Create Goal Plan

Create Goal Plan

Create a compact Markdown file that Codex can consume with /goal <path>. The file is a goal handoff, not the canonical planning document.

Keep heavy planning in the active task status.md, ## Accepted Plans, or dedicated plan artifacts. The goal plan should cite those paths and compress the work into one concrete outcome plus the minimum context, constraints, process, and verification criteria.

Workflow

1. Resolve the active task context.

   • Prefer the current task status file from task metadata or get-task-details.
   • If no task context exists, use a user-specified output path or create goal-plan.md in the current repo root.
   • Default output path when a task folder exists: task-progress-artifacts/goal-plan.md.

2. Look for an already-finalized plan.

   • Inspect status.md for ## Accepted Plans, recent ## Proposed Plan, notes, and validation sections.
   • Also inspect obvious dedicated plan artifacts under task-progress-artifacts/.
   • If a concrete plan is accepted or otherwise clearly finalized, ask no extra questions unless a critical gap would make the goal unsafe or ambiguous.

3. If no concrete plan is finalized, finalize one first.

   • Use $grill-me when meaningful product, architecture, scope, safety, or sequencing decisions remain.
   • Persist the resulting full plan in the regular task status file or a dedicated plan artifact before creating the goal plan.
   • The goal plan should reference that full plan by path instead of duplicating it.

4. Write the goal plan.

   • Keep it roughly one screen: normally 150-300 words.
   • Start with one concrete outcome, not a heading.
   • Use short bullets under exactly these sections:

<one concrete outcome>

Context:
- <files/modules/errors/docs that matter>
- <what to inspect first>

Constraints:
- <what not to change>
- <architecture/style/safety constraints>

Process:
- <run tests first / reproduce bug / inspect logs / use small commits mentally>
- <keep changes minimal>

Done when:
- <objective verification>
- <tests/checks pass>
- <diff is clean and scoped>
- <final answer includes summary + commands run>

5. Report the path and invocation.
   • Tell the user the exact path created.
   • Include the exact command they can paste, e.g. /goal context/daily/.../task-progress-artifacts/goal-plan.md.

Content Rules

• Make the first line an outcome with a verb and a concrete end state.
• Cite the full plan/status path in Context when one exists.
• Include only context the next Codex agent needs to start correctly.
• Include explicit "do not change" constraints when the task touches a dirty worktree, live system, public content, data deletion, migrations, secrets, auth, or external APIs.
• Prefer repo-local validation commands from existing docs over invented checks.
• Mention live API/network/destructive-operation boundaries when relevant.
• Do not include long explanations, rationale, transcript summaries, or broad brainstorming in the goal plan.
• Do not mark a plan accepted unless the user explicitly accepted it through the normal task-status workflow.