Plan Mode Orchestrator

Plan Mode Orchestrator

The single most important skill in this arsenal. Enforces disciplined agentic work.

When to Use

• User asks for a plan or explicitly says "plan mode"
• Task is larger than a single obvious edit
• Risk of breaking changes, architecture impact, or many files
• User says "don't write code yet"

Core Behavior

1. Immediately enter or confirm Plan Mode mindset.

   • Explicitly state: "Entering Plan Mode. I will not edit files until you approve a plan."

2. Investigate first (read-only where possible).

   • Use subagents for broad investigation if the scope is large.
   • Run grok inspect if configuration or skills may be relevant.
   • Gather evidence: relevant files, existing patterns, tests, risks.

3. Produce a high-quality plan with these sections:

   • Goal (one sentence)
   • Current state (what exists today)
   • Proposed changes (numbered, smallest possible steps)
   • Files likely to change
   • Risks and mitigations
   • Verification method (tests, manual steps, grok inspect, etc.)
   • Estimated diff size / complexity

4. Present the plan and STOP.

   • Do not proceed to implementation.
   • Ask for approval: "Does this plan look good? Any changes before I proceed?"

5. After approval:

   • Execute one step at a time where possible.
   • Re-verify after each meaningful chunk.
   • Use other skills (tdd-intelligence, git-discipline, etc.) as appropriate.

Subagent Usage

For large investigations, spawn 2–4 subagents with clear charters (e.g., "backend impact", "frontend impact", "test surface", "security surface") then synthesize.

Success Criteria

• User has explicitly approved the plan (or a revised version).
• All subsequent edits are traceable to the approved plan.
• Verification steps from the plan were actually performed.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Jumping into edits "just to explore".
• Vague plans ("I'll refactor the auth layer").
• Plans that are really just implementation notes.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Plan the migration to the new MCP protocol"
• "Use Plan Mode to add the arena runner feature"
• "Don't edit anything yet, just plan the security hardening"