan specification

Ask the user about the plan. Collect at minimum:

• Goal -- what does success look like? What problem is being solved?
• Scope -- what's in and what's out? Are there known constraints?
• Phases -- what are the sequential stages? Each phase should:
  • Have a clear deliverable or exit criterion
  • Be independently shippable (could stop after this phase)
  • Be 2–5 tasks, not 20+
• Tasks per phase -- for each phase, list concrete work units:
  • Each task should be completable in a single session (hours, not weeks)
  • Use actionable language ("Add --format flag", not "Improve output")
  • Flag which tasks can run in parallel (waves)
• Dependencies -- does this plan depend on other plans, PRs, or external work?
• Risks -- what could go wrong? What's the biggest unknown?
• Timeline -- optional, if the user has a deadline or priority
• Effort -- a T-shirt-sized estimate. Value -- a benefit-of-action grade. Themes -- an ordered subject-area tag list. All three are required frontmatter fields; see Grading Effort, Value, and Themes for the full rubric, allowed values, and worked examples. TYPICALLY these three fields are the ones a first-time plan author gets wrong -- read the reference before guessing.