# Paw Planning Docs Review

> Holistic review of planning artifacts bundle (Spec.md + ImplementationPlan.md + CodeResearch.md) with configurable single-model, multi-model, or society-of-thought execution. Catches cross-artifact consistency issues before implementation begins. Use when this capability is needed.

- Skill: `tomevault-io/paw-planning-docs-review` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/paw-planning-docs-review`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/paw-planning-docs-review/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/paw-planning-docs-review

---


# Planning Documents Review

> **Execution Context**: This skill runs **directly** in the PAW session (not a subagent), preserving user interactivity for apply/skip/discuss decisions.

Holistic review gate that examines all planning documents as a bundle after plan-review passes, before implementation begins. Focuses on cross-artifact consistency issues that individual reviews of Spec.md or ImplementationPlan.md cannot detect.

## Capabilities

- Review planning artifacts (Spec.md, ImplementationPlan.md, CodeResearch.md) as a holistic bundle
- Multi-model parallel review with synthesis (CLI only)
- Society-of-thought review via `paw-sot` engine with specialist personas, parallel/debate execution, and confidence-weighted synthesis (CLI only)
- Single-model review (CLI and VS Code)
- Interactive resolution routing fixes to paw-spec or paw-planning
- Re-review after revisions with cycle limit
- Generate review artifacts in `.paw/work/<work-id>/reviews/planning/`

## Procedure

### Step 1: Read Configuration

Read WorkflowContext.md for:
- Work ID and target branch
- `Planning Docs Review`: `enabled` | `disabled`
- `Planning Review Mode`: `single-model` | `multi-model` | `society-of-thought`
- `Planning Review Interactive`: `true` | `false` | `smart`
- `Planning Review Models`: comma-separated model names (for multi-model)

If `Planning Docs Review` is `disabled`, report skip and return `complete`.

{{#cli}}
If mode is `multi-model`, parse the models list. Default: `latest GPT, latest Gemini, latest Claude Opus`.

If mode is `society-of-thought`, also read:
- `Planning Review Specialists`: `all` (default) | comma-separated specialist names | `adaptive:<N>`
- `Planning Review Interaction Mode`: `parallel` (default) | `debate`
- `Planning Review Specialist Models`: `none` (default) | model pool | pinned pairs | mixed
- `Planning Review Perspectives`: `none` | `auto` (default) | comma-separated perspective names
- `Planning Review Perspective Cap`: positive integer (default `2`)
{{/cli}}
{{#vscode}}
**Note**: VS Code only supports `single-model` mode. If `multi-model` is configured, proceed with single-model using the current session's model.
{{/vscode}}

### Step 2: Gather Review Context

**Required context**:
- ImplementationPlan.md — phases, architecture, file paths, success criteria

**Contextual**:
- Spec.md — requirements, user stories, success criteria, scope boundaries (absent in minimal mode — note reduced scope in review output)

**Optional context**:
- CodeResearch.md — existing patterns, conventions, system behavior

If Spec.md or CodeResearch.md is missing, proceed with available artifacts. Note reduced coverage in the review output.

### Step 3: Create Reviews Directory

Create `.paw/work/<work-id>/reviews/planning/` if it doesn't exist.
Create `.paw/work/<work-id>/reviews/.gitignore` with content `*` (if not already present). This is a local-only scratch ignore marker — do NOT stage or commit it.

### Review Prompt (shared)

Use this prompt for all review executions (single-model or each multi-model subagent):

```
Review these planning documents as a holistic bundle. Focus on cross-artifact consistency
issues that reviewing each document individually would miss.

## Specification
[Include Spec.md content]

## Implementation Plan
[Include ImplementationPlan.md content]

## Code Research
[Include CodeResearch.md content, or note "Not available — reduced coverage review"]

## Cross-Artifact Review Criteria

1. **Spec ↔ Plan Traceability**: Do all functional requirements map to plan phases?
   Do plan phases introduce unspecified work? Are any spec requirements lost in translation?
2. **Assumption Consistency**: Do spec assumptions hold given code research findings?
   Does the plan rely on assumptions not documented in the spec?
3. **Scope Coherence**: Does the plan's exclusions match spec's Out of Scope?
   Any drift between what spec excludes and what plan excludes?
4. **Feasibility Validation**: Does code research support the plan's approach?
   Are there research findings the plan ignores or misinterprets?
5. **Completeness**: Are there spec success criteria with no corresponding plan success criteria?
   Are spec edge cases covered in the plan?

For each finding, provide:
- Issue description (which artifacts conflict and how)
- Evidence from each artifact
- Affected artifact(s): spec, plan, or both
- Suggested resolution direction
- Severity: must-fix | should-fix | consider

Write findings in structured markdown.
```

{{#cli}}
### Step 4: Execute Review (CLI)

**If single-model mode**:
- Execute review using the prompt above
- Save to `reviews/planning/REVIEW.md`

**If multi-model mode**:

Resolve model intents to actual model names (e.g., "latest GPT" → current GPT model). Log resolved models, then spawn parallel subagents using `task` tool with `model` parameter for each model. Each subagent receives the review prompt above. Save per-model reviews to `reviews/planning/REVIEW-{MODEL}.md`.

**After multi-model reviews complete**, generate synthesis.

**REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md structure**:
```markdown
# Planning Documents Review Synthesis

**Date**: [date]
**Reviewers**: [model list]
**Artifacts Reviewed**: Spec.md, ImplementationPlan.md, CodeResearch.md

## Consensus Issues (All Models Agree)
[Highest priority — all models flagged these cross-artifact gaps]

## Partial Agreement (2+ Models)
[High priority — multiple models flagged]

## Single-Model Insights
[Unique findings worth considering]

## Priority Actions
### Must Fix
[Critical cross-artifact issues]

### Should Fix
[Important consistency gaps]

### Consider
[Minor alignment opportunities]
```

Save to `reviews/planning/REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md`.

**If society-of-thought mode**:

Load the `paw-sot` skill and invoke it with a review context constructed from WorkflowContext.md fields and planning artifacts:

| Review Context Field | Source |
|---------------------|--------|
| `type` | `artifacts` |
| `coordinates` | Available artifact paths in `.paw/work/<work-id>/`: ImplementationPlan.md (required), Spec.md (if present), CodeResearch.md (if present) |
| `output_dir` | `.paw/work/<work-id>/reviews/planning/` |
| `specialists` | `Planning Review Specialists` value from WorkflowContext.md |
| `interaction_mode` | `Planning Review Interaction Mode` value from WorkflowContext.md |
| `interactive` | `Planning Review Interactive` value from WorkflowContext.md |
| `specialist_models` | `Planning Review Specialist Models` value from WorkflowContext.md |
| `perspectives` | `Planning Review Perspectives` value from WorkflowContext.md |
| `perspective_cap` | `Planning Review Perspective Cap` value from WorkflowContext.md |
| `framing` | Supplement the `artifacts` preamble with the 5 cross-artifact criteria: requirement traceability (FRs → plan phases), assumption consistency, scope coherence, feasibility validation, completeness coverage |

After paw-sot completes orchestration and synthesis, tag each REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md finding with `Affected artifact(s): spec | plan | both` by mapping the finding's document references — Spec.md references → `spec`, ImplementationPlan.md references → `plan`, references to both or ambiguous → `both`. Then proceed to Step 5 (Resolution) to process the tagged findings.
{{/cli}}

{{#vscode}}
### Step 4: Execute Review (VS Code)

**Note**: VS Code only supports single-model mode. If `multi-model` is configured, report to user: "Multi-model not available in VS Code; running single-model review."

If `society-of-thought` is configured, report to user: "Society-of-thought requires CLI for specialist persona loading (see issue #240). Running single-model review."

Execute single-model review using the shared review prompt above. Save to `reviews/planning/REVIEW.md`.
{{/vscode}}

### Step 5: Resolution

**If no findings**: Report clean review and return `complete`.

**If Interactive = true**:

Present each finding to user with resolution options:
```
## Finding #N: [Title]

**Severity**: [must-fix | should-fix | consider]
**Criteria**: [Which cross-artifact criteria]
**Affected Artifact(s)**: [spec | plan | both]

**Issue**: [Description of cross-artifact gap]

**Evidence**:
- Spec: [relevant section/content]
- Plan: [relevant section/content]
- Research: [relevant section/content, if applicable]

**Suggested Resolution**: [Direction for fix]

---

**Your call**: apply-to-spec, apply-to-plan, apply-to-both, skip, or discuss?
```

Resolution routing:
- **apply-to-spec**: Load `paw-spec` skill (Revise Specification mode) with finding as context
- **apply-to-plan**: Load `paw-planning` skill (Plan Revision mode) with finding as context
- **apply-to-both**: Apply to spec first, then plan (sequential)
- **skip**: Record finding as skipped, proceed to next
- **discuss**: Discuss with user, then apply or skip

Track status for each finding: `applied-to-spec`, `applied-to-plan`, `applied-to-both`, `skipped`, `discussed`.

{{#cli}}
For multi-model mode, process synthesis first (consensus → partial → single-model). Track cross-finding duplicates to avoid re-presenting already-addressed issues.

For society-of-thought mode, process REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md findings by severity (must-fix → should-fix → consider). Present trade-offs from the "Trade-offs Requiring Decision" section for user decision. Track cross-finding duplicates. Resolution routing remains the same (apply-to-spec, apply-to-plan, apply-to-both, skip, discuss).
{{/cli}}

**If Interactive = smart**:

{{#cli}}
If `Planning Review Mode` is `single-model`, smart degrades to interactive behavior (no synthesis to classify). Follow the `Interactive = true` flow.

If `Planning Review Mode` is `multi-model`, classify each synthesis finding, then resolve in phases:

**Classification heuristic** (applied per finding):

| Agreement Level | Severity | Affected Artifact | Classification |
|----------------|----------|-------------------|----------------|
| Consensus | must-fix/should-fix | spec or plan (single) | `auto-apply` → auto-route to appropriate skill |
| Consensus | must-fix/should-fix | both | `interactive` → user chooses routing |
| Partial | must-fix/should-fix | any | `interactive` |
| Single-model | must-fix/should-fix | any | `interactive` |
| Consensus | consider | spec or plan (single) | `quick-win evaluation`* → auto-route if applied |
| Partial/Single | consider | any | `report-only` |

Consensus agreement implies models converged on the fix. Single-artifact consensus findings are auto-routed: `spec` → paw-spec (Revise), `plan` → paw-planning (Revision). Multi-artifact findings always pause for user routing even at consensus.

*Quick-win evaluation: auto-apply if **all three** hold: (1) trivial fix — < ~2 min, localized change; (2) clearly net-positive — no design tradeoff, scope expansion, or new dependencies; (3) improves safety, correctness, or clarity — not purely style. For SoT findings, security/correctness categories and multi-specialist agreement favor applying. Otherwise → `report-only`.

**Phase 1 — Auto-apply**: Apply all `auto-apply` and quick-win findings without user interaction, routing each to the appropriate skill. Display batch summary:

```
## Auto-Applied Findings (N items)

1. **[Title]** (must-fix) → applied to spec — [one-line description]
2. **[Title]** (should-fix) → applied to plan — [one-line description]
3. **[Title]** (consider, quick-win) → applied to spec — [one-line description]
...
```

**Phase 2 — Interactive**: Present each `interactive` finding using the same format as `Interactive = true` (apply-to-spec, apply-to-plan, apply-to-both, skip, or discuss).

**Phase 3 — Summary**: Display final summary of all dispositions:

```
## Resolution Summary

**Auto-applied**: N findings (consensus fixes + quick wins)
**User-applied**: N findings (to-spec: X, to-plan: Y, to-both: Z)
**User-skipped**: N findings
**Deferred**: N findings (consider-severity, with one-line reasons)
```

If all findings are `auto-apply`/`quick-win` or `report-only`, skip Phase 2. If all findings are `interactive`, skip Phase 1.

Smart mode classification applies independently per re-review cycle (Step 6) since synthesis is regenerated from modified artifacts each cycle.

If `Planning Review Mode` is `society-of-thought`, classify each REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md finding:

| Confidence | Grounding | Severity | Affected Artifact | Classification |
|------------|-----------|----------|-------------------|----------------|
| HIGH | Direct | must-fix/should-fix | spec or plan (single) | `auto-apply` → auto-route to affected artifact skill |
| HIGH | Direct | must-fix/should-fix | both | `interactive` → user chooses routing |
| HIGH | Inferential | must-fix/should-fix | any | `interactive` |
| MEDIUM/LOW | any | must-fix/should-fix | any | `interactive` |
| HIGH | Direct | consider | spec or plan (single) | `quick-win evaluation`* → auto-route if applied |
| Other | any | consider | any | `report-only` |
| — | — | trade-off | any | `interactive` (always) |

Single-artifact HIGH+Direct findings are auto-routed: `spec` → paw-spec (Revise), `plan` → paw-planning (Revision). Multi-artifact findings always pause for user routing. Follow the same Phase 1/2/3 resolution flow as multi-model smart mode.

Smart mode classification applies independently per re-review cycle.
{{/cli}}
{{#vscode}}
Smart mode degrades to interactive behavior in VS Code (single-model has no agreement signal). Follow the `Interactive = true` flow above.
{{/vscode}}

**If Interactive = false**:

Auto-apply all `must-fix` and `should-fix` findings. For each `consider` finding, apply the quick-win evaluation* — auto-apply if it passes, otherwise report as a deferred consider with a one-line reason. Route each applied finding to the appropriate planning skill based on affected artifact. Report all applied and deferred findings.

### Step 6: Re-Review (if revisions were made)

If any findings were applied (artifacts revised), re-run the review to verify consistency:

1. Re-execute Steps 2–5 with updated artifacts
2. If no new findings, proceed to completion
3. If new findings emerge, present for resolution
4. **Cycle limit**: After 2 review cycles, present any remaining findings as informational and proceed. Do not loop indefinitely.

{{#cli}}
#### Moderator Mode (society-of-thought only)

After re-review completes (or after initial resolution if no revisions were made), if `Planning Review Mode` is `society-of-thought` and (`Planning Review Interactive` is `true`, or `smart` with must-fix/should-fix findings remaining), invoke `paw-sot` a second time for moderator mode — pass the review context `type` (`artifacts`), `output_dir` (`.paw/work/<work-id>/reviews/planning/` containing individual REVIEW-{SPECIALIST-NAME}.md files and REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md), and artifact coordinates.

The `paw-sot` moderator mode handles specialist summoning, finding challenges, and deeper analysis. See `paw-sot` skill for interaction patterns. Moderator mode is advisory — specialist engagement informs user understanding but does not trigger additional re-review cycles.

**Exit**: User says "done", "continue", or "proceed" to exit moderator mode and continue to implementation.

**Skip condition**: If `Planning Review Interactive` is `false`, or no findings exist, or `smart` with only consider-tier findings and none qualify as quick wins, skip moderator mode entirely.
{{/cli}}

### Step 7: Completion

**Report back**:
- Total findings count
- Applied / skipped / discussed counts (by artifact target)
- Summary of key revisions made
- Review artifacts location
- Status: `complete` (ready for implementation)

**Edge cases**:
- All findings skipped → Proceed (user's choice respected)
- Planning Docs Review disabled → Skip with status `complete`
- All models return no findings → Clean pass, proceed

## Review Artifacts

| Mode | Files Created |
|------|---------------|
| single-model | `REVIEW.md` |
| multi-model | `REVIEW-{MODEL}.md` per model, `REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md` |
| society-of-thought | `REVIEW-{SPECIALIST-NAME}.md` per specialist, `REVIEW-{SPECIALIST-NAME}-{PERSPECTIVE}.md` (when perspectives active), `REVIEW-SYNTHESIS.md` (produced by `paw-sot`) |

Location: `.paw/work/<work-id>/reviews/planning/`
Covered by parent `.gitignore` with `*` pattern in `reviews/`.

---
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<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-11 -->