Plan

⚠️ CRITICAL RULES - READ FIRST

1. •

   DETECT MODE: Determine if input is an existing task reference or a new requirement description

   • •If input looks like story-user-api Task 1 or standalone-fix-auth Task 2: MODE A
   • •If input is a new requirement (e.g., "Add user authentication"): MODE B
2. •

   MODE A - Enhance Existing Task:

   • •Read the task file from docs/reference/backend/tasks/
   • •User must specify task number (e.g., "Task 1", "Task 2")
   • •Add or update the "Implementation Steps" section for that specific task
   • •Keep all other sections intact
   • •Save back to the same file
3. •

   MODE B - Create Standalone Task File:

   • •Analyze the requirement - is it simple (1 task) or complex (multiple tasks)?
   • •If complex, break into multiple tasks (like task-breakdown does)
   • •Use filename: standalone-{requirement-name}.md (kebab-case)
   • •Save to docs/reference/backend/tasks/
   • •File format: same as story-based (multiple task sections)
4. •

   READ CONSTRAINTS FIRST:

   • •Must read docs/reference/backend/design-system.md for design tokens
   • •Must read docs/reference/backend/constraints.md for tech stack
   • •If task references a design, read from docs/reference/backend/designs/

Language Configuration

Before generating any content, check aico.json in project root for language field to determine the output language. If not set, default to English.

MODE A: Enhance Existing Task

Process

1. •Read task file: Get task details from docs/reference/backend/tasks/{task-file}.md
2. •Read design (if referenced): Load related design from docs/reference/backend/designs/
3. •Read design system: Load docs/reference/backend/design-system.md for design tokens
4. •Read constraints: Load docs/reference/backend/constraints.md
5. •Break into atomic steps:
   • •Start with file creation/setup
   • •One section/feature per step
   • •Include verification for each step
   • •Do NOT include commit step (that happens during execution)
6. •Keep steps atomic: One action per step
7. •Update task file: Add/replace "Implementation Steps" section
8. •Present summary: Show file location and what was added

Example

# Input: User runs /backend.plan story-user-profile-2-header

# Output:
✓ Read task: docs/reference/backend/tasks/story-user-profile-2-header.md
✓ Added 4 implementation steps to task file

Steps added:
1. Create component file
2. Implement header layout
3. Add responsive styles
4. Add unit tests

Task ready for implementation. Use aico-backend-implement to execute.

MODE B: Create Standalone Task

Process

1. •

   Ask user for details:

   • •Task type: feature | bugfix | improvement
   • •Confirm task name (auto-generate from description)
2. •

   Read constraints:

   • •Read design system and technical constraints
   • •If user mentions a component, check existing code
3. •

   Generate complete task file:

   • •All metadata (type, source, created, status)
   • •Description
   • •Context
   • •Acceptance Criteria
   • •Scope
   • •Implementation Steps (detailed, atomic)
   • •Notes
4. •

   Save task file: Write to docs/reference/backend/tasks/standalone-{task-name}.md

5. •

   Present summary: Show created file and next steps

Example

# Input: User runs /backend.plan "Fix login button hover state"

# Interactive:
# Type: [feature | bugfix | improvement] → bugfix
# Task name: fix-login-button-hover (auto-generated, confirm?)

# Output:
✓ Created standalone task: standalone-fix-login-button-hover.md

Task includes:
- Description and context
- 2 acceptance criteria
- 3 implementation steps
- Test verification

Next: Use aico-backend-implement to execute this task

Implementation Steps Format

Both modes use the same step format:

## Implementation Steps

### Step 1: [Action]

**Files**:

- Create: `src/components/[Name].tsx`
- Modify: `src/pages/[Page].tsx:L10-L20`

**Action**:
[Exact code or action to take]

**Verify**:

```bash
[verification command]
```

Expected: [expected output]

Step 2: [Next Action]

...

## Step Granularity

Each step = ONE atomic action:

| Good Steps | Bad Steps |
|------------|-----------|
| Create component file with imports | Create component with all logic |
| Add component skeleton (empty return) | Implement entire component |
| Implement single section | Implement all sections |
| Write one test case | Write all tests |

## Step Types

### Setup Step
```markdown
**Files**: Create: `src/components/ProfileCard.tsx`
**Action**: Create file with basic structure
**Verify**: `npx tsc --noEmit` → No errors

Implementation Step

**Files**: Modify: `src/components/ProfileCard.tsx:L8-L10`
**Action**: Implement header section with Avatar and name
**Verify**: `npm run dev` → Component renders correctly

Test Step

**Files**: Create: `src/components/__tests__/ProfileCard.test.tsx`
**Action**: Write unit test for profile name rendering
**Verify**: `npm test ProfileCard` → 1 test passed

Standalone Task File Template

For MODE B, see Task File Template for complete structure.

Use the same format as story-based tasks, just with:

• •Filename: standalone-{requirement-name}.md
• •Header: # Standalone Tasks: [Requirement Name]
• •No > **Story**: ... line

Note: For simple requirements, file may contain only 1 task. For complex requirements, break into multiple tasks.

Key Rules

• •ALWAYS include verification command for each step
• •MUST keep steps to 2-5 minutes of work
• •MUST save to docs/reference/backend/tasks/ directory
• •NEVER combine multiple actions into one step
• •Do NOT include commit step in plan (commits happen during execution)
• •MODE A: Preserve all existing content, only add/update steps
• •MODE B: Generate complete, self-contained task file

Common Mistakes

• •❌ Steps too large → ✅ One action per step
• •❌ Skip verification → ✅ Every step has verify command
• •❌ Vague actions → ✅ Include exact code
• •❌ Not saving to file → ✅ Always save task file
• •❌ Including commit in steps → ✅ Commits happen during execution, not planning
• •❌ MODE A: Overwriting existing content → ✅ Only update Implementation Steps section
• •❌ MODE B: Missing metadata → ✅ Include all template sections