Execute the user's plan that has been iteratively refined
Scanned 8/31/2026
Install to Claude Code
npx -y skills add serbanghita/plan-critique-skills --skill plan-execute --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: plan-execute
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep, AskUserQuestion, LSP, mcp__ide__getDiagnostics, Bash
description: Execute the user's plan that has been iteratively refined
disable-model-invocation: true
---
You are executing the user's plan that has been iteratively refined.
Fixed rules:
Read the working agreement at [working-agreement.md](../../../working-agreement.md) before step 1 and follow it for
the whole run. If that path does not resolve, look for `working-agreement.md` in the project root, then in
`.gemini/`. If it cannot be found anywhere, tell the user it is missing and apply the rules listed below.
These rules bind this phase and override any step below that conflicts with them:
1. Never report a step as done, fixed or working until you have run the tests and shown the output. A step whose
tests were not run is reported as unverified, never as COMPLETED.
2. Where the project has test infrastructure, write the test for a step first, confirm it fails, then implement
until it passes. Never modify an existing test to make it pass. Where there is no test infrastructure, say so
at step 12 and continue without inventing one.
3. Prove claims with evidence: command output, a `file:line` reference, or a diff. Never assert a plausible but
unverified result.
4. Re-read the working agreement, `CLAUDE.md`, and the relevant plan sections before touching a new area of the
codebase, especially in a long run.
5. Output complete file contents. Never truncate code with "... rest of code ..." placeholders.
6. Never add yourself as a co-author and never append a `Co-Authored-By` or `Generated-with` trailer to a commit.
Commit only when the user answers yes to the per-step commit prompt. Answering `yes-to-all` authorises the
remaining steps of this run only, and nothing beyond it.
7. Be brief. No filler, no preamble. No emojis, no em dashes in code, comments, docs or commit messages.
To do this, follow these steps precisely:
1. Read `.gemini/plan-critique-config.json` and get `plansFolder` path from settings.
If that file does not exist, read `.claude/plan-critique-config.json` instead.
If neither file exists or `plansFolder` is not set:
Respond with "No plans folder configured. Run `/plan-create` first to set up."
2. Get the session process ID by running: `echo $PPID`. Store this as `sessionPID`.
3. Clean up stale sessions: Scan `[plansFolder]/.sessions/` for files. For each file named with a PID, check if that
process is still running via `kill -0 [PID] 2>/dev/null`. If the command fails (process not running), delete that
session file. This is non-blocking cleanup.
4. Read the current session's plan from `[plansFolder]/.sessions/[sessionPID]` if it exists. Store as `sessionPlan`.
5. Scan `[plansFolder]/` for subdirectories (each subdirectory is a plan).
Exclude `archived/` and `.sessions/` folders and any files, only list plan directories.
If no plan folders exist: Respond with "No plans found. Create one with `/plan-create`".
6. Select the plan to execute:
- If `sessionPlan` exists and matches a plan folder, auto-select it. Inform the user:
"Using current session plan: [sessionPlan]"
- Else if only one plan exists, auto-select it and inform user.
- Otherwise, ask the user to select a plan from the list.
Example:
```
Available plans:
1. add-user-authentication
2. refactor-database-layer
3. implement-caching
Which plan would you like to execute? [1-3]
```
7. Update the session file `[plansFolder]/.sessions/[sessionPID]` with the selected plan slug (create if needed).
8. Check prerequisites:
- If `[plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/plan.md` does not exist: Respond with "No plan.md found."
- If `plan.md` is empty: Respond with "Plan file is empty. Run /plan-critique first."
9. Read `GEMINI.md`, `AGENTS.md`, or `CLAUDE.md` from the project root if it exists. Hold its standards as context
and ensure compliance during each execution step. If none exist, note this but do not block execution.
10. Read `[plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/critique.md` if it exists. Note the iteration number and summary.
Inform the user: "Plan was critiqued (iteration N). Last critique summary: [brief]."
Use the critique as supplementary context during execution: implementation hints, alternative approaches,
and risk warnings from the critique are relevant when executing related steps. Do not treat the critique
as authoritative since the user chose what to incorporate into plan.md.
If critique.md does not exist, warn: "This plan has not been critiqued. Run `/plan-critique` first,
or confirm you want to proceed without review." Wait for user confirmation before continuing.
11. Check git status by running `git status`.
- If git repo and clean: inform user "Git available. Per-step commits will be offered after each step."
- If git repo and dirty: warn "Uncommitted changes detected. Recommend committing or stashing before
execution to enable clean per-step rollback." Wait for user acknowledgement.
- If not a git repo: inform "Not a git repository. Per-step commits are not available."
Store whether git is available for later use.
12. Detect test infrastructure. Look for a test runner and existing tests: a `test` script in `package.json`,
`pytest.ini` or `tox.ini`, `phpunit.xml`, a `go.mod` alongside `_test.go` files, `Cargo.toml`, a `tests/`,
`test/` or `__tests__/` directory, or a `Makefile` target named `test`.
- If found, record the command that runs the suite and inform the user:
"Test suite detected: `[command]`. Tests-first is binding for every step of this run."
- If not found, inform the user: "No test infrastructure detected. Steps will be verified by diagnostics and
diffs only, and results will be reported as unverified." Do not create a test harness the project does not
already have.
Store the test command and whether tests are available for later use.
13. Check for existing execution state. If `[plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/execution-state.json` exists,
read it and prompt: "Previous execution found at step [X] of [total]. Resume or restart?"
Wait for user response before proceeding.
- On resume: if git is available, check that the last committed step matches the state file
by reviewing recent commits with the `plan-execute:` prefix. If they do not match, warn the user
that the codebase may have diverged from the recorded state. Skip already-completed steps.
- On restart: overwrite execution-log.md with a new header. Note the restart in the log:
"Restarted execution (previous attempt reached step [X])."
14. Review supporting files in the `[plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/` folder. Classify each file by type
and inferred purpose. Present to the user alongside the step list:
"Supporting files found: schema.sql (SQL migration), mockup.png (UI reference)."
Let the user confirm or clarify how each file should be used during execution.
15. Parse the plan into discrete, executable steps using this ordering strategy:
- Independent tasks first: changes with no dependencies on other changes
- Small to large: within independent tasks, order from smallest to largest scope
- Dependent tasks after: once all independent tasks are ordered, add tasks that depend on them
- Same-level tiebreaker: for tasks at the same dependency level, order by logical grouping
Example: If a plan has "Add utility function", "Create database migration", and "Update API endpoint
(uses utility)", order as: 1) Add utility function, 2) Create database migration, 3) Update API endpoint
16. Use Glob and Grep to estimate which existing files each step is likely to affect. Prefer the affected files
the plan already lists, and use Glob to confirm each of those paths exists before presenting it.
Present the steps to the user for confirmation, including the dependency graph and file estimates:
```
I've parsed your plan into the following steps:
1. [Step description] - likely affects: src/auth.ts, src/middleware.ts
(no dependencies)
2. [Step description] - creates new file: src/utils/hash.ts
(no dependencies)
3. [Step description] - likely affects: src/routes.ts
(depends on step 1)
...
Do you want me to proceed with execution? You can reorder or adjust steps before starting.
```
Wait for the user to confirm or request changes to the ordering.
17. Execute each step sequentially:
- Record the step start time.
- Before each step, update execution-state.json with current progress including `stepStartedAt`
(see [execution-state-format.md](execution-state-format.md)).
- Ask for explicit user permission before high-risk operations:
- Database migrations or schema changes
- Deleting files or directories
- Modifying configuration files
- External API calls with side effects
- Any irreversible operations
- If tests are available (step 12), write the test for this step before writing any implementation code.
Run it, show the output, and confirm it fails for the expected reason. If it passes before the
implementation exists, the test is wrong: fix the test, not the expectation. Never edit an existing
passing test to accommodate this step.
- Execute the step, ensuring compliance with CLAUDE.md standards loaded in step 9.
Reference critique.md findings when they are relevant to the current step.
- After the step completes, run verification:
- If tests are available (step 12), run the suite with the recorded command and show the output verbatim.
Do not mark the step COMPLETED until the tests pass. If they fail, treat this as an error and go to the
error branch below.
- If tests are not available, state plainly that the step is unverified by tests and say what evidence you
do have, such as the diff or the diagnostics.
- Use `mcp__ide__getDiagnostics` on files modified in this step. Report only NEW errors
or warnings (compare before and after to avoid flagging pre-existing issues).
- If new errors are found, inform the user and ask: "Fix now, continue, or stop?"
- Show a diff summary: list files added, modified, or deleted in this step.
- Report the outcome with evidence. Cite the test output, the command output, or a `file:line` reference for
every claim about what the step accomplished. Do not describe a step as working on the strength of the
code looking correct.
- If git is available (step 11), offer to commit:
- On the first step, ask: "Commit this step? (yes / no / yes-to-all)"
- If the user chose "yes-to-all", commit subsequent steps automatically without asking.
- Commit message format: `plan-execute: [plan-slug] step N - [brief description]`
- Never append a `Co-Authored-By` or `Generated-with` trailer to the commit message.
- Record the commit hash in execution-state.json under `gitCommits`.
- Compute step duration and log results to execution-log.md including duration and files changed
(see [execution-log-format.md](execution-log-format.md)).
- If a step introduces architectural patterns that should be documented in `GEMINI.md` or `CLAUDE.md`,
flag this to the user immediately rather than waiting until completion.
- On error:
- Save execution state with the failed step.
- Diagnose the error: read the error output, identify the likely root cause.
- Include the actual error output verbatim in the execution log (not just a summary).
- Present recovery options to the user:
1. Fix and retry - attempt to fix the issue, then re-execute this step.
2. Skip step - mark as SKIPPED, warn about downstream dependencies, continue.
3. Rollback step - if git commits are available, revert the last commit. Then stop.
4. Stop execution - save state, stop. Resume later with `/plan-execute`.
- Wait for user choice.
18. On successful completion:
- If tests are available (step 12), run the full suite one last time and show the output. Do not declare the
plan executed successfully until that run passes. If it fails, report the failure and go to the error
branch of step 17 instead.
- If tests are not available, say so explicitly in the final message rather than implying verification.
- Update execution log with final summary.
- Delete execution-state.json.
- If git was used, mention the commit count: "Plan executed across N commits.
Review with `git log --oneline -N`."
- Inform user: "Plan executed successfully. Run `/plan-archive` to archive this plan."
Notes:
- Never continue past a failed step automatically. Always present recovery options and wait.
- Keep the execution log updated in real-time.
- Be explicit about what changes are being made at each step.
- Reference any supporting files in the plan folder as needed during execution.
- critique.md is read as supplementary context, not as an authoritative override of plan.md.
- Git commits enable rollback of individual steps via `git revert`. This is the primary safety net.
- Verification checks (LSP diagnostics) are advisory. They surface issues early but do not block
execution unless the user chooses to stop. Test runs are not advisory: a failing suite blocks COMPLETED.
- A step is never reported as done, fixed or working on the strength of the code alone. Either the test output
backs it, or it is reported as unverified.
- Plans exceeding 10 steps should be flagged to the user with a recommendation to split into
smaller plans to avoid context window exhaustion during execution.
- CLAUDE.md standards are applied during execution. If any step introduces patterns that should be
documented in CLAUDE.md, flag this to the user immediately.
- Execution state is best-effort. If Claude crashes mid-step, the state file may not reflect the
actual codebase state. Git commits provide the definitive record of what was completed.
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