Kata Help

First, read the installed version:

if [ -n "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT" ]; then
  cat "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/VERSION" 2>/dev/null
else
  echo "unknown"
fi

Then output the reference content below, inserting the version at the top. Do NOT add:

• Project-specific analysis
• Git status or file context
• Next-step suggestions
• Any commentary beyond the reference

Version: {version from bash above}

Kata is a spec-driven development framework for Claude Code. It creates hierarchical project plans optimized for agentic development.

Quick Start

1. /kata-new-project - Initialize project (includes research, requirements, roadmap)
2. /kata-plan-phase 1 - Create detailed plan for first phase
3. /kata-execute-phase 1 - Execute the phase

Staying Updated

Kata evolves fast. Check for updates periodically:

/kata-whats-new

Shows what changed since your installed version and how to update.

Core Workflow

/kata-new-project → /kata-plan-phase → /kata-execute-phase → repeat

Project Initialization

/kata-new-project Initialize new project through unified flow.

One skill takes you from idea to ready-for-planning:

• Deep questioning to understand what you're building
• Optional domain research (spawns 4 parallel researcher agents)
• Requirements definition with v1/v2/out-of-scope scoping
• Roadmap creation with phase breakdown and success criteria

Creates all .planning/ artifacts:

• PROJECT.md — vision and requirements
• config.json — workflow mode (interactive/yolo)
• research/ — domain research (if selected)
• REQUIREMENTS.md — scoped requirements with REQ-IDs
• ROADMAP.md — phases mapped to requirements
• STATE.md — project memory

Usage: /kata-new-project

/kata-map-codebase Map an existing codebase for brownfield projects.

• Analyzes codebase with parallel Explore agents
• Creates .planning/codebase/ with 7 focused documents
• Covers stack, architecture, structure, conventions, testing, integrations, concerns
• Use before /kata-new-project on existing codebases

Usage: /kata-map-codebase

Phase Planning

/kata-discuss-phase <number> Help articulate your vision for a phase before planning.

• Captures how you imagine this phase working
• Creates CONTEXT.md with your vision, essentials, and boundaries
• Use when you have ideas about how something should look/feel

Usage: /kata-discuss-phase 2

/kata-research-phase <number> Comprehensive ecosystem research for niche/complex domains.

• Discovers standard stack, architecture patterns, pitfalls
• Creates RESEARCH.md with "how experts build this" knowledge
• Use for 3D, games, audio, shaders, ML, and other specialized domains
• Goes beyond "which library" to ecosystem knowledge

Usage: /kata-research-phase 3

/kata-listing-phase-assumptions <number> See what Claude is planning to do before it starts.

• Shows Claude's intended approach for a phase
• Lets you course-correct if Claude misunderstood your vision
• No files created - conversational output only

Usage: /kata-listing-phase-assumptions 3

/kata-plan-phase <number> Create detailed execution plan for a specific phase.

• Generates .planning/phases/XX-phase-name/XX-YY-PLAN.md
• Breaks phase into concrete, actionable tasks
• Includes verification criteria and success measures
• Multiple plans per phase supported (XX-01, XX-02, etc.)

Usage: /kata-plan-phase 1 Result: Creates .planning/phases/01-foundation/01-01-PLAN.md

Execution

/kata-execute-phase <phase-number> Execute all plans in a phase.

• Groups plans by wave (from frontmatter), executes waves sequentially
• Plans within each wave run in parallel via Task tool
• Verifies phase goal after all plans complete
• Updates REQUIREMENTS.md, ROADMAP.md, STATE.md

Usage: /kata-execute-phase 5

Quick Mode

/kata-execute-quick-task Execute small, ad-hoc tasks with Kata guarantees but skip optional agents.

Quick mode uses the same system with a shorter path:

• Spawns planner + executor (skips researcher, checker, verifier)
• Quick tasks live in .planning/quick/ separate from planned phases
• Updates STATE.md tracking (not ROADMAP.md)

Use when you know exactly what to do and the task is small enough to not need research or verification.

Usage: /kata-execute-quick-task Result: Creates .planning/quick/NNN-slug/PLAN.md, .planning/quick/NNN-slug/SUMMARY.md

Roadmap Management

/kata-add-phase <description> Add new phase to end of current milestone.

• Appends to ROADMAP.md
• Uses next sequential number
• Updates phase directory structure

Usage: /kata-add-phase "Add admin dashboard"

/kata-insert-phase <after> <description> Insert urgent work as decimal phase between existing phases.

• Creates intermediate phase (e.g., 7.1 between 7 and 8)
• Useful for discovered work that must happen mid-milestone
• Maintains phase ordering

Usage: /kata-insert-phase 7 "Fix critical auth bug" Result: Creates Phase 7.1

/kata-remove-phase <number> Remove a future phase and renumber subsequent phases.

• Deletes phase directory and all references
• Renumbers all subsequent phases to close the gap
• Only works on future (unstarted) phases
• Git commit preserves historical record

Usage: /kata-remove-phase 17 Result: Phase 17 deleted, phases 18-20 become 17-19

/kata-move-phase <phase> <operation> Move a phase between milestones or reorder within a milestone.

• Cross-milestone: moves phase to target milestone, renumbers both
• Reorder: changes phase position within milestone, renumbers all
• Only pending phases can be moved

Usage: /kata-move-phase 3 to v1.6.0 (cross-milestone) Usage: /kata-move-phase 3 before 1 (reorder within milestone)

Milestone Management

/kata-add-milestone <name> Start a new milestone through unified flow.

• Deep questioning to understand what you're building next
• Optional domain research (spawns 4 parallel researcher agents)
• Requirements definition with scoping
• Roadmap creation with phase breakdown

Mirrors /kata-new-project flow for brownfield projects (existing PROJECT.md).

Usage: /kata-add-milestone "v2.0 Features"

/kata-complete-milestone <version> Archive completed milestone and prepare for next version.

• Creates MILESTONES.md entry with stats
• Archives full details to milestones/ directory
• Creates git tag for the release
• Prepares workspace for next version

Usage: /kata-complete-milestone 1.0.0

Progress Tracking

/kata-track-progress Check project status and intelligently route to next action.

• Shows visual progress bar and completion percentage
• Summarizes recent work from SUMMARY files
• Displays current position and what's next
• Lists key decisions and open issues
• Offers to execute next plan or create it if missing
• Detects 100% milestone completion

Usage: /kata-track-progress

Session Management

/kata-resume-work Resume work from previous session with full context restoration.

• Reads STATE.md for project context
• Shows current position and recent progress
• Offers next actions based on project state

Usage: /kata-resume-work

/kata-pause-work Create context handoff when pausing work mid-phase.

• Creates .continue-here file with current state
• Updates STATE.md session continuity section
• Captures in-progress work context

Usage: /kata-pause-work

Debugging

/kata-debug [issue description] Systematic debugging with persistent state across context resets.

• Gathers symptoms through adaptive questioning
• Creates .planning/debug/[slug].md to track investigation
• Investigates using scientific method (evidence → hypothesis → test)
• Survives /clear — run /kata-debug with no args to resume
• Archives resolved issues to .planning/debug/resolved/

Usage: /kata-debug "login button doesn't work" Usage: /kata-debug (resume active session)

Issue Management

/kata-add-issue [description] Capture idea or task as issue from current conversation.

• Extracts context from conversation (or uses provided description)
• Creates structured issue file in .planning/issues/open/
• Infers area from file paths for grouping
• Checks for duplicates before creating
• Updates STATE.md issue count

Usage: /kata-add-issue (infers from conversation) Usage: /kata-add-issue Add auth token refresh

/kata-check-issues [area] List pending issues and select one to work on.

• Lists all pending issues with title, area, age
• Optional area filter (e.g., /kata-check-issues api)
• Loads full context for selected issue
• Routes to appropriate action (work now, add to phase, brainstorm)
• Moves issue to done/ when work begins

Usage: /kata-check-issues Usage: /kata-check-issues api

User Acceptance Testing

/kata-verify-work [phase] Validate built features through conversational UAT.

• Extracts testable deliverables from SUMMARY.md files
• Presents tests one at a time (yes/no responses)
• Automatically diagnoses failures and creates fix plans
• Ready for re-execution if issues found

Usage: /kata-verify-work 3

Milestone Auditing

/kata-audit-milestone [version] Audit milestone completion against original intent.

• Reads all phase VERIFICATION.md files
• Checks requirements coverage
• Spawns integration checker for cross-phase wiring
• Creates MILESTONE-AUDIT.md with gaps and tech debt

Usage: /kata-audit-milestone

/kata-plan-milestone-gaps Create phases to close gaps identified by audit.

• Reads MILESTONE-AUDIT.md and groups gaps into phases
• Prioritizes by requirement priority (must/should/nice)
• Adds gap closure phases to ROADMAP.md
• Ready for /kata-plan-phase on new phases

Usage: /kata-plan-milestone-gaps

Configuration

/kata-configure-settings Configure workflow toggles and model profile interactively.

• Toggle researcher, plan checker, verifier agents
• Select model profile (quality/balanced/budget)
• Updates .planning/config.json

Usage: /kata-configure-settings

/kata-set-profile <profile> Quick switch model profile for Kata agents.

• quality — Opus everywhere except verification
• balanced — Opus for planning, Sonnet for execution (default)
• budget — Sonnet for writing, Haiku for research/verification

Usage: /kata-set-profile budget

Utility Skills

/kata-help Show this skill reference.

/kata-whats-new See what's changed since your installed version.

• Shows installed vs latest version comparison
• Displays changelog entries for versions you've missed
• Highlights breaking changes
• Provides update instructions when behind

Usage: /kata-whats-new

Files & Structure

.planning/
├── PROJECT.md            # Project vision
├── ROADMAP.md            # Current phase breakdown
├── STATE.md              # Project memory & context
├── config.json           # Workflow mode & gates
├── issues/               # Captured ideas and tasks
│   ├── pending/          # Issues waiting to be worked on
│   └── done/             # Completed issues
├── debug/                # Active debug sessions
│   └── resolved/         # Archived resolved issues
├── codebase/             # Codebase map (brownfield projects)
│   ├── STACK.md          # Languages, frameworks, dependencies
│   ├── ARCHITECTURE.md   # Patterns, layers, data flow
│   ├── STRUCTURE.md      # Directory layout, key files
│   ├── CONVENTIONS.md    # Coding standards, naming
│   ├── TESTING.md        # Test setup, patterns
│   ├── INTEGRATIONS.md   # External services, APIs
│   └── CONCERNS.md       # Tech debt, known issues
└── phases/
    ├── 01-foundation/
    │   ├── 01-01-PLAN.md
    │   └── 01-01-SUMMARY.md
    └── 02-core-features/
        ├── 02-01-PLAN.md
        └── 02-01-SUMMARY.md

Workflow Modes

Set during /kata-new-project:

Interactive Mode

• Confirms each major decision
• Pauses at checkpoints for approval
• More guidance throughout

YOLO Mode

• Auto-approves most decisions
• Executes plans without confirmation
• Only stops for critical checkpoints

Change anytime by editing .planning/config.json

Planning Configuration

Configure how planning artifacts are managed in .planning/config.json:

planning.commit_docs (default: true)

• true: Planning artifacts committed to git (standard workflow)
• false: Planning artifacts kept local-only, not committed

When commit_docs: false:

• Add .planning/ to your .gitignore
• Useful for OSS contributions, client projects, or keeping planning private
• All planning files still work normally, just not tracked in git

planning.search_gitignored (default: false)

• true: Add --no-ignore to broad ripgrep searches
• Only needed when .planning/ is gitignored and you want project-wide searches to include it

Example config:

{
  "planning": {
    "commit_docs": false,
    "search_gitignored": true
  }
}

Common Workflows

Starting a new project:

/kata-new-project        # Unified flow: questioning → research → requirements → roadmap
/clear
/kata-plan-phase 1       # Create plans for first phase
/clear
/kata-execute-phase 1    # Execute all plans in phase

Resuming work after a break:

/kata-track-progress  # See where you left off and continue

Adding urgent mid-milestone work:

/kata-insert-phase 5 "Critical security fix"
/kata-plan-phase 5.1
/kata-execute-phase 5.1

Completing a milestone:

/kata-complete-milestone 1.0.0
/clear
/kata-add-milestone  # Start next milestone (questioning → research → requirements → roadmap)

Capturing ideas during work:

/kata-add-issue                    # Capture from conversation context
/kata-add-issue Fix modal z-index  # Capture with explicit description
/kata-check-issues                 # Review and work on issues
/kata-check-issues api             # Filter by area

Debugging an issue:

/kata-debug "form submission fails silently"  # Start debug session
# ... investigation happens, context fills up ...
/clear
/kata-debug                                    # Resume from where you left off

Getting Help

• Read .planning/PROJECT.md for project vision
• Read .planning/STATE.md for current context
• Check .planning/ROADMAP.md for phase status
• Run /kata-track-progress to check where you're up to