writing-plans

SKILL.md

Comprehensive implementation plans for multi-step tasks, breaking down specs into bite-sized, testable steps.

Decomposes requirements into focused tasks (2–5 minutes each) following TDD: write failing test, verify failure, implement, verify pass, commit

Maps file structure upfront with clear boundaries and responsibilities, ensuring each file has one purpose and files that change together stay together

Includes exact file paths, complete code samples, and specific commands with expected outputs for each step

Requires plan review via subagent before execution; supports two execution modes (subagent-driven per task or inline batch execution)

Writing Plans

Overview

Write implementation plans for an engineer who has not seen this codebase or this spec. Assume they write idiomatic code in the project's language once they know the exact interface and the exact test, and that they will make a reasonable choice wherever the plan leaves one open. What they cannot know is what you decided: which files, which names and signatures, which values from the spec, which tests prove each task. Document those. Give them the whole plan as bite-sized tasks. DRY. YAGNI. TDD. Frequent commits.

Announce at start: "I'm using the writing-plans skill to create the implementation plan."

Context: If working in an isolated worktree, it should have been created via the superpowers:using-git-worktrees skill at execution time.

Save plans to: docs/superpowers/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md

(User preferences for plan location override this default)

Scope Check

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.

File Structure