msd-core/gsd-core/references/planner-chunked.md

# Chunked Mode Return Formats

Used when `plan-phase` spawns `gsd-planner` with `CHUNKED_MODE=true` (triggered by `--chunked`
flag or `workflow.plan_chunked: true` config). Splits the single long-lived planner Task into
shorter-lived Tasks to bound the blast radius of Windows stdio hangs.

## Modes

### outline-only

Write **only** `{PHASE_DIR}/{PADDED_PHASE}-PLAN-OUTLINE.md`. Do not write any PLAN.md files.
Return:

```markdown
## OUTLINE COMPLETE

**Phase:** {phase-name}
**Plans:** {N} plan(s) in {M} wave(s)

| Plan ID | Objective | Wave | Depends On | Requirements |
|---------|-----------|------|-----------|-------------|
| {padded_phase}-01 | [brief objective] | 1 | none | REQ-001, REQ-002 |
| {padded_phase}-02 | [brief objective] | 1 | none | REQ-003 |
```

The orchestrator reads this table, groups rows by `Wave` (ascending, blank treated as `1`), then
spawns one single-plan Task per row — one Wave at a time, serially across Waves. Within a Wave,
Tasks are spawned one at a time by default, or together (`run_in_background=true` on each, issued
in one message) when `planning.chunked_parallel: true` and the host's negotiated dispatch capacity
supports it (#3777; see `gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/chunked-planning-mode.md` §8.5.2).

### single-plan

Write **exactly one** `{PHASE_DIR}/{plan_id}-PLAN.md`. Do not write any other plan files.
Return:

```markdown
## PLAN COMPLETE

**Plan:** {plan-id}
**Objective:** {brief}
**File:** {PHASE_DIR}/{plan-id}-PLAN.md
**Tasks:** {N}
```

The orchestrator verifies the file exists on disk after each return, commits it, then moves
to the next plan entry from the outline.

## Resume Behaviour

If the orchestrator detects that `PLAN-OUTLINE.md` already exists (from a prior interrupted
run), it skips the outline-only Task and goes directly to single-plan Tasks, skipping any
`{plan_id}-PLAN.md` files that already exist on disk.