plan

STOP — DO NOT READ THIS FILE. You are already reading it. This prompt was injected into your context by Claude Code's plugin system. Using the Read tool on this SKILL.md file wastes ~7,600 tokens. Begin executing Step 1 immediately.

/pbr:plan — Phase Planning

You are the orchestrator for /pbr:plan. This skill creates detailed, executable plans for a specific phase. Plans are the bridge between the roadmap and actual code — they must be specific enough for an executor agent to follow mechanically. Your job is to stay lean, delegate heavy work to Task() subagents, and keep the user's main context window clean.

Context Budget

Reference: skills/shared/context-budget.md for the universal orchestrator rules.

Additionally for this skill:

• Minimize reading subagent output — read only plan frontmatter for summaries
• Delegate all research and planning work to subagents — the orchestrator routes, it doesn't plan

Step 0 — Immediate Output

Before ANY tool calls, display this banner:

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  PLAN-BUILD-RUN ► PLANNING PHASE {N}                         ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Where {N} is the phase number from $ARGUMENTS. Then proceed to Step 1.

Prerequisites

• .planning/config.json exists (run /pbr:begin first)
• .planning/ROADMAP.md exists with at least one phase
• .planning/REQUIREMENTS.md exists

---

Argument Parsing

Parse $ARGUMENTS according to skills/shared/phase-argument-parsing.md.

Standard Invocation

/pbr:plan <N> — Plan phase N

Parse the phase number and optional flags:

Argument	Meaning
3	Plan phase 3
3 --skip-research	Plan phase 3, skip research step
3 --assumptions	Surface assumptions before planning phase 3
3 --gaps	Create gap-closure plans for phase 3 (from VERIFICATION.md)
3 --teams	Plan phase 3 using specialist agent teams
3 --model opus	Use opus for all researcher, planner, and checker spawns in phase 3
(no number)	Use current phase from STATE.md
3 --preview	Preview what planning would produce for phase 3 without spawning agents

Subcommands

Subcommand	Meaning
add	Append a new phase to the end of the roadmap
insert <N>	Insert a new phase at position N (uses decimal numbering)
remove <N>	Remove phase N from the roadmap

Freeform Text Guard — CRITICAL

STOP. Before ANY context loading or Step 1 work, you MUST check whether $ARGUMENTS looks like freeform text rather than a valid invocation. This check is non-negotiable. Valid patterns are:

• Empty (no arguments)
• A phase number: integer (3, 03) or decimal (3.1)
• A subcommand: add, insert <N>, remove <N>
• A phase number followed by flags: 3 --skip-research, 3 --assumptions, 3 --gaps, 3 --teams
• The word check (legacy alias)

If $ARGUMENTS does NOT match any of these patterns — i.e., it contains freeform words that are not a recognized subcommand or flag — then stop execution and respond:

`/pbr:plan` expects a phase number or subcommand.

Usage:
  /pbr:plan <N>              Plan phase N
  /pbr:plan <N> --gaps       Create gap-closure plans
  /pbr:plan add              Add a new phase
  /pbr:plan insert <N>       Insert a phase at position N
  /pbr:plan remove <N>       Remove phase N

Then suggest the appropriate skill based on the text content:

If the text looks like...	Suggest
A task, idea, or feature request	/pbr:todo to capture it, or /pbr:explore to investigate
A bug or debugging request	/pbr:debug to investigate the issue
A review or quality concern	/pbr:review to assess existing work
Anything else	/pbr:explore for open-ended work

Do NOT proceed with planning. The user needs to use the correct skill.

Self-check: If you reach Step 1 without having matched a valid argument pattern above, you have a bug. Stop immediately and show the usage block.

---

Orchestration Flow: Standard Planning

Execute these steps in order for standard /pbr:plan <N> invocations.

---

Step 1: Parse and Validate (inline)

Reference: skills/shared/config-loading.md for the tooling shortcut (state load, plan-index, phase-info) and config field reference.

1. Parse $ARGUMENTS for phase number and flags
   • If --model <value> is present in $ARGUMENTS, extract the value (sonnet, opus, haiku, inherit). Store as override_model. When spawning researcher, planner, and plan-checker Task() agents, use override_model instead of the config-derived model values. If an invalid value is provided, display an error and list valid values.
2. Read .planning/config.json for settings (see config-loading.md for field reference) CRITICAL (hook-enforced): Write .active-skill NOW. Write the text "plan" to .planning/.active-skill using the Write tool.
3. Resolve depth profile: run node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js config resolve-depth to get the effective feature/gate settings for the current depth. Store the result for use in later gating decisions.
4. Validate:
   • Phase exists in ROADMAP.md
   • Phase directory exists at .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/
   • Phase does not already have PLAN.md files (unless user confirms re-planning)
5. If no phase number given, read current phase from .planning/STATE.md
6. CONTEXT.md existence check: If the phase is non-trivial (has 2+ requirements or success criteria), check whether a CONTEXT.md exists at EITHER .planning/CONTEXT.md (project-level) OR .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/CONTEXT.md (phase-level). If NEITHER exists, warn: "Phase {N} has no CONTEXT.md. Consider running /pbr:discuss {N} first to capture your preferences. Continue anyway?" If user says no, stop. If yes, continue. If at least one exists, proceed without warning.

--preview mode

If --preview is present in $ARGUMENTS:

1. Detect the --preview flag and extract the phase number.

2. Render the following dry-run banner:

   ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
   ║  DRY RUN — /pbr:plan {N} --preview                           ║
   ║  No researchers or planners will be spawned                  ║
   ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
   

3. Show the 5 steps that would occur:

   1. Parse ROADMAP.md for phase {N} goal, dependencies, and requirements
   2. Spawn researcher agents to investigate codebase and gather context
   3. Spawn planner agent to write PLAN files based on research
   4. Run plan-checker to validate structure and completeness
   5. Present plans for your approval before building

4. Show estimated agent spawns: ~2-4 agents (1-2 researchers + 1 planner + 1 plan-checker)

5. Show output location: .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/PLAN-NN.md

6. STOP — do not proceed to Step 2.

---

If phase already has plans:

• Use AskUserQuestion (pattern: yes-no from skills/shared/gate-prompts.md): question: "Phase {N} already has plans. Re-plan from scratch?" header: "Re-plan?" options:
  • label: "Yes" description: "Delete existing plans and create new ones"
  • label: "No" description: "Keep existing plans unchanged"
• If "Yes": delete existing PLAN.md files in the phase directory
• If "No" or "Other": stop

---

Step 2: Load Context (inline)

Init-first pattern: When spawning agents, pass the output of node plugins/pbr/scripts/pbr-tools.js init plan-phase {N} as context rather than having the agent read multiple files separately. This reduces file reads and prevents context-loading failures.

Read context file PATHS and metadata. Build lean context bundles for subagent prompts — include paths and one-line descriptions, NOT full file bodies. Agents have the Read tool and will pull file contents on-demand.

1. Read .planning/ROADMAP.md — extract current phase goal, dependencies, requirements
2. Read .planning/REQUIREMENTS.md — extract requirements mapped to this phase
3. Read .planning/CONTEXT.md (if exists) — extract only the `## Decision Summary` section (everything from `## Decision Summary` to the next `##` heading). If no Decision Summary section exists (legacy CONTEXT.md), fall back to extracting the full `## Decisions (LOCKED...)` and `## Deferred Ideas` sections.
4. Read .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/CONTEXT.md (if exists) — extract only the `## Decision Summary` section. Fall back to full locked decisions + deferred sections if no Decision Summary exists.
5. Read .planning/config.json — extract feature flags, depth, model settings
6. List prior SUMMARY.md file paths and extract frontmatter metadata only (status, provides, key_files). Do NOT read full SUMMARY bodies — agents pull these on-demand via Read tool.
7. Read .planning/research/SUMMARY.md (if exists) — extract research findings

Digest-select depth for prior SUMMARYs (Step 6):

Reference: skills/shared/digest-select.md for the full depth rules and examples. In short: direct dependencies get frontmatter + key decisions, transitive get frontmatter only, 2+ back get skipped.

Collect all of this into a context bundle that will be passed to subagents.

---

Step 3: Assumption Surfacing (inline, if --assumptions flag)

IMPORTANT: This step is FREE (no subagents). It happens entirely inline.

Before spawning any agents, present 4 assumptions to the user — one each for: approach (how the phase will be implemented), key technology, architecture, and scope boundary. For each, ask the user to confirm or correct. Record corrections as new CONTEXT.md locked decisions. After all assumptions are confirmed/corrected, continue to Step 4.

---

Step 4: Phase Research (delegated, conditional)

Skip this step if ANY of these are true:

• --skip-research flag is set
• --gaps flag is set
• Depth profile has features.research_phase: false

To check: run node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js config resolve-depth and read profile["features.research_phase"]. This replaces checking features.research_phase and depth separately -- the depth profile already incorporates both.

Conditional research (standard/balanced mode): When the profile has features.research_phase: true, also check whether .planning/codebase/ or .planning/research/ already contains relevant context for this phase. If substantial context exists (>3 files in codebase/ or a RESEARCH.md mentioning this phase's technologies), skip research and note: "Skipping research -- existing context found in {directory}." This implements the balanced mode's "conditional research" behavior.

If research is needed:

Display to the user: ◐ Spawning researcher...

Spawn a researcher Task():

Task({
  subagent_type: "pbr:researcher",
  prompt: <phase research prompt>
})

NOTE: The pbr:researcher subagent type auto-loads the agent definition. Do NOT inline it.

Path resolution: Before constructing the agent prompt, resolve ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} to its absolute path. Do not pass the variable literally in prompts — Task() contexts may not expand it. Use the resolved absolute path for any pbr-tools.js or template references included in the prompt.

Phase Research Prompt Template

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/researcher-prompt.md.tmpl and use it as the prompt template for spawning the researcher agent. Fill in the placeholders with phase-specific context:

• {NN} - phase number (zero-padded)
• {phase name} - phase name from roadmap
• {goal from roadmap} - phase goal statement
• {REQ-IDs mapped to this phase} - requirement IDs
• {dependencies from roadmap} - dependency list
• Fill <project_context> and <prior_work> blocks per the shared partial (templates/prompt-partials/phase-project-context.md.tmpl): Decision Summary for context, manifest table for prior work

Prepend this block to the researcher prompt before sending:

<files_to_read>
CRITICAL (no hook): Read these files BEFORE any other action:
1. .planning/ROADMAP.md — phase goals, dependencies, and structure
2. .planning/REQUIREMENTS.md — scoped requirements for this phase (if exists)
</files_to_read>

Wait for the researcher to complete before proceeding.

After the researcher completes, check the Task() output for a completion marker:

• If ## RESEARCH COMPLETE is present: proceed to planner
• If ## RESEARCH BLOCKED is present: warn the user that research could not complete, ask if they want to proceed with limited context or stop
• If neither marker is present: warn that researcher may not have completed successfully, but proceed

---

Step 4.5: Pre-Planner Briefing (delegated)

CRITICAL (no hook): Run pre-planner briefing before spawning the planner. Do NOT skip this step.

Consolidate seed scanning and deferred idea surfacing into a single lightweight Task():

Task({
  subagent_type: "pbr:general",
  model: "haiku",
  prompt: "Pre-planner briefing for Phase {NN} ({phase-slug}).

1. SEED SCANNING:
   Run: `node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js seeds match {phase-slug} {phase-number}`
   If `matched` is non-empty, output a ## Seeds section listing each seed name, description, and content.
   If empty, output: ## Seeds\nNo matching seeds found.

2. DEFERRED IDEAS:
   Read `.planning/CONTEXT.md`. If it has a section containing 'deferred' or 'ideas' (case-insensitive),
   extract items that mention Phase {NN} or keywords matching the phase slug.
   If relevant items found, output a ## Deferred Ideas section listing them.
   If none found, output: ## Deferred Ideas\nNo relevant deferred items.

Output format: Return both sections as markdown. End with ## BRIEFING COMPLETE."
})

After the Task() completes:

• If ## Seeds section contains matches:

  • If gates.confirm_seeds is true in config: present them to the user via AskUserQuestion (pattern: yes-no-pick from skills/shared/gate-prompts.md): question: "Include these {N} seeds in planning?" header: "Seeds?" options: - label: "Yes, all" description: "Include all {N} matching seeds" - label: "Let me pick" description: "Choose which seeds to include" - label: "No" description: "Proceed without seeds"
    • If "Yes, all": include seed content in planner context
    • If "Let me pick": present individual seeds for selection
    • If "No": proceed without seeds
  • If gates.confirm_seeds is false (default): automatically include all matching seeds in planner context without prompting. Log: "Including {N} seeds automatically (gates.confirm_seeds=false)."

• If ## Deferred Ideas section has items:

  • If gates.confirm_deferred is true in config: present via AskUserQuestion (pattern: yes-no from skills/shared/gate-prompts.md): question: "Include these deferred ideas in planning context?"
    • If "Yes": append to planner context under Deferred ideas to consider:
    • If "No": proceed without changes
  • If gates.confirm_deferred is false (default): automatically append deferred ideas to planner context without prompting. Log: "Including deferred ideas automatically (gates.confirm_deferred=false)."

• If both sections are empty: proceed silently to Step 5 (no AskUserQuestion needed)

---

Step 5: Planning (delegated)

Team Mode (--teams)

If --teams flag is set OR config.parallelization.use_teams is true, spawn 3 parallel planner agents (architect, security, test) then a synthesizer to merge their outputs. See references/agent-teams.md for agent role definitions, output paths (.planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/team/), and prompt content for each role.

If --teams is NOT set and config.parallelization.use_teams is false or unset, proceed with the single-planner flow below.

Single-Planner Flow (default)

Learnings injection (opt-in): Check for planning and estimation learnings before spawning the planner:

node {resolved_plugin_root}/scripts/pbr-tools.js learnings query --tags "estimation,planning,process" 2>/dev/null

If non-empty JSON array returned:

• Write to temp file and note as {learnings_temp_path}:

  node {resolved_plugin_root}/scripts/pbr-tools.js learnings query --tags "estimation,planning,process" > /tmp/pbr-learnings-$$.md
  

• Add as an additional files_to_read item in the planner prompt below

If no learnings or command fails: omit.

Display to the user: ◐ Spawning planner...

Spawn the planner Task() with all context inlined:

Task({
  subagent_type: "pbr:planner",
  prompt: <planning prompt>
})

NOTE: The pbr:planner subagent type auto-loads the agent definition.

After planner completes, check for completion markers: `## PLANNING COMPLETE`, `## PLANNING FAILED`, or `## PLANNING INCONCLUSIVE`. Route accordingly. Do NOT inline it.

Path resolution: Before constructing the agent prompt, resolve ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} to its absolute path. Do not pass the variable literally in prompts — Task() contexts may not expand it. Use the resolved absolute path for any pbr-tools.js or template references included in the prompt.

Planning Prompt Template

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/planner-prompt.md.tmpl and use it as the prompt template for spawning the planner agent. Fill in all placeholder blocks with phase-specific context:

• <phase_context> - phase number, directory, goal, requirements, dependencies, success criteria
• <project_context> - locked decisions, user constraints, deferred ideas, phase-specific decisions
• <prior_work> - manifest table of preceding phase SUMMARY.md file paths with status and one-line exports (NOT full bodies)
• <research> - file path to RESEARCH.md if it exists (NOT inlined content)
• <config> - max tasks, parallelization, TDD mode from config.json
• <planning_instructions> - phase-specific planning rules and output path

Prepend this block to the planner prompt before sending:

<files_to_read>
CRITICAL (no hook): Read these files BEFORE any other action:
1. .planning/CONTEXT.md — locked decisions and constraints (if exists)
2. .planning/ROADMAP.md — phase goals, dependencies, and structure
3. .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/RESEARCH.md — research findings (if exists)
{if learnings_temp_path exists}4. {learnings_temp_path} — cross-project learnings (estimation and planning patterns from past PBR projects){/if}
</files_to_read>

If {learnings_temp_path} was produced in the learnings injection step above, replace {if...}{/if} with the actual line. If no learnings were found, omit item 4 entirely.

Wait for the planner to complete.

After the planner returns, read the plan files it created to extract counts. Display a completion summary:

✓ Planner created {N} plan(s) across {M} wave(s)

Where {N} is the number of PLAN.md files written and {M} is the number of distinct wave values across those plans (from frontmatter).

Step 5b: Spot-Check Planner Output

CRITICAL (no hook): Verify planner output before proceeding.

1. PLAN files exist: Check .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/PLAN-*.md files exist on disk
2. Valid frontmatter: Read first 20 lines of each PLAN file — verify depends_on, files_modified, must_haves fields present
3. Task structure: Verify at least one <task> block exists in each plan file
4. Plan count matches: Number of PLAN files matches what the planner reported

If ANY spot-check fails, present the user with options: Retry / Continue anyway / Abort

---

Step 6: Plan Validation (delegated, conditional)

Skip this step if:

• Depth profile has features.plan_checking: false

To check: use the resolved depth profile from Step 1. The profile consolidates the depth setting and any user overrides into a single boolean.

If validation is enabled:

Display to the user: ◐ Spawning plan checker...

Spawn the plan checker Task():

Task({
  subagent_type: "pbr:plan-checker",
  prompt: <checker prompt>
})

NOTE: The pbr:plan-checker subagent type auto-loads the agent definition. Do NOT inline it.

Path resolution: Before constructing the agent prompt, resolve ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} to its absolute path. Do not pass the variable literally in prompts — Task() contexts may not expand it. Use the resolved absolute path for any pbr-tools.js or template references included in the prompt.

Checker Prompt Template

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/checker-prompt.md.tmpl and use it as the prompt template for spawning the plan checker agent. Fill in the placeholders:

• <plans_to_check> - manifest table of PLAN.md file paths (checker reads each via Read tool)
• <phase_context> - phase goal and requirement IDs
• <context> - file paths to project-level and phase-level CONTEXT.md files (checker reads via Read tool)

Prepend this block to the checker prompt before sending:

<files_to_read>
CRITICAL (no hook): Read these files BEFORE any other action:
1. .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/PLAN-*.md — plan files to validate
2. .planning/CONTEXT.md — locked decisions to check against (if exists)
</files_to_read>

Process checker results:

After the plan checker returns, display its result:

• If VERIFICATION PASSED: display ✓ Plan checker: all plans passed and proceed to Step 8
• If issues found: display ⚠ Plan checker found {N} issue(s) — entering revision loop and proceed to Step 7

---

Step 7: Revision Loop (max 3 iterations)

Reference: skills/shared/revision-loop.md for the full Check-Revise-Escalate pattern.

Follow the revision loop pattern with:

• Producer: planner (re-spawned with ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/revision-prompt.md.tmpl)
• Checker: plan-checker (back to Step 6)
• Escalation: present issues to user, offer "Proceed anyway" or "Adjust approach" (re-enter Step 5)

---

Step 8: User Approval (inline, conditional)

Skip if:

• gates.confirm_plan is false in config
• mode is autonomous in config

If approval is needed:

Present a summary of all plans to the user. For each plan include: plan name, wave, task count, must-haves, files_modified. For each task include the task name. Add a wave execution order summary (Wave 1: Plan 01, 02 (parallel), Wave 2: Plan 03, etc.).

Use AskUserQuestion (pattern: approve-revise-abort from skills/shared/gate-prompts.md): question: "Approve these {count} plans for Phase {N}?" header: "Approve?" options: - label: "Approve" description: "Proceed to build phase" - label: "Request changes" description: "Discuss adjustments before proceeding" - label: "Abort" description: "Cancel planning for this phase"

If user selects 'Request changes' or 'Other':

• Discuss what needs to change
• Re-enter Step 5 with updated context/constraints
• Or make small inline edits to plan files directly

If user selects 'Approve':

• CONTEXT.md compliance reporting: Check locked decisions from BOTH sources: a. Project-level: .planning/CONTEXT.md (if exists) — cross-cutting decisions for all phases b. Phase-level: .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/CONTEXT.md (if exists) — phase-specific decisions Phase-level decisions override project-level for the same decision area.

  Collect ALL locked decisions from both files (deduplicate identical decision text). Compare against the generated plan tasks. Print: CONTEXT.md compliance: {M}/{N} locked decisions mapped to tasks where M = locked decisions reflected in at least one task action, N = total unique locked decisions. If any locked decisions are unmapped, list them as warnings. If neither CONTEXT.md exists: skip this check silently.

• Dependency fingerprinting: For each dependency phase (phases that this phase depends on, per ROADMAP.md):

  1. Find all SUMMARY.md files in the dependency phase directory
  2. Compute a fingerprint string for each: "len:{bytes}-mod:{mtime}" and add as a dependency_fingerprints map in each plan's YAML frontmatter — this allows the build skill to detect stale plans if dependencies were rebuilt.

• Update ROADMAP.md Progress table (REQUIRED — do this BEFORE updating STATE.md):

  Tooling shortcut: Use the CLI for atomic updates:

  node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js roadmap update-plans {phase} 0 {N}
  node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js roadmap update-status {phase} planned
  node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js state update status planned
  node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js state update last_activity now
  

  1. Open .planning/ROADMAP.md
  2. Find the ## Progress table
  3. Locate the row matching this phase number
  4. Update the Plans Complete column to 0/{N} where N = number of plan files just created
  5. Update the Status column to planned
  6. Save the file — do NOT skip this step

• Update STATE.md via CLI (CRITICAL (no hook) — update BOTH frontmatter AND body): set status: "planned", plans_total, last_command in frontmatter AND update Status:, Plan: lines in body ## Current Position

Tooling shortcut: node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js state patch '{"status":"planned","last_command":"/pbr:plan {N}"}'

• If features.auto_advance is true AND mode is autonomous: Chain directly to build: Skill({ skill: "pbr:build", args: "{N}" }). This continues the build→review→plan→build cycle automatically.
• Otherwise: Suggest next action: /pbr:build {N}

---

Orchestration Flow: Subcommands

Subcommand: add

CRITICAL (hook-enforced): Write .active-skill NOW. Write the text "plan" to .planning/.active-skill using the Write tool.

1. Read .planning/ROADMAP.md
2. Calculate next phase number (last phase + 1)
3. Ask user: "What's the goal for this new phase?"
4. Ask user: "What requirements does it address?" (show available unassigned REQ-IDs)
5. Ask user: "What phases does it depend on?"
6. Append phase to ROADMAP.md
7. Create phase directory: .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/
8. Update STATE.md if needed
9. Suggest: /pbr:plan {N} to plan the new phase
10. Delete .planning/.active-skill if it exists.

Subcommand: insert <N>

Reference: ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/decimal-phase-calc.md for decimal numbering rules.

CRITICAL (hook-enforced): Write .active-skill NOW. Write the text "plan" to .planning/.active-skill using the Write tool.

1. Read .planning/ROADMAP.md
2. Calculate decimal phase number:
   • If inserting at position 3: becomes 3.1
   • If 3.1 already exists: becomes 3.2
   • Etc. (see decimal-phase-calc.md)
3. Ask user for phase goal, requirements, dependencies
4. Insert phase into ROADMAP.md at the correct position
5. Create phase directory: .planning/phases/{NN.M}-{slug}/
6. Update dependencies of subsequent phases if affected
7. Suggest: /pbr:plan {N.M} to plan the new phase
8. Delete .planning/.active-skill if it exists.

Subcommand: remove <N>

1. Read .planning/ROADMAP.md
2. Validate:
   • Phase must exist
   • Phase must be in pending or not started status (cannot remove completed/in-progress phases)
   • No other phases depend on this phase (or user confirms breaking dependencies)
3. CRITICAL (hook-enforced): Write .active-skill NOW. Write the text "plan" to .planning/.active-skill using the Write tool.
4. Confirm with user: "Remove Phase {N}: {name}? This will delete the phase directory and renumber subsequent phases."
5. If confirmed:
   • Delete .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/ directory
   • Remove phase from ROADMAP.md
   • Renumber subsequent phases (N+1 becomes N, etc.)
   • Update all depends_on references in ROADMAP.md
   • Update STATE.md if needed
6. Delete .planning/.active-skill if it exists.

---

Orchestration Flow: Gap Closure (--gaps)

When invoked with --gaps:

1. Read .planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/VERIFICATION.md
   • If no VERIFICATION.md exists: tell user "No verification report found. Run /pbr:review {N} first."
2. Extract all gaps from the verification report
3. Spawn planner Task() in Gap Closure mode:

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/gap-closure-prompt.md.tmpl and use it as the prompt template for the gap closure planner. Fill in the placeholders:

• <verification_report> - inline the FULL VERIFICATION.md content
• <existing_plans> - inline all existing PLAN.md files for the phase
• <gap_closure_instructions> - specify output path and gap_closure frontmatter flag

4. After gap-closure plans are created:
   • Run plan checker (if enabled)
   • Present to user for approval
   • Suggest: /pbr:build {N} --gaps-only

---

Error Handling

Phase not found

If the specified phase doesn't exist in ROADMAP.md, use conversational recovery:

1. Run: node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js suggest-alternatives phase-not-found {slug}
2. Parse the JSON response to get available phases and suggestions (closest matches).
3. Display: "Phase '{slug}' not found. Did you mean one of these?"
   • List suggestions (if any) as numbered options.
   • Offer "Show all phases" to list available.
4. Use AskUserQuestion (pattern: yes-no-pick from skills/shared/gate-prompts.md) to let the user pick a phase or abort.
   • If user picks a valid phase slug: re-run with that slug.
   • If user chooses to abort: stop cleanly with a friendly message.

Missing prerequisites

If REQUIREMENTS.md or ROADMAP.md don't exist, use conversational recovery:

1. Run: node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pbr-tools.js suggest-alternatives missing-prereq {phase}
2. Parse the JSON response to get existing_summaries, missing_summaries, and suggested_action.
3. Display what is already complete and what is missing.
4. Use AskUserQuestion to offer: "Run /pbr:build {prerequisite-phase} first, or continue anyway?"
   • If user chooses to continue: proceed with planning (note missing prereqs in plan frontmatter).
   • If user chooses to build first: stop and display the suggested build command.

Research agent fails

If the researcher Task() fails, display:

⚠ Research agent failed. Planning without phase-specific research.
  This may result in less accurate plans.

Continue to the planning step.

Planner agent fails

If the planner Task() fails, display a branded error box — see skills/shared/error-reporting.md, pattern: Planner agent failure.

Checker loops forever

After 3 revision iterations without passing, display a branded error box — see skills/shared/error-reporting.md, pattern: Checker loops. Present remaining issues and ask user to decide: proceed or intervene.

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Files Created/Modified by /pbr:plan

File	Purpose	When
.planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/RESEARCH.md	Phase-specific research	Step 4
.planning/phases/{NN}-{slug}/PLAN-{NN}.md	Executable plan files	Step 5
.planning/CONTEXT.md	Updated with assumptions	Step 3 (--assumptions)
.planning/ROADMAP.md	Plans Complete + Status → planned; updated for add/insert/remove	Step 8, Subcommands
.planning/STATE.md	Updated with plan status	Step 8

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Cleanup

Delete .planning/.active-skill if it exists. This must happen on all paths (success, partial, and failure) before reporting results.

Completion

After planning completes, present:

Use the branded stage banner and next-up block from ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/completion-output.md.tmpl. Fill in: {N} (phase number), {phase-name}, {plan_count}, {plan_list_lines} (one line per plan with wave and task count), {wave_table_lines} (one line per wave).