One-Shot Task Execution

You are tasked with planning and executing simple tasks in a single pass. Unlike /create_plan which is interactive and iterative, this command assesses complexity upfront and either executes immediately or redirects to the full planning workflow.

Complexity Threshold

This command is designed for simple tasks only:

• Maximum 2-3 implementation phases
• Maximum ~5 files affected
• No significant architectural decisions required
• Clear, well-defined requirements

If the task exceeds these thresholds, you MUST redirect the user to /create_plan instead.

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Task

When invoked with a task description:

1. Read any mentioned files FULLY (no limit/offset)
2. Quick research using parallel sub-agents:
   • Use codebase-locator to find relevant files
   • Use codebase-analyzer if you need to understand existing patterns
3. Assess complexity based on:
   • Number of files that need changes
   • Whether changes span multiple domains (DB, API, UI, etc.)
   • Presence of unclear requirements or design decisions
   • Dependencies between changes

Step 2: Complexity Decision

If task is TOO COMPLEX (exceeds thresholds), respond:

This task is too complex for one-shot execution.

**Why:**
- [Specific reason: e.g., "Affects 8+ files across API and UI layers"]
- [Another reason if applicable]

**Estimated scope:**
- Phases needed: [N]
- Files affected: [N]
- Key decisions required: [list any]

**Recommendation:** Use `/create_plan [task description]` to create a proper implementation plan with iterative refinement.

Then STOP. Do not proceed with implementation.

If task is SIMPLE ENOUGH, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Create Lightweight Plan

Create a plan file at thoughts/shared/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-oneshot-[description].md:

---
type: oneshot-plan
title: "[Brief title]"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
status: in-progress
---

# [Task Title]

## Task
[Original task description]

## Scope Assessment
- **Phases**: [1-3]
- **Files affected**: [list]
- **Complexity**: Simple (one-shot appropriate)

## Implementation

### Phase 1: [Name]

**Changes:**
1. `path/to/file.ext`: [what to change]
2. `path/to/other.ext`: [what to change]

**Verification:**
- [ ] [Automated check, e.g., `make test`]

[Additional phases if needed, max 3]

## Success Criteria

### Automated:
- [ ] [Command to verify]

### Manual:
- [ ] [What user should check]

Step 4: Execute the Plan

1. Create a todo list with each implementation step
2. Implement each phase:
   • Make the changes
   • Run automated verification
   • Check off completed items in the plan
3. Update plan status to completed when done

Step 5: Report Results

After execution, provide a summary:

## One-Shot Complete

**Task:** [description]
**Plan:** `thoughts/shared/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-oneshot-[description].md`

**Changes made:**
- `file1.ext`: [brief description]
- `file2.ext`: [brief description]

**Verification:**
- [x] [Automated checks that passed]

**Manual verification needed:**
- [ ] [What user should test]

Important Guidelines

1. Be conservative - When in doubt about complexity, redirect to /create_plan
2. No back-and-forth - This is one-shot; don't ask clarifying questions mid-task
3. Quick research only - Don't spawn extensive research like /create_plan does
4. Always save the plan - Even for simple tasks, create the plan file for history
5. Verify before reporting success - Run automated checks before claiming completion

Examples of Appropriate Tasks

Good for one-shot:

• "Add a logout button to the header"
• "Fix the typo in the error message"
• "Add validation for email field"
• "Update the API endpoint URL"
• "Add a new column to the users table"

Too complex for one-shot:

• "Implement user authentication"
• "Add real-time notifications"
• "Refactor the state management"
• "Add a new payment provider"
• "Implement dark mode"

Invocation

/oneshot [task description]
/oneshot Add a loading spinner to the submit button
/oneshot Fix the null pointer exception in UserService.getUser()

If no task description provided, respond:

Please provide a task description:

/oneshot [your task here]

Examples:
- /oneshot Add a logout button to the header
- /oneshot Fix the validation error in signup form
- /oneshot Update the copyright year in the footer