plugin-planning Skill

Purpose: Handle Stage 0 (Research & Planning - consolidated) through subagent delegation. This skill creates the foundation contracts (architecture.md, plan.md) that guide implementation in a single consolidated pass.

Invoked by: /plan command or as first step of /implement workflow

Entry Point

Check preconditions first: See references/preconditions.md for detailed validation logic.

Quick validation:

• creative-brief.md must exist at plugins/[Name]/.ideas/

• Parameter specification required (parameter-spec.md OR parameter-spec-draft.md)

• Plugin status must be ≤ Stage 0 (not already in implementation)

• Detect existing contracts (architecture.md, plan.md) for resume logic

If all preconditions pass → proceed to Stage 0

Stage 0: Research & Planning

Goal: Create DSP architecture specification (architecture.md) AND implementation plan (plan.md) Duration: 5-35 minutes (complexity-dependent) Implementation: Delegated to research-planning-agent subagent via Task tool

Dispatch pattern:

Read contracts in parallel (use parallel Read calls in single tool invocation):

• plugins/[Name]/.ideas/creative-brief.md

• plugins/[Name]/.ideas/parameter-spec.md OR parameter-spec-draft.md

• plugins/[Name]/.ideas/mockups/*.yaml (if exists)

Invoke subagent:

Task(subagent_type="research-planning-agent", description="[prompt with contracts]", model="sonnet")

See references/subagent-invocation.md for detailed prompt construction.

After subagent returns, execute checkpoint protocol:

• Read subagent's return message

• Verify architecture.md and plan.md created

• Present decision menu (use assets/decision-menu-stage-0.md template)

• WAIT for user response

Subagent executes: Full Stage 0 protocol from research-planning-agent.md

Outputs:

• plugins/[Name]/.ideas/architecture.md (see assets/architecture-template.md)

• plugins/[Name]/.ideas/plan.md (see assets/plan-template.md)

Decision menu: Use assets/decision-menu-stage-0.md template

Menu option routing:

• Option 1 (Start implementation): Invoke plugin-workflow skill

• Option 2 (Review contracts): Read and display architecture.md, plan.md, parameter-spec.md, creative-brief.md

• Option 3 (Improve brief): Invoke plugin-ideation skill

• Option 4 (Deep research): Invoke deep-research skill

• Option 5 (Pause): Verify state saved, exit skill

• Option 6 (Other): Route based on request (plugin-workflow, ui-mockup, deep-research, or handle directly)

Note: research-planning-agent runs in fresh context (5-35 min session doesn't pollute orchestrator)

Validation before proceeding to Stage 1:

• Verify architecture.md exists with all required sections (Core Components, Processing Chain, Parameter Mapping)

• Verify plan.md exists with complexity score and implementation strategy

• If verification fails: Display error and return to Stage 0

• When user chooses option 1: Delegate to plugin-workflow skill (plugin-workflow owns Stages 1-4)

Reference Files

• references/preconditions.md - Detailed precondition validation logic

• references/subagent-invocation.md - Subagent dispatch pattern and prompt construction

• references/state-updates.md - State file update protocol

• references/git-operations.md - Commit patterns

Templates:

• assets/architecture-template.md

• DSP architecture contract template

• assets/plan-template.md

• Implementation plan template

• assets/decision-menu-stage-0.md

• Decision menu template