Pwrl Plan Generate

pwrl-plan-generate — Plan Generation

Purpose: Final output step in the planning workflow. Accepts scoped context, research findings, and implementation units from upstream skills (S2→S3→S4). Selects the appropriate tier (Fast/Standard/Deep), renders the plan from the templates reference file, embeds related learnings, and saves it to docs/plans/.

Interaction Method

• Use the platform's ask_user_question extension for confirmations and overrides.
• Present tier selection and plan preview before saving.
• Ask one question at a time. Use multiple-choice for tier override.

Input

This skill expects three inputs:

1. Scoped context from pwrl-plan-scope (S2) — problem, criteria, domain, learnings
2. Research findings from pwrl-plan-research (S3) — patterns, risk, constraints
3. Implementation units from pwrl-plan-design (S4) — U-IDs, files, approach, criteria

If inputs are missing, search for recent scope/research/design files or prompt the user to run prerequisite skills first.

Output: Plan File

After completing the workflow, a plan file is saved to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-NNN-<kebab-case-name>.md. The function returns: { file_path: "docs/plans/...md", tier: "Fast", summary: "..." }. For detailed schema documentation, file structure, frontmatter specification, content requirements per tier, storage conventions, and versioning rules, see state-schema.md.

Workflow

Step 1: Tier Selection

1. Read the complexity hint from S4's output and the research findings.

2. Apply the heuristic to determine initial tier:

   Unit Count	Risk Level	Initial Tier
   1-3	LOW	Fast
   1-3	MEDIUM or HIGH	Standard
   4-8	any	Standard
   9+	any	Deep
   any	2+ high-risk areas	Deep

3. Present to user: "Based on [N] units and [risk] risk level, the recommended tier is [Tier]. Would you like to use this tier or choose a different one?"

   • Options: Accept [Tier], Select Fast, Select Standard, Select Deep

4. Apply user's choice.

5. Document the tier selection rationale in the plan.

Step 2: Load Template

1. Read the appropriate template from pwrl-plan/references/plan-templates.md.
2. Select the template section matching the chosen tier (Fast, Standard, or Deep).
3. If the template cannot be loaded, fall back to the inline template definitions in this skill.

Step 3: Render Plan Sections

Use the loaded template to populate each section based on the chosen tier. For detailed rendering logic, section requirements per tier (Fast/Standard/Deep), template structure, and examples, see render-workflow.md.

Step 4: Embed Learnings

1. From S2's Related Learnings list, add to the plan:

   ## Related Learnings
   
   - **[Learning Title]** — `docs/learnings/XXX.md` — [1-line applicability note]
   

2. From S2's Learning Gaps list, add to the plan:

   ## Learning Gaps
   
   - **[Gap Name]** — *Action:* Document via `/pwrl-learnings` after implementation
   

3. If no learnings or gaps exist, still include the sections:

   • "No relevant learnings found"
   • "No learning gaps identified at this time"

Step 5: Generate Filename

1. Format: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-NNN-<kebab-case-name>.md
2. Components:
   • Date: Today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
   • NNN: Sequential 3-digit number (001, 002, 003...)
   • Name: Kebab-case slug from the plan title
3. Avoid collisions:
   • Read docs/plans/ directory
   • Find the highest existing NNN for today's date
   • Increment: new NNN = max NNN + 1
   • Example: if 2026-06-05-001-... exists, next is 2026-06-05-002-...

Step 6: Validate Plan

Before saving, validate:

• Frontmatter: id, status, tier, created, updated are present and valid
• All required sections present for the chosen tier (see Required Sections Per Tier in plan-templates.md)
• All file paths are repository-relative (no /home/user/... paths)
• Related Learnings section exists (even if empty)
• Learning Gaps section exists (even if empty)
• No empty placeholders remain (e.g., {{GOAL}} or [placeholder])
• Plan is valid markdown (can be read without parse errors)

Step 7: Confirm and Save

1. Present the plan preview to the user via ask_user_question:
   • Show: tier selected, filename, first 500 characters of the plan
2. Ask: "Shall I save this plan to [filename]?"
   • Options: Yes, Edit (iterate on sections), Cancel
3. If Yes: Write the file and confirm.
4. If Edit: Iterate on specific sections the user wants changed.
5. If Cancel: Discard and exit.
6. Return the file path and a brief summary.

Edge Cases

Seven edge cases commonly encountered during generation: template loading failure, filename collisions, tier override after preview, minimal research findings, unit count/complexity mismatch, empty complex sections, and multiple plans with same date/title. For handling strategies, decision trees, and examples, see edge-cases.md.

References

• Templates: pwrl-plan/references/plan-templates.md (created by S1)
• Tier Heuristic: pwrl-plan-generate/references/tier-heuristic.md
• Input: Scoped context (S2) + Research findings (S3) + Units (S4)
• Output: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-NNN-<name>.md
• Learnings: docs/learnings/INDEX.md for embedding