Deepen Plan - Power Enhancement Mode
Introduction
Note: The current year is 2026. Use this when searching for recent documentation and best practices.
This command takes an existing plan (from /workflows-plan) and enhances each section with parallel research subagents. Each major element gets its own dedicated research subagent to find:
- •Best practices and industry patterns
- •Performance optimizations
- •UI/UX improvements (if applicable)
- •Quality enhancements and edge cases
- •Real-world implementation examples
The result is a deeply grounded, production-ready plan with concrete implementation details.
Plan File
<plan_path> #$ARGUMENTS </plan_path>
If the plan path above is empty:
- •Check for recent plans:
ls -la docs/plans/ - •Ask the user: "Which plan would you like to deepen? Please provide the path (e.g.,
docs/plans/2026-01-15-feat-my-feature-plan.md)."
Do not proceed until you have a valid plan file path.
Main Tasks
1. Parse and Analyze Plan Structure
<thinking> First, read and parse the plan to identify each major section that can be enhanced with research. </thinking>Read the plan file and extract:
- • Overview/Problem Statement
- • Proposed Solution sections
- • Technical Approach/Architecture
- • Implementation phases/steps
- • Code examples and file references
- • Acceptance criteria
- • Any UI/UX components mentioned
- • Technologies/frameworks mentioned (Rails, React, Python, TypeScript, etc.)
- • Domain areas (data models, APIs, UI, security, performance, etc.)
Create a section manifest:
Section 1: [Title] - [Brief description of what to research] Section 2: [Title] - [Brief description of what to research] ...
2. Discover and Apply Available Skills
<thinking> Dynamically discover all available skills and match them to plan sections. Don't assume what skills exist - discover them at runtime. </thinking>Step 1: Discover ALL available skills from ALL sources
# 1. Project-local skills (highest priority - project-specific) ls .claude/skills/ # 2. User's global skills (~/.claude/) ls ~/.claude/skills/ # 3. compound-engineering plugin skills ls ~/project/agent-scripts/skills/ # 4. ALL other installed plugins - check every plugin for skills find ~/.claude/plugins/cache -type d -name "skills" 2>/dev/null # 5. Also check installed_plugins.json for all plugin locations cat ~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json
Important: Check EVERY source. Don't assume there is the only plugin. Use skills from ANY installed plugin that's relevant.
Step 2: For each discovered skill, read its SKILL.md to understand what it does
# For each skill directory found, read its documentation cat [skill-path]/SKILL.md
Step 3: Match skills to plan content
For each skill discovered:
- •Read its SKILL.md description
- •Check if any plan sections match the skill's domain
- •If there's a match, spawn a subagent to apply that skill's knowledge
Step 4: Spawn a subagent in paralle for EVERY matched skill
CRITICAL: For EACH skill that matches, spawn a parallel subagent and instruct it to USE that skill.
For each matched skill:
Task general-purpose: "You have the [skill-name] skill available at [skill-path]. YOUR JOB: Use this skill on the plan. 1. Read the skill: cat [skill-path]/SKILL.md 2. Follow the skill's instructions exactly 3. Apply the skill to this content: [relevant plan section or full plan] 4. Return the skill's full output The skill tells you what to do - follow it. Execute the skill completely."
Spawn ALL subagents in PARALLEL:
- •1 subagent per matched skill
- •Each subagent reads and uses its assigned skill
- •All run simultaneously
- •10, 20, 30 skill subagents is fine
Each subagent:
- •Reads its skill's SKILL.md
- •Follows the skill's workflow/instructions
- •Applies the skill to the plan
- •Returns whatever the skill produces (code, recommendations, patterns, reviews, etc.)
Example spawns:
Task general-purpose: "Use the frontend-design skill at ~/.claude/plugins/.../frontend-design. Read SKILL.md and apply it to: [UI sections of plan]" Task general-purpose: "Use the design-agent-native skill at ~/.claude/plugins/.../design-agent-native. Read SKILL.md and apply it to: [agent/tool sections of plan]" Task general-purpose: "Use the security-patterns skill at ~/.claude/skills/security-patterns. Read SKILL.md and apply it to: [full plan]"
No limit on skill subagents. Spawn one for every skill that could possibly be relevant.
3. Discover and Apply Learnings/Solutions
<thinking> Check for documented learnings from /workflows-compound. These are solved problems stored as markdown files. Spawn a subagent for each learning to check if it's relevant. </thinking>LEARNINGS LOCATION - Check these exact folders:
docs/solutions/ <-- PRIMARY: Project-level learnings (created by /workflows-compound)
├── performance-issues/
│ └── *.md
├── debugging-patterns/
│ └── *.md
├── configuration-fixes/
│ └── *.md
├── integration-issues/
│ └── *.md
├── deployment-issues/
│ └── *.md
└── [other-categories]/
└── *.md
Step 1: Find ALL learning markdown files
Run these commands to get every learning file:
# PRIMARY LOCATION - Project learnings find docs/solutions -name "*.md" -type f 2>/dev/null # If docs/solutions doesn't exist, check alternate locations: find ~/projects/agent-scripts/docs -name "*.md" -type f 2>/dev/null
Step 2: Read frontmatter of each learning to filter
Each learning file has YAML frontmatter with metadata. Read the first ~20 lines of each file to get:
--- title: "N+1 Query Fix for Briefs" category: performance-issues tags: [activerecord, n-plus-one, includes, eager-loading] module: Briefs symptom: "Slow page load, multiple queries in logs" root_cause: "Missing includes on association" ---
For each .md file, quickly scan its frontmatter:
# Read first 20 lines of each learning (frontmatter + summary) head -20 docs/solutions/**/*.md
Step 3: Filter - only spawn subagents for LIKELY relevant learnings
Compare each learning's frontmatter against the plan:
- •
tags:- Do any tags match technologies/patterns in the plan? - •
category:- Is this category relevant? (e.g., skip deployment-issues if plan is UI-only) - •
module:- Does the plan touch this module? - •
symptom:/root_cause:- Could this problem occur with the plan?
SKIP learnings that are clearly not applicable:
- •Plan is frontend-only → skip
database-migrations/learnings - •Plan is Python → skip
rails-specific/learnings - •Plan has no auth → skip
authentication-issues/learnings
SPAWN subagents for learnings that MIGHT apply:
- •Any tag overlap with plan technologies
- •Same category as plan domain
- •Similar patterns or concerns
Step 4: Spawn subagents for filtered learnings
For each learning that passes the filter:
Task general-purpose: " LEARNING FILE: [full path to .md file] 1. Read this learning file completely 2. This learning documents a previously solved problem Check if this learning applies to this plan: --- [full plan content] --- If relevant: - Explain specifically how it applies - Quote the key insight or solution - Suggest where/how to incorporate it If NOT relevant after deeper analysis: - Say 'Not applicable: [reason]' "
Example filtering:
# Found 15 learning files, plan is about "Rails API caching" # SPAWN (likely relevant): docs/solutions/performance-issues/n-plus-one-queries.md # tags: [activerecord] ✓ docs/solutions/performance-issues/redis-cache-stampede.md # tags: [caching, redis] ✓ docs/solutions/configuration-fixes/redis-connection-pool.md # tags: [redis] ✓ # SKIP (clearly not applicable): docs/solutions/deployment-issues/heroku-memory-quota.md # not about caching docs/solutions/frontend-issues/stimulus-race-condition.md # plan is API, not frontend docs/solutions/authentication-issues/jwt-expiry.md # plan has no auth
Spawn subagents in PARALLEL for all filtered learnings.
These learnings are institutional knowledge - applying them prevents repeating past mistakes.
4. Launch Per-Section Research Subagents
<thinking> For each major section in the plan, spawn dedicated subgents to research improvements. Use the Explore agent type for open-ended research. </thinking>For each identified section, launch parallel research:
Task Explore: "Research best practices, patterns, and real-world examples for: [section topic]. Find: - Industry standards and conventions - Performance considerations - Common pitfalls and how to avoid them - Documentation and tutorials Return concrete, actionable recommendations."
Also use Ref or Context7 MCP for framework documentation:
For any technologies/frameworks mentioned in the plan, query Ref (1st) or Context7 (if Ref is unavailable).
Use WebSearch for current best practices:
Search for recent (2025-2026) articles, blog posts, and documentation on topics in the plan.
5. Discover and Run ALL Review SubAgents (Only if you are running from Claude Code, CODEX skip 5. )
<thinking> Dynamically discover every available agent and run them ALL against the plan. Don't filter, don't skip, don't assume relevance. 40+ parallel subagents is fine. Use everything available. </thinking>Step 1: Discover ALL available agents from ALL sources
# 1. Project-local agents (highest priority - project-specific) find .claude/agents -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null # 2. User's global agents (~/.claude/) find ~/.claude/agents -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null # 3. ALL other installed plugins - check every plugin for agents find ~/.claude/plugins/cache -path "*/agents/*.md" 2>/dev/null # 4. Check installed_plugins.json to find all plugin locations cat ~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json # 5. For local plugins (isLocal: true), check their source directories # Parse installed_plugins.json and find local plugin paths
Important: Check EVERY source. Include agents from:
- •Project
.claude/agents/ - •User's
~/.claude/agents/ - •ALL other installed plugins (agent-sdk-dev, frontend-design, etc.)
- •Any local plugins
Step 2: For each discovered agent, read its description
Read the first few lines of each agent file to understand what it reviews/analyzes.
Step 3: Launch ALL agents in parallel
For EVERY agent discovered, launch a Task in parallel:
Task [agent-name]: "Review this plan using your expertise. Apply all your checks and patterns. Plan content: [full plan content]"
CRITICAL RULES:
- •Do NOT filter subagents by "relevance" - run them ALL
- •Do NOT skip subagents because they "might not apply" - let them decide
- •Launch ALL subagents in a SINGLE message with multiple Task tool calls
- •20, 30, 40 parallel subagents is fine - use everything
- •Each agent may catch something others miss
- •The goal is MAXIMUM coverage, not efficiency
Step 4: Also discover and run research skill subagents
Research skill subagents (like research-best-practices, framework-docs-researcher, git-history-analyzer, research-repo) should also be run for relevant plan sections.
6. Wait for ALL subagents and Synthesize Everything
<thinking> Wait for ALL parallel subagents to complete - skills, research subagents, review subagents, everything. Then synthesize all findings into a comprehensive enhancement. </thinking>Collect outputs from ALL sources:
- •Skill-based subagents - Each skill's full output (code examples, patterns, recommendations)
- •Learnings/Solutions subagents - Relevant documented learnings from /workflows-compound
- •Research subagents - Best practices, documentation, real-world examples
- •Review subagents - All feedback from every reviewer (architecture, security, performance, simplicity, etc.)
- •Ref (1st) or Context7 (if Ref is unavailable) queries - Framework documentation and patterns
- •Web searches - Current best practices and articles
For each agent's findings, extract:
- • Concrete recommendations (actionable items)
- • Code patterns and examples (copy-paste ready)
- • Anti-patterns to avoid (warnings)
- • Performance considerations (metrics, benchmarks)
- • Security considerations (vulnerabilities, mitigations)
- • Edge cases discovered (handling strategies)
- • Documentation links (references)
- • Skill-specific patterns (from matched skills)
- • Relevant learnings (past solutions that apply - prevent repeating mistakes)
Deduplicate and prioritize:
- •Merge similar recommendations from multiple subagents
- •Prioritize by impact (high-value improvements first)
- •Flag conflicting advice for human review
- •Group by plan section
7. Enhance Plan Sections
<thinking> Merge research findings back into the plan, adding depth without changing the original structure. </thinking>Enhancement format for each section:
## [Original Section Title] [Original content preserved] ### Research Insights **Best Practices:** - [Concrete recommendation 1] - [Concrete recommendation 2] **Performance Considerations:** - [Optimization opportunity] - [Benchmark or metric to target] **Implementation Details:** ```[language] // Concrete code example from research
Edge Cases:
- •[Edge case 1 and how to handle]
- •[Edge case 2 and how to handle]
References:
- •[Documentation URL 1]
- •[Documentation URL 2]
### 8. Add Enhancement Summary At the top of the plan, add a summary section: ```markdown ## Enhancement Summary **Deepened on:** [Date] **Sections enhanced:** [Count] **Research subagents used:** [List] ### Key Improvements 1. [Major improvement 1] 2. [Major improvement 2] 3. [Major improvement 3] ### New Considerations Discovered - [Important finding 1] - [Important finding 2]
9. Update Plan File
Write the enhanced plan:
- •Preserve original filename
- •Add
-deepenedsuffix if user prefers a new file - •Update any timestamps or metadata
Output Format
Update the plan file in place (or if user requests a separate file, append -deepened after -plan, e.g., 2026-01-15-feat-auth-plan-deepened.md).
Quality Checks
Before finalizing:
- • All original content preserved
- • Research insights clearly marked and attributed
- • Code examples are syntactically correct
- • Links are valid and relevant
- • No contradictions between sections
- • Enhancement summary accurately reflects changes
Post-Enhancement Options
After writing the enhanced plan, use the AskUserQuestion tool to present these options:
Question: "Plan deepened at [plan_path]. What would you like to do next?"
Options:
- •View diff - Show what was added/changed
- •Run
/review-technical- Get feedback from reviewers on enhanced plan - •Start
/workflows-work- Begin implementing this enhanced plan - •Deepen further - Run another round of research on specific sections
- •Revert - Restore original plan (if backup exists)
Based on selection:
- •View diff → Run
git diff [plan_path]or show before/after - •
/review-technical→ Call the /review-technical command with the plan file path - •
/workflows-work→ Call the /workflows-work command with the plan file path - •Deepen further → Ask which sections need more research, then re-run those agents
- •Revert → Restore from git or backup
Example Enhancement
Before (from /workflows-plan):
## Technical Approach Use React Query for data fetching with optimistic updates.
After (from /plan-deepen):
## Technical Approach
Use React Query for data fetching with optimistic updates.
### Research Insights
**Best Practices:**
- Configure `staleTime` and `cacheTime` based on data freshness requirements
- Use `queryKey` factories for consistent cache invalidation
- Implement error boundaries around query-dependent components
**Performance Considerations:**
- Enable `refetchOnWindowFocus: false` for stable data to reduce unnecessary requests
- Use `select` option to transform and memoize data at query level
- Consider `placeholderData` for instant perceived loading
**Implementation Details:**
```typescript
// Recommended query configuration
const queryClient = new QueryClient({
defaultOptions: {
queries: {
staleTime: 5 * 60 * 1000, // 5 minutes
retry: 2,
refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
},
},
});
Edge Cases:
- •Handle race conditions with
cancelQuerieson component unmount - •Implement retry logic for transient network failures
- •Consider offline support with
persistQueryClient
References:
- •https://tanstack.com/query/latest/docs/react/guides/optimistic-updates
- •https://tkdodo.eu/blog/practical-react-query
NEVER CODE! Just research and enhance the plan.