msd-core/get-shit-done/templates/phase-prompt.md

Phase Prompt Template

Template for .planning/phases/XX-name/{phase}-{plan}-PLAN.md - executable phase plans optimized for parallel execution.

Naming: Use {phase}-{plan}-PLAN.md format (e.g., 01-02-PLAN.md for Phase 1, Plan 2)

---

File Template

---
phase: XX-name
plan: NN
type: execute
wave: N                     # Execution wave (1, 2, 3...). Pre-computed at plan time.
depends_on: []              # Plan IDs this plan requires (e.g., ["01-01"]).
files_modified: []          # Files this plan modifies.
autonomous: true            # false if plan has checkpoints requiring user interaction
domain: [optional - if domain skill loaded]
user_setup: []              # Human-required setup Claude cannot automate (see below)
---

<objective>
[What this plan accomplishes]

Purpose: [Why this matters for the project]
Output: [What artifacts will be created]
</objective>

<execution_context>
@~/.claude/get-shit-done/workflows/execute-plan.md
@~/.claude/get-shit-done/templates/summary.md
[If plan contains checkpoint tasks (type="checkpoint:*"), add:]
@~/.claude/get-shit-done/references/checkpoints.md
</execution_context>

<context>
@.planning/PROJECT.md
@.planning/ROADMAP.md
@.planning/STATE.md

# Only reference prior plan SUMMARYs if genuinely needed:
# - This plan uses types/exports from prior plan
# - Prior plan made decision that affects this plan
# Do NOT reflexively chain: Plan 02 refs 01, Plan 03 refs 02...

[Relevant source files:]
@src/path/to/relevant.ts
</context>

<tasks>

<task type="auto">
  <name>Task 1: [Action-oriented name]</name>
  <files>path/to/file.ext, another/file.ext</files>
  <action>[Specific implementation - what to do, how to do it, what to avoid and WHY]</action>
  <verify>[Command or check to prove it worked]</verify>
  <done>[Measurable acceptance criteria]</done>
</task>

<task type="auto">
  <name>Task 2: [Action-oriented name]</name>
  <files>path/to/file.ext</files>
  <action>[Specific implementation]</action>
  <verify>[Command or check]</verify>
  <done>[Acceptance criteria]</done>
</task>

<task type="checkpoint:decision" gate="blocking">
  <decision>[What needs deciding]</decision>
  <context>[Why this decision matters]</context>
  <options>
    <option id="option-a">
      <name>[Option name]</name>
      <pros>[Benefits and advantages]</pros>
      <cons>[Tradeoffs and limitations]</cons>
    </option>
    <option id="option-b">
      <name>[Option name]</name>
      <pros>[Benefits and advantages]</pros>
      <cons>[Tradeoffs and limitations]</cons>
    </option>
  </options>
  <resume-signal>[How to indicate choice - "Select: option-a or option-b"]</resume-signal>
</task>

<task type="checkpoint:human-verify" gate="blocking">
  <what-built>[What Claude just built that needs verification]</what-built>
  <how-to-verify>
    1. Run: [command to start dev server/app]
    2. Visit: [URL to check]
    3. Test: [Specific interactions]
    4. Confirm: [Expected behaviors]
  </how-to-verify>
  <resume-signal>Type "approved" to continue, or describe issues to fix</resume-signal>
</task>

</tasks>

<verification>
Before declaring plan complete:
- [ ] [Specific test command]
- [ ] [Build/type check passes]
- [ ] [Behavior verification]
</verification>

<success_criteria>

- All tasks completed
- All verification checks pass
- No errors or warnings introduced
- [Plan-specific criteria]
  </success_criteria>

<output>
After completion, create `.planning/phases/XX-name/{phase}-{plan}-SUMMARY.md`
</output>

---

Frontmatter Fields

Field	Required	Purpose
phase	Yes	Phase identifier (e.g., 01-foundation)
plan	Yes	Plan number within phase (e.g., 01, 02)
type	Yes	Always execute for standard plans, tdd for TDD plans
wave	Yes	Execution wave number (1, 2, 3...). Pre-computed at plan time.
depends_on	Yes	Array of plan IDs this plan requires.
files_modified	Yes	Files this plan touches.
autonomous	Yes	true if no checkpoints, false if has checkpoints
domain	No	Domain skill if loaded (e.g., next-js)
user_setup	No	Array of human-required setup items (external services)

Wave is pre-computed: Wave numbers are assigned during /gsd:plan-phase. Execute-phase reads wave directly from frontmatter and groups plans by wave number. No runtime dependency analysis needed.

---

Parallel vs Sequential

<parallel_examples>

Wave 1 candidates (parallel):

# Plan 01 - User feature
wave: 1
depends_on: []
files_modified: [src/models/user.ts, src/api/users.ts]
autonomous: true

# Plan 02 - Product feature (no overlap with Plan 01)
wave: 1
depends_on: []
files_modified: [src/models/product.ts, src/api/products.ts]
autonomous: true

# Plan 03 - Order feature (no overlap)
wave: 1
depends_on: []
files_modified: [src/models/order.ts, src/api/orders.ts]
autonomous: true

All three run in parallel (Wave 1) - no dependencies, no file conflicts.

Sequential (genuine dependency):

# Plan 01 - Auth foundation
wave: 1
depends_on: []
files_modified: [src/lib/auth.ts, src/middleware/auth.ts]
autonomous: true

# Plan 02 - Protected features (needs auth)
wave: 2
depends_on: ["01"]
files_modified: [src/features/dashboard.ts]
autonomous: true

Plan 02 in Wave 2 waits for Plan 01 in Wave 1 - genuine dependency on auth types/middleware.

Checkpoint plan:

# Plan 03 - UI with verification
wave: 3
depends_on: ["01", "02"]
files_modified: [src/components/Dashboard.tsx]
autonomous: false  # Has checkpoint:human-verify

Wave 3 runs after Waves 1 and 2. Pauses at checkpoint, orchestrator presents to user, resumes on approval.

</parallel_examples>

---

Context Section

Parallel-aware context:

<context>
@.planning/PROJECT.md
@.planning/ROADMAP.md
@.planning/STATE.md

# Only include SUMMARY refs if genuinely needed:
# - This plan imports types from prior plan
# - Prior plan made decision affecting this plan
# - Prior plan's output is input to this plan
#
# Independent plans need NO prior SUMMARY references.
# Do NOT reflexively chain: 02 refs 01, 03 refs 02...

@src/relevant/source.ts
</context>

Bad pattern (creates false dependencies):

<context>
@.planning/phases/03-features/03-01-SUMMARY.md  # Just because it's earlier
@.planning/phases/03-features/03-02-SUMMARY.md  # Reflexive chaining
</context>

---

Scope Guidance

Plan sizing:

• 2-3 tasks per plan
• ~50% context usage maximum
• Complex phases: Multiple focused plans, not one large plan

When to split:

• Different subsystems (auth vs API vs UI)

• 3 tasks

• Risk of context overflow
• TDD candidates - separate plans

Vertical slices preferred:

PREFER: Plan 01 = User (model + API + UI)
        Plan 02 = Product (model + API + UI)

AVOID:  Plan 01 = All models
        Plan 02 = All APIs
        Plan 03 = All UIs

---

TDD Plans

TDD features get dedicated plans with type: tdd.

Heuristic: Can you write expect(fn(input)).toBe(output) before writing fn? → Yes: Create a TDD plan → No: Standard task in standard plan

See ~/.claude/get-shit-done/references/tdd.md for TDD plan structure.

---

Task Types

Type	Use For	Autonomy
auto	Everything Claude can do independently	Fully autonomous
checkpoint:human-verify	Visual/functional verification	Pauses, returns to orchestrator
checkpoint:decision	Implementation choices	Pauses, returns to orchestrator
checkpoint:human-action	Truly unavoidable manual steps (rare)	Pauses, returns to orchestrator

Checkpoint behavior in parallel execution:

• Plan runs until checkpoint
• Agent returns with checkpoint details + agent_id
• Orchestrator presents to user
• User responds
• Orchestrator resumes agent with resume: agent_id

---

Examples

Autonomous parallel plan:

---
phase: 03-features
plan: 01
type: execute
wave: 1
depends_on: []
files_modified: [src/features/user/model.ts, src/features/user/api.ts, src/features/user/UserList.tsx]
autonomous: true
---

<objective>
Implement complete User feature as vertical slice.

Purpose: Self-contained user management that can run parallel to other features.
Output: User model, API endpoints, and UI components.
</objective>

<context>
@.planning/PROJECT.md
@.planning/ROADMAP.md
@.planning/STATE.md
</context>

<tasks>
<task type="auto">
  <name>Task 1: Create User model</name>
  <files>src/features/user/model.ts</files>
  <action>Define User type with id, email, name, createdAt. Export TypeScript interface.</action>
  <verify>tsc --noEmit passes</verify>
  <done>User type exported and usable</done>
</task>

<task type="auto">
  <name>Task 2: Create User API endpoints</name>
  <files>src/features/user/api.ts</files>
  <action>GET /users (list), GET /users/:id (single), POST /users (create). Use User type from model.</action>
  <verify>curl tests pass for all endpoints</verify>
  <done>All CRUD operations work</done>
</task>
</tasks>

<verification>
- [ ] npm run build succeeds
- [ ] API endpoints respond correctly
</verification>

<success_criteria>
- All tasks completed
- User feature works end-to-end
</success_criteria>

<output>
After completion, create `.planning/phases/03-features/03-01-SUMMARY.md`
</output>

Plan with checkpoint (non-autonomous):

---
phase: 03-features
plan: 03
type: execute
wave: 2
depends_on: ["03-01", "03-02"]
files_modified: [src/components/Dashboard.tsx]
autonomous: false
---

<objective>
Build dashboard with visual verification.

Purpose: Integrate user and product features into unified view.
Output: Working dashboard component.
</objective>

<execution_context>
@~/.claude/get-shit-done/workflows/execute-plan.md
@~/.claude/get-shit-done/templates/summary.md
@~/.claude/get-shit-done/references/checkpoints.md
</execution_context>

<context>
@.planning/PROJECT.md
@.planning/ROADMAP.md
@.planning/phases/03-features/03-01-SUMMARY.md
@.planning/phases/03-features/03-02-SUMMARY.md
</context>

<tasks>
<task type="auto">
  <name>Task 1: Build Dashboard layout</name>
  <files>src/components/Dashboard.tsx</files>
  <action>Create responsive grid with UserList and ProductList components. Use Tailwind for styling.</action>
  <verify>npm run build succeeds</verify>
  <done>Dashboard renders without errors</done>
</task>

<task type="checkpoint:human-verify" gate="blocking">
  <what-built>Responsive dashboard with user and product sections</what-built>
  <how-to-verify>
    1. Run: npm run dev
    2. Visit: http://localhost:3000/dashboard
    3. Desktop: Verify two-column grid
    4. Mobile: Verify stacked layout
    5. Check: No layout shift, no scroll issues
  </how-to-verify>
  <resume-signal>Type "approved" or describe issues</resume-signal>
</task>
</tasks>

<verification>
- [ ] npm run build succeeds
- [ ] Visual verification passed
</verification>

<success_criteria>
- All tasks completed
- User approved visual layout
</success_criteria>

<output>
After completion, create `.planning/phases/03-features/03-03-SUMMARY.md`
</output>

---

Anti-Patterns

Bad: Reflexive dependency chaining

depends_on: ["03-01"]  # Just because 01 comes before 02

Bad: Horizontal layer grouping

Plan 01: All models
Plan 02: All APIs (depends on 01)
Plan 03: All UIs (depends on 02)

Bad: Missing autonomy flag

# Has checkpoint but no autonomous: false
depends_on: []
files_modified: [...]
# autonomous: ???  <- Missing!

Bad: Vague tasks

<task type="auto">
  <name>Set up authentication</name>
  <action>Add auth to the app</action>
</task>

---

Guidelines

• Always use XML structure for Claude parsing
• Include wave, depends_on, files_modified, autonomous in every plan
• Prefer vertical slices over horizontal layers
• Only reference prior SUMMARYs when genuinely needed
• Group checkpoints with related auto tasks in same plan
• 2-3 tasks per plan, ~50% context max

---

User Setup (External Services)

When a plan introduces external services requiring human configuration, declare in frontmatter:

user_setup:
  - service: stripe
    why: "Payment processing requires API keys"
    env_vars:
      - name: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
        source: "Stripe Dashboard → Developers → API keys → Secret key"
      - name: STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
        source: "Stripe Dashboard → Developers → Webhooks → Signing secret"
    dashboard_config:
      - task: "Create webhook endpoint"
        location: "Stripe Dashboard → Developers → Webhooks → Add endpoint"
        details: "URL: https://[your-domain]/api/webhooks/stripe"
    local_dev:
      - "stripe listen --forward-to localhost:3000/api/webhooks/stripe"

The automation-first rule: user_setup contains ONLY what Claude literally cannot do:

• Account creation (requires human signup)
• Secret retrieval (requires dashboard access)
• Dashboard configuration (requires human in browser)

NOT included: Package installs, code changes, file creation, CLI commands Claude can run.

Result: Execute-plan generates {phase}-USER-SETUP.md with checklist for the user.

See ~/.claude/get-shit-done/templates/user-setup.md for full schema and examples