The /plan workflow creates, reviews, and updates phased implementation plans for PARA projects. It integrates with brainstorm outputs, the project backlog, the learning index, and the project knowledge base to produce comprehensive, actionable plans.
Commands Overview
/plan [project-name] [action]| Action | Description |
|---|---|
create | Create a new implementation plan |
review | Summarize existing plan with status |
update | Modify phases, status, or timeline |
Plan Creation Flow
Contract → Backlog → Brainstorm/Strategy priority → Learnings → Project Knowledge
→ Plan Type Selection → Strategy/Roadmap context → Architecture → Phases → Rules check
→ Save → Activate → Roadmap auto-update0. Rules Pre-flight (v1.5.4)
Before any step executes, the agent re-reads .agent/rules.md from disk to restore rule context. This is part of the Defense-in-Depth Layer 3 protection.
Key Steps
- Read Project Contract — Goal, deadline, DoD from
project.md - Read Backlog — Feature scope, priorities, status distribution
- Check Brainstorm Context (v1.5.0) — Auto-discovers recent brainstorm outputs. Strategy priority (D7, v1.6.3): Checks
strategyfield inproject.md. If strategy is newer than brainstorm → skip brainstorm (already distilled). Allows cross-project strategy resolution. - Scan Learnings Index — Cross-references
Areas/Learning/README.mdwith project tech stack. Reads matched lessons (max 3). - Scan Project Knowledge Base (v1.5.3) — Reads docs index, active RFCs, architecture baseline, workspace and project rules.
Plan Type Selection (v1.6.3)
Step 2.8 auto-detects context by examining the strategy and roadmap fields in project.md and presents a choice:
📐 What type of plan to create?
1. 🗺️ Roadmap — Phases + timeline overview (multi-version/feature index)
2. 📋 Detail Plan — Tasks + implementation details (1 version/feature)
Context:
📄 Strategy: [exists: N files / none]
🗺️ Roadmap: [exists: X phases, Y done / none]
📋 Detail Plans: [N active, M archived]If a roadmap exists, smart-suggests creating a Detail Plan for the next unplanned phase.
Strategy & Roadmap Context Loading (v1.6.3)
Step 2.9 runs when Detail Plan is chosen AND roadmap/strategy fields have values:
- Roadmap phase context — extracts target phase scope and deliverables
- Strategy context — extracts strategy summary as design constraint
Architecture & Phases
- Design Architecture — Component diagram (ASCII), tech stack table. Extends existing architecture baseline if found.
- Define Phases — 4-7 sequential phases (Phase 0 = Setup, Final = Polish)
- Map Backlog → Phases — Links backlog items to implementation phases.
- Rule Impact Check (v1.5.3) — Auto-adds sync tasks if plan modifies rules/kernel.
- Write Plan File — Saves to
artifacts/plans/[plan-name].md - Activate + Roadmap Auto-update — Sets
active_plan, updates roadmap phase status
Cross-project plan activation (v1.6.0+): If the plan is stored in an ecosystem meta-project, offers @{ecosystem}/plans/ cross-project reference.
Phase Structure
| Rule | Description |
|---|---|
| Phase 0 | Always “Setup & Infrastructure” |
| Phase 1–N | Core feature phases in dependency order |
| Final | Always “Polish & Extras” |
Roadmap Plan Template (v1.6.1)
Roadmaps use a different template — living documents that index detail plans:
- Naming:
[scope]-roadmap.md - Never set as
active_plan - Never archived to
done/ - Auto-updated when detail plans are activated or completed
Plan Review
/plan [project-name] review displays a status table cross-referenced with done.md.
Roadmap Lifecycle (v1.6.3)
After archiving a completed plan, /plan review checks the roadmap field in project.md and auto-updates the roadmap using the Path Resolution Convention:
- Marks completed phase as ✅ Done
- Finds next phase without a detail plan
- Suggests creating a new detail plan for that phase
Plan Archiving
When all phases reach 100%, prompts for confirmation:
- Moves plan to
plans/done/ - Creates completion review
- Removes
active_planfromproject.md - Updates roadmap phase status (v1.6.1)
- Suggests
/retro
Integration Points
| Workflow | Relationship |
|---|---|
/brainstorm | Plan auto-discovers brainstorm outputs (Step 3) |
/docs | Strategy docs feed planning context (Step 2.9, v1.6.1) |
/learn | Plan scans learning index for relevant lessons (Step 4) |
docs/ | Plan reads docs index + RFCs + architecture baseline (Step 5) |
/open | Open reads active_plan to show current phase |
/end | End checks plan completion, roadmap sync (v1.6.1) |
/verify | Verify checks task completion against plan |
Updated in v1.6.3. Field-gated Strategy/Roadmap context loading and auto-update (v1.6.3).
→ Brainstorm Guide — Ideation before planning → Learn: Planning with Backlog → Learn: Strategy → Plan Flow → Learn: Ecosystem Architecture