Create Plan (Rigorous)

Same as create-plan, but more rigorous: add per-task complexity notes, explicitly track dependencies, and get a subagent review before finalizing.

Contract

Prereqs:

• •User explicitly requests a more rigorous plan than normal.
• •You can spawn a review subagent.

Inputs:

• •User request (goal, scope, constraints, success criteria).
• •Optional: repo context (files, architecture notes, existing patterns).

Outputs:

• •A new plan file saved to docs/plans/<slug>-plan.md.
• •A short response linking the plan path and summarizing key decisions/risks.

Exit codes:

• •N/A (conversation/workflow skill)

Failure modes:

• •Request remains underspecified and the user won’t confirm assumptions.
• •Plan requires repo access/info you can’t obtain.
• •Subagent review yields conflicting guidance; reconcile and document the decision.

Workflow

1. •Clarify (if needed)

• •If underspecified, ask 1–5 “need to know” questions first.
• •Use the format from $CODEX_HOME/skills/workflows/conversation/ask-questions-if-underspecified/SKILL.md.

1. •Research

• •Identify existing patterns and the minimal touch points.
• •Identify tricky edge cases, migrations, rollout, and compatibility constraints.

1. •Draft the plan (do not implement)

• •Same structure as create-plan, plus:
  • •Fill a per-task Complexity score (1–10).
  • •Explicitly list dependencies and parallelizable tasks.
  • •Add a “Rollback plan” that is operationally plausible.

1. •Save the plan

• •Path: docs/plans/<slug>-plan.md (kebab-case, end with -plan.md).

1. •Lint the plan (format + executability)

• •Run: $CODEX_HOME/skills/workflows/plan/plan-tooling/scripts/validate_plans.sh --file docs/plans/<slug>-plan.md
• •Fix until it passes (no placeholders in required fields; explicit validation commands; dependency IDs exist).

1. •Subagent review

• •Spawn a subagent to review the saved plan file.
• •Give it: the plan path + the original request + any constraints.
• •Explicitly instruct it: “Do not ask questions; only provide critique and improvements.”
• •Review rubric for the subagent:
  • •Check for missing required task fields (Location, Description, Dependencies, Acceptance criteria, Validation).
  • •Check for placeholder tokens left behind (<...>, TODO, TBD) in required fields.
  • •Check task atomicity (single responsibility) and parallelization opportunities (dependency clarity, minimal file overlap).
  • •Check that validation is runnable and matches acceptance criteria.
• •Incorporate useful feedback into the plan (keep changes minimal and coherent).

1. •Final gotchas pass

• •Ensure the plan has clear success criteria, validation commands, and risk mitigation.

Plan Template

Shared template (single source of truth):

• •skills/workflows/plan/_shared/assets/plan-template.md

Rigorous requirement:

• •Fill Complexity for every task (int 1–10).