CRITICAL: Do NOT use EnterPlanMode tool — it blocks Write/Edit/Task tools. Follow the workflow below.
Summary
Goal: Validate an implementation plan by interviewing the user with critical questions to confirm assumptions and surface risks before coding.
| Step |
Action |
Key Notes |
| 1 |
Read plan files |
plan.md and all phase-*.md -- find decision points, assumptions, risks |
| 2 |
Extract question topics |
Scan for architecture, assumptions, tradeoffs, risks, scope keywords |
| 3 |
Generate questions |
2-4 concrete options per question, mark recommended option |
| 4 |
Interview user |
Use AskUserQuestion with configured question count (min-max) |
| 5 |
Document answers |
Add ## Validation Summary to plan.md with confirmed decisions |
Key Principles:
- Only ask about genuine decision points -- don't manufacture artificial choices
- Prioritize questions that could change implementation significantly
- Document answers but do NOT modify phase files -- just note what needs updating
Your mission
Interview the user with critical questions to validate assumptions, confirm decisions, and surface potential issues in an implementation plan before coding begins.
Plan Resolution
- If
$ARGUMENTS provided → Use that path
- Else check
## Plan Context section → Use active plan path
- If no plan found → Ask user to specify path or run
/plan-hard first
Configuration (from injected context)
Check ## Plan Context section for validation settings:
mode - Controls auto/prompt/off behaviorquestions - Range like 3-8 (min-max)
These values are automatically injected from user config. Use them as constraints.
Workflow
Step 1: Read Plan Files
Read the plan directory:
plan.md - Overview and phases listphase-*.md - All phase files- Look for decision points, assumptions, risks, tradeoffs
Step 2: Extract Question Topics
Scan plan content for:
| Category |
Keywords to detect |
| Architecture |
"approach", "pattern", "design", "structure", "database", "API" |
| Assumptions |
"assume", "expect", "should", "will", "must", "default" |
| Tradeoffs |
"tradeoff", "vs", "alternative", "option", "choice", "either/or" |
| Risks |
"risk", "might", "could fail", "dependency", "blocker", "concern" |
| Scope |
"phase", "MVP", "future", "out of scope", "nice to have" |
| Reasoning |
Check: Does Architecture section explain WHY, not just WHAT? Does Risk Assessment include failure modes? Is there a Design Intent or Trade-offs section? |
Step 3: Generate Questions
For each detected topic, formulate a concrete question:
Question format rules:
- Each question must have 2-4 concrete options
- Mark recommended option with "(Recommended)" suffix
- Include "Other" option is automatic - don't add it
- Questions should surface implicit decisions
Example questions:
Category: Architecture
Question: "How should the validation results be persisted?"
Options:
1. Save to plan.md frontmatter (Recommended) - Updates existing plan
2. Create validation-answers.md - Separate file for answers
3. Don't persist - Ephemeral validation only
Category: Assumptions
Question: "The plan assumes API rate limiting is not needed. Is this correct?"
Options:
1. Yes, rate limiting not needed for MVP
2. No, add basic rate limiting now (Recommended)
3. Defer to Phase 2
Step 4: Interview User
Use AskUserQuestion tool to present questions.
Rules:
- Use question count from
## Plan Context → Validation: mode=X, questions=MIN-MAX
- Group related questions when possible (max 4 questions per tool call)
- Focus on: assumptions, risks, tradeoffs, architecture
Step 5: Document Answers
After collecting answers, update the plan:
- Add
## Validation Summary section to plan.md:
## Validation Summary
**Validated:** {date}
**Questions asked:** {count}
### Confirmed Decisions
- {decision 1}: {user choice}
- {decision 2}: {user choice}
1
### Action Items
- [ ] {any changes needed based on answers}
- If answers require plan changes, note them but do not modify phase files - just document what needs updating.
Output
After validation completes, provide summary:
- Number of questions asked
- Key decisions confirmed
- Any items flagged for plan revision
- Recommendation: proceed to implementation or revise plan first
Important Notes
IMPORTANT: Only ask questions about genuine decision points - don't manufacture artificial choices.
IMPORTANT: If plan is simple with few decisions, it's okay to ask fewer than min questions.
IMPORTANT: Prioritize questions that could change implementation significantly.
IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes
- Always plan and break many small todo tasks
- Always add a final review todo task to review the works done at the end to find any fix or enhancement needed
1---2name: plan-validate-23description: [Planning] Validate plan with critical questions interview4---5
6> **CRITICAL:** Do NOT use `EnterPlanMode` tool — it blocks Write/Edit/Task tools. Follow the workflow below.
7
8## Summary
9
10**Goal:** Validate an implementation plan by interviewing the user with critical questions to confirm assumptions and surface risks before coding.
11
12| Step | Action | Key Notes |
13|------|--------|-----------|
14| 1 | Read plan files | `plan.md` and all `phase-*.md` -- find decision points, assumptions, risks |
15| 2 | Extract question topics | Scan for architecture, assumptions, tradeoffs, risks, scope keywords |
16| 3 | Generate questions | 2-4 concrete options per question, mark recommended option |
17| 4 | Interview user | Use AskUserQuestion with configured question count (min-max) |
18| 5 | Document answers | Add `## Validation Summary` to plan.md with confirmed decisions |
19
20**Key Principles:**
21- Only ask about genuine decision points -- don't manufacture artificial choices
22- Prioritize questions that could change implementation significantly
23- Document answers but do NOT modify phase files -- just note what needs updating
24
25## Your mission
26
27Interview the user with critical questions to validate assumptions, confirm decisions, and surface potential issues in an implementation plan before coding begins.
28
29## Plan Resolution
30
311. If `$ARGUMENTS` provided → Use that path
322. Else check `## Plan Context` section → Use active plan path
333. If no plan found → Ask user to specify path or run `/plan-hard` first
34
35## Configuration (from injected context)
36
37Check `## Plan Context` section for validation settings:
38
39
40- `mode` - Controls auto/prompt/off behavior
41- `questions` - Range like `3-8` (min-max)
42
43These values are automatically injected from user config. Use them as constraints.
44
45## Workflow
46
47### Step 1: Read Plan Files
48
49
50Read the plan directory:
51
52- `plan.md` - Overview and phases list
53- `phase-*.md` - All phase files
54- Look for decision points, assumptions, risks, tradeoffs
55
56### Step 2: Extract Question Topics
57
58Scan plan content for:
59
60| Category | Keywords to detect |
61| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
62| **Architecture** | "approach", "pattern", "design", "structure", "database", "API" |
63| **Assumptions** | "assume", "expect", "should", "will", "must", "default" |
64| **Tradeoffs** | "tradeoff", "vs", "alternative", "option", "choice", "either/or" |
65| **Risks** | "risk", "might", "could fail", "dependency", "blocker", "concern" |
66| **Scope** | "phase", "MVP", "future", "out of scope", "nice to have" |
67| **Reasoning** | Check: Does Architecture section explain WHY, not just WHAT? Does Risk Assessment include failure modes? Is there a Design Intent or Trade-offs section? |
68
69### Step 3: Generate Questions
70
71For each detected topic, formulate a concrete question:
72
73
74**Question format rules:**
75
76- Each question must have 2-4 concrete options
77- Mark recommended option with "(Recommended)" suffix
78- Include "Other" option is automatic - don't add it
79- Questions should surface implicit decisions
80
81**Example questions:**
82
83```
84Category: Architecture
85Question: "How should the validation results be persisted?"
86Options:
871. Save to plan.md frontmatter (Recommended) - Updates existing plan
882. Create validation-answers.md - Separate file for answers
893. Don't persist - Ephemeral validation only
90```
91
92```
93Category: Assumptions
94Question: "The plan assumes API rate limiting is not needed. Is this correct?"
95Options:
961. Yes, rate limiting not needed for MVP
972. No, add basic rate limiting now (Recommended)
983. Defer to Phase 2
99```
100
101### Step 4: Interview User
102
103
104Use `AskUserQuestion` tool to present questions.
105
106**Rules:**
107
108- Use question count from `## Plan Context` → `Validation: mode=X, questions=MIN-MAX`
109- Group related questions when possible (max 4 questions per tool call)
110- Focus on: assumptions, risks, tradeoffs, architecture
111
112### Step 5: Document Answers
113
114
115After collecting answers, update the plan:
116
1171. Add `## Validation Summary` section to `plan.md`:
118
119```markdown
120## Validation Summary
121
122**Validated:** {date}
123**Questions asked:** {count}
124
125### Confirmed Decisions
126- {decision 1}: {user choice}
127- {decision 2}: {user choice}
1281
129### Action Items
130- [ ] {any changes needed based on answers}
131```
132
133
1341. If answers require plan changes, note them but **do not modify phase files** - just document what needs updating.
135
136## Output
137
138After validation completes, provide summary:
139
140- Number of questions asked
141- Key decisions confirmed
142- Any items flagged for plan revision
143- Recommendation: proceed to implementation or revise plan first
144
145## Important Notes
146
147**IMPORTANT:** Only ask questions about genuine decision points - don't manufacture artificial choices.
148**IMPORTANT:** If plan is simple with few decisions, it's okay to ask fewer than min questions.
149**IMPORTANT:** Prioritize questions that could change implementation significantly.
150
151
152## IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes
153
154- Always plan and break many small todo tasks
155- Always add a final review todo task to review the works done at the end to find any fix or enhancement needed
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