Execute From Plan

Execute From Plan

Execute tasks from a prepared implementation plan. This skill walks the plan milestone by milestone, task by task, producing working code.

CRITICAL BOUNDARIES

This skill is STRICTLY for execution. Do not plan, do not research, do not question the plan. Trust that preparation work is complete. Execute what is written.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• A plan document exists in memory-bank/plan/
• The task is to implement/build what the plan specifies
• Planning and research phases are already complete

Workflow

Step 1: Load Plan

Locate and read the plan document:

• If a path is provided: Read from memory-bank/plan/<path>
• If a topic is provided: Find the latest matching file in memory-bank/plan/

Extract:

• Goal and non-goals
• Milestones (M1-M5) and their tasks
• Acceptance criteria for each task
• Files and interfaces to modify
• Assumptions and constraints

Step 2: Check for Drift

Compare current git state to the plan's recorded state:

git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "not-a-repo"

If current HEAD differs from git_commit_at_plan:

• Warn: "DRIFT DETECTED — code changed since plan was created"
• Review the plan's "Drift Notes" section
• If significant drift: Ask user before proceeding
• If minor: Proceed with caution, document deviations

Step 3: Execute Tasks in Order

Execute strictly in milestone order: M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5

Within each milestone, execute tasks by ID order (T1, T2, T3...).

For each task:

1. Read task details

   • Task description (what to implement)
   • Files/interfaces to touch
   • Dependencies (must be complete first)
   • Acceptance criteria

2. Verify dependencies

   • Confirm all dependent tasks are marked complete
   • If not: Stop, report blocking dependency

3. Execute the task

   • Implement exactly what the task specifies
   • Touch only the files/interfaces listed
   • Do not add features beyond the task scope

4. Run acceptance verification

   • Verify against task acceptance criteria
   • Run any tests specified in the plan
   • If criteria fail: Fix or stop and report

5. Update plan document

   • Mark task as complete
   • Add execution notes (what was done, any issues)
   • Record actual time taken (optional)

6. Commit (optional)

   • Consider committing after each milestone
   • Use milestone ID in commit message: "M1: Architecture & skeleton"

Step 4: Handle Blocks

If blocked during execution:

1. Document the block

   • What was being attempted
   • What went wrong
   • What was tried

2. Update plan document

   • Mark task status as "BLOCKED"
   • Add notes describing the block

3. Ask user for guidance

   • Present the documented block
   • Request decision: fix, skip, or replan

Never deviate from the plan without explicit user confirmation.

Step 5: Complete or Report

If all tasks complete:

• Mark plan phase as "EXECUTED"
• Create execution log: memory-bank/execution/YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS_<topic>.md
• Output summary: tasks completed, files modified, tests passing

If blocked and cannot proceed:

• Report incomplete tasks
• Describe blocking issue
• Suggest next steps (replan, research, user intervention)

Task Execution Rules

Subagent Usage

If execution assistance is needed:

With subagents available: Deploy maximum 3:

Without subagents: Execute manually following the plan's task descriptions.

Execution Log Format

Create memory-bank/execution/YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS_<topic>.md:

---
title: "<topic> – Execution"
phase: Execution
date: "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS"
owner: "<agent_or_user>"
parent_plan: "memory-bank/plan/<file>.md"
git_commit_at_start: "<sha>"
git_commit_at_end: "<sha>"
tags: [execution, <topic>]
---

## Summary

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Milestones completed | N/N |
| Tasks completed | N/N |
| Tasks blocked | N |
| Files modified | N |
| Tests added | N |
| Execution time | HH:MM |

## Milestones

### M1: Architecture & Skeleton

| Task | Status | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| M1.T1 | ✅ Complete | [Notes] |
| M1.T2 | ✅ Complete | [Notes] |
| M1.T3 | ❌ Blocked | [Block description] |

### M2: Core Feature(s)

| Task | Status | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| M2.T1 | ⏸️ Skipped | [Reason] |

[...]

## Files Modified

- `path/to/file.py` – [what changed]
- `path/to/file.py` – [what changed]

## Issues Encountered

| Task | Issue | Resolution |
|------|-------|------------|
| M1.T2 | [Description] | [How resolved] |

## Drift from Plan

_If execution deviated from plan, document here:_
- Planned: [X]
- Actual: [Y]
- Reason: [Z]

Constraints