Plan Archive
Overview
Move an abandoned or obsolete plan to archive/ with context on why it was archived.
Core principle: Don't delete plans - archive them with context so you can learn from them later.
Announce at start: "I'm using the plan-archive skill to archive this plan."
The Process
Step 1: Confirm Archive Intent
Ask: "Why is this plan being archived?"
Options:
- •Abandoned - Started but won't be finished
- •Obsolete - Requirements changed, no longer relevant
- •Superseded - Replaced by a different plan
- •Other - Capture the reason
Step 2: Add Archive Notes
Create plans/{active|complete}/{plan-name}/archive.md:
markdown
# Archive Notes **Archived:** YYYY-MM-DD **Reason:** [abandoned|obsolete|superseded|other] **Context:** [Why this plan is being archived] **Superseded by:** [Link to new plan if applicable] **Partial work:** - [Any commits/PRs that were done before archiving] **Lessons learned:** - [What can we learn from this?]
Step 3: Move to Archive
bash
# Move from active or complete
mv plans/active/{plan-name} plans/archive/{plan-name}
# OR
mv plans/complete/{plan-name} plans/archive/{plan-name}
# Commit the move
git add -A
git commit -m "docs: archive {plan-name} plan - {reason}"
Step 4: Report
code
Plan '{plan-name}' archived.
Reason: {reason}
Location: plans/archive/{plan-name}/
Quick Reference
| Source | Typical Reason |
|---|---|
active/ | Abandoned, obsolete, superseded |
complete/ | Superseded by better approach, historical cleanup |
When to Use
- •Plan started but won't be finished
- •Requirements changed significantly
- •Better approach found (new plan created)
- •Cleaning up old completed plans that are no longer relevant
Common Mistakes
Archiving without context
- •Problem: No record of why plan was abandoned
- •Fix: Always capture the reason in archive.md
Deleting instead of archiving
- •Problem: Lose historical context and learnings
- •Fix: Archive preserves history for future reference