Epic Meta-Prompting Skill
Generate research and planning prompts for epic workflows using isolated sub-agents.
Purpose
Use meta-prompting to create research and planning pipelines via /create-prompt and /run-prompt, preventing context pollution through isolated execution.
When to Invoke
- •During
/epicStep 3 (Research & Planning phase) - •After epic specification is complete and reviewed
- •Skip if resuming past the planning phase
Research Prompt Generation
bash
/create-prompt "Research technical approach for: [epic objective]"
The create-prompt skill will:
- •Detect purpose: Research
- •Ask contextual questions (depth, sources, output format)
- •Generate research prompt in
.prompts/001-[epic-slug]-research/ - •Reference relevant project docs (@docs/project/tech-stack.md)
- •Specify XML output format with metadata
Auto-execute research prompt:
bash
/run-prompt 001-[epic-slug]-research
Research outputs:
- •
.prompts/001-[epic-slug]-research/research.md - •Contains: findings, confidence levels, dependencies, open questions, assumptions
Copy and Commit Research
bash
# Copy research.md to epic directory
cp .prompts/001-${EPIC_SLUG}-research/research.md epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/research.md
# Extract metadata for commit message
FINDINGS_COUNT=$(xmllint --xpath 'count(//finding)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/research.md)
CONFIDENCE=$(xmllint --xpath 'string(//confidence_level)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/research.md)
OPEN_QUESTIONS=$(xmllint --xpath 'count(//open_question)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/research.md)
# Commit research
git add .prompts/001-${EPIC_SLUG}-research/
git add epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/research.md
git commit -m "docs(epic-research): complete technical research for ${EPIC_SLUG}
Findings: ${FINDINGS_COUNT}
Confidence: ${CONFIDENCE}
Open questions: ${OPEN_QUESTIONS}
Next: Planning phase"
Alternative: /meta:enforce-git-commits --phase "epic-research"
Planning Prompt Generation
bash
/create-prompt "Create implementation plan based on research"
The create-prompt skill will:
- •Detect purpose: Plan
- •Reference research.md from step above
- •Generate plan prompt in
.prompts/002-[epic-slug]-plan/ - •Specify plan.md output with phases, tasks, constraints
Auto-execute plan prompt:
bash
/run-prompt 002-[epic-slug]-plan
Plan outputs:
- •
.prompts/002-[epic-slug]-plan/plan.md - •Contains: architecture decisions, implementation phases, dependencies, risks
Copy and Commit Plan
bash
# Copy plan.md to epic directory
cp .prompts/002-${EPIC_SLUG}-plan/plan.md epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/plan.md
# Extract metadata for commit message
ARCH_DECISIONS=$(xmllint --xpath 'count(//architecture_decision)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/plan.md)
PHASE_COUNT=$(xmllint --xpath 'count(//phase)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/plan.md)
DEPENDENCY_COUNT=$(xmllint --xpath 'count(//dependency)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/plan.md)
RISK_COUNT=$(xmllint --xpath 'count(//risk)' epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/plan.md)
# Commit plan
git add .prompts/002-${EPIC_SLUG}-plan/
git add epics/${EPIC_SLUG}/plan.md
git commit -m "docs(epic-plan): create implementation plan for ${EPIC_SLUG}
Architecture decisions: ${ARCH_DECISIONS}
Phases: ${PHASE_COUNT}
Dependencies: ${DEPENDENCY_COUNT}
Risks: ${RISK_COUNT}
Next: Sprint breakdown"
Alternative: /meta:enforce-git-commits --phase "epic-plan"
Auto-Mode Handling
If auto-mode enabled:
- •Skip PAUSE points (spec review, plan review)
- •Auto-execute
/run-promptafter/create-prompt - •Update phases status automatically in state.yaml
If interactive mode:
- •PAUSE: "Plan review complete. Continue to sprint breakdown? (y/n)"
- •Update state.yaml with approval status
State Updates
After plan review (interactive):
yaml
manual_gates:
plan_review:
status: approved
approved_at: { ISO_TIMESTAMP }
approved_by: user
phases:
research:
status: completed
completed_at: { ISO_TIMESTAMP }
planning:
status: completed
completed_at: { ISO_TIMESTAMP }
Velocity Benefit
- •Research phase: 1-2 hours (vs 4+ hours manual research)
- •Planning phase: 1-2 hours (vs 3+ hours manual planning)
- •Total: 3-4x faster with meta-prompting