writing-plans

Name: writing-plans
Author: obra

byobra· 95 skills

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How to install writing-plans?

obra/superpowers/writing-plans

$npx -y skills add obra/superpowers --skill writing-plans

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Run `npx skills use "https://github.com/obra/superpowers" --skill "obra/superpowers/writing-plans"` and follow the generated skill instructions now. Read its complete output, redirecting it to a temporary file first if necessary. Resolve relative paths from the supporting-files directory it provides.

Use the whole pack

Use the skills in "https://github.com/obra/superpowers" that are relevant to the current task. Run `npx skills add "https://github.com/obra/superpowers"` and select the relevant skills, then follow their instructions.

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SKILL.md

1	# Writing Plans
2
3	## Overview
4
5	Write comprehensive implementation plans assuming the engineer has zero context for our codebase and questionable taste. Document everything they need to know: which files to touch for each task, code, testing, docs they might need to check, how to test it. Give them the whole plan as bite-sized tasks. DRY. YAGNI. TDD. Frequent commits.
6
7	Assume they are a skilled developer, but know almost nothing about our toolset or problem domain. Assume they don't know good test design very well.
8
9	Announce at start: "I'm using the writing-plans skill to create the implementation plan."
10
11	Context: If working in an isolated worktree, it should have been created via the `superpowers:using-git-worktrees` skill at execution time.
12
13	Save plans to: `docs/superpowers/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md`
14	- (User preferences for plan location override this default)
15
16	## Scope Check
17
18	If the spec covers multiple independent subsystems, it should have been broken into sub-project specs during brainstorming. If it wasn't, suggest breaking this into separate plans — one per subsystem. Each plan should produce working, testable software on its own.
19
20	## File Structure
21
22	Before defining tasks, map out which files will be created or modified and what each one is responsible for. This is where decomposition decisions get locked in.
23
24	- Design units with clear boundaries and well-defined interfaces. Each file should have one clear responsibility.
25	- You reason best about code you can hold in context at once, and your edits are more reliable when files are focused. Prefer smaller, focused files over large ones that do too much.
26	- Files that change together should live together. Split by responsibility, not by technical layer.
27	- In existing codebases, follow established patterns. If the codebase uses large files, don't unilaterally restructure - but if a file you're modifying has grown unwieldy, including a split in the plan is reasonable.
28
29	This structure informs the task decomposition. Each task should produce self-contained changes that make sense independently.
30
31	## Task Right-Sizing
32
33	A task is the smallest unit that carries its own test cycle and is worth a
34	fresh reviewer's gate. When drawing task boundaries: fold setup,
35	configuration, scaffolding, and documentation steps into the task whose
36	deliverable needs them; split only where a reviewer could meaningfully
37	reject one task while approving its neighbor. Each task ends with an
38	independently testable deliverable.
39
40	## Bite-Sized Task Granularity
41
42	Each step is one action (2-5 minutes):
43	- "Write the failing test" - step
44	- "Run it to make sure it fails" - step
45	- "Implement the minimal code to make the test pass" - step
46	- "Run the tests and make sure they pass" - step
47	- "Commit" - step
48
49	## Plan Document Header
50
51	Every plan MUST start with this header:
52
53	```markdown
54	# [Feature Name] Implementation Plan
55
56	> For agentic workers: REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development (recommended) or superpowers:executing-plans to implement this plan task-by-task. Steps use checkbox (`- [ ]`) syntax for tracking.
57
58	Goal: [One sentence describing what this builds]
59
60	Architecture: [2-3 sentences about approach]
61
62	Tech Stack: [Key technologies/libraries]
63
64	## Global Constraints
65
66	[The spec's project-wide requirements — version floors, dependency limits,
67	naming and copy rules, platform requirements — one line each, with exact
68	values copied verbatim from the spec. Every task's requirements implicitly
69	include this section.]
70
71	---
72	```
73
74	## Task Structure
75
76	````markdown
77	### Task N: [Component Name]
78
79	Files:
80	- Create: `exact/path/to/file.py`
81	- Modify: `exact/path/to/existing.py:123-145`
82	- Test: `tests/exact/path/to/test.py`
83
84	Interfaces:
85	- Consumes: [what this task uses from earlier tasks — exact signatures]
86	- Produces: [what later tasks rely on — exact function names, parameter
87	and return types. A task's implementer sees only their own task; this
88	block is how they learn the names and types neighboring tasks use.]
89
90	- [ ] Step 1: Write the failing test
91
92	```python
93	def test_specific_behavior():
94	result = function(input)
95	assert result == expected
96	```
97
98	- [ ] Step 2: Run test to verify it fails
99
100	Run: `pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v`
101	Expected: FAIL with "function not defined"
102
103	- [ ] Step 3: Write minimal implementation
104
105	```python
106	def function(input):
107	return expected
108	```
109
110	- [ ] Step 4: Run test to verify it passes
111
112	Run: `pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v`
113	Expected: PASS
114
115	- [ ] Step 5: Commit
116
117	```bash
118	git add tests/path/test.py src/path/file.py
119	git commit -m "feat: add specific feature"
120	```
121	````
122
123	## No Placeholders
124
125	Every step must contain the actual content an engineer needs. These are plan failures — never write them:
126	- "TBD", "TODO", "implement later", "fill in details"
127	- "Add appropriate error handling" / "add validation" / "handle edge cases"
128	- "Write tests for the above" (without actual test code)
129	- "Similar to Task N" (repeat the code — the engineer may be reading tasks out of order)
130	- Steps that describe what to do without showing how (code blocks required for code steps)
131	- References to types, functions, or methods not defined in any task
132
133	## Self-Review
134
135	After writing the complete plan, look at the spec with fresh eyes and check the plan against it. This is a checklist you run yourself — not a subagent dispatch.
136
137	1. Spec coverage: Skim each section/requirement in the spec. Can you point to a task that implements it? List any gaps.
138
139	2. Placeholder scan: Search your plan for red flags — any of the patterns from the "No Placeholders" section above. Fix them.
140
141	3. Type consistency: Do the types, method signatures, and property names you used in later tasks match what you defined in earlier tasks? A function called `clearLayers()` in Task 3 but `clearFullLayers()` in Task 7 is a bug.
142
143	If you find issues, fix them inline. No need to re-review — just fix and move on. If you find a spec requirement with no task, add the task.
144
145	## Execution Handoff
146
147	After saving the plan, offer execution choice:
148
149	"Plan complete and saved to `docs/superpowers/plans/<filename>.md`. Two execution options:
150
151	1. Subagent-Driven (recommended) - I dispatch a fresh subagent per task, review between tasks, fast iteration
152
153	2. Inline Execution - Execute tasks in this session using executing-plans, batch execution with checkpoints
154
155	Which approach?"
156
157	If Subagent-Driven chosen:
158	- REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development
159	- Fresh subagent per task + two-stage review
160
161	If Inline Execution chosen:
162	- REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:executing-plans
163	- Batch execution with checkpoints for review

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Type

Run `npx skills use "https://github.com/obra/superpowers" --skill "obra/superpowers/writing-plans"` and follow the generated skill instructions now. Read its complete output, redirecting it to a temporary file first if necessary. Resolve relative paths from the supporting-files directory it provides.

Use the skills in "https://github.com/obra/superpowers" that are relevant to the current task. Run `npx skills add "https://github.com/obra/superpowers"` and select the relevant skills, then follow their instructions.

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