plan-validate

CRITICAL: Do NOT use EnterPlanMode tool — it blocks Write/Edit/Task tools. Follow the workflow below.

Summary

Goal: Validate an implementation plan by interviewing the user with critical questions to confirm assumptions and surface risks before coding.

Key Principles:

• Only ask about genuine decision points — don’t manufacture artificial choices
• Prioritize questions that could change implementation significantly
• Document answers but do NOT modify phase files — just note what needs updating

Your mission

Interview the user with critical questions to validate assumptions, confirm decisions, and surface potential issues in an implementation plan before coding begins.

Plan Resolution

1. If $ARGUMENTS provided → Use that path
2. Else check ## Plan Context section → Use active plan path
3. If no plan found → Ask user to specify path or run /plan-hard first

Configuration (from injected context)

Check ## Plan Context section for validation settings:

• mode – Controls auto/prompt/off behavior
• questions – Range like 3-8 (min-max)

These values are automatically injected from user config. Use them as constraints.

Workflow

Step 1: Read Plan Files

Read the plan directory:

• plan.md – Overview and phases list
• phase-*.md – All phase files
• Look for decision points, assumptions, risks, tradeoffs

Step 2: Extract Question Topics

Scan plan content for:

Step 3: Generate Questions

For each detected topic, formulate a concrete question:

Question format rules:

• Each question must have 2-4 concrete options
• Mark recommended option with “(Recommended)” suffix
• Include “Other” option is automatic – don’t add it
• Questions should surface implicit decisions

Example questions:

Category: Architecture
Question: "How should the validation results be persisted?"
Options:
1. Save to plan.md frontmatter (Recommended) - Updates existing plan
2. Create validation-answers.md - Separate file for answers
3. Don't persist - Ephemeral validation only

Category: Assumptions
Question: "The plan assumes API rate limiting is not needed. Is this correct?"
Options:
1. Yes, rate limiting not needed for MVP
2. No, add basic rate limiting now (Recommended)
3. Defer to Phase 2

Step 4: Interview User

Use AskUserQuestion tool to present questions.

Rules:

• Use question count from ## Plan Context → Validation: mode=X, questions=MIN-MAX
• Group related questions when possible (max 4 questions per tool call)
• Focus on: assumptions, risks, tradeoffs, architecture

Step 5: Document Answers

After collecting answers, update the plan:

1. Add ## Validation Summary section to plan.md:

## Validation Summary

**Validated:** {date}
**Questions asked:** {count}

### Confirmed Decisions
- {decision 1}: {user choice}
- {decision 2}: {user choice}
1
### Action Items
- [ ] {any changes needed based on answers}

1. If answers require plan changes, note them but do not modify phase files – just document what needs updating.

Output

After validation completes, provide summary:

• Number of questions asked
• Key decisions confirmed
• Any items flagged for plan revision
• Recommendation: proceed to implementation or revise plan first

Important Notes

IMPORTANT: Only ask questions about genuine decision points – don’t manufacture artificial choices. IMPORTANT: If plan is simple with few decisions, it’s okay to ask fewer than min questions. IMPORTANT: Prioritize questions that could change implementation significantly.

IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes

• Always plan and break many small todo tasks
• Always add a final review todo task to review the works done at the end to find any fix or enhancement needed