Pwrl Plan Scope

pwrl-plan-scope — Context & Scope Gathering

Purpose: Entry point to the planning workflow. Gathers context, checks existing plans and learnings, validates domain, and returns a scoped context object that downstream skills (pwrl-plan-research, pwrl-plan-design, pwrl-plan-generate) consume.

Interaction Method

• Use the platform's ask_user_question extension for all user-facing decisions.
• Ask one question at a time. Use follow-up questions to refine scope.
• Use multiple-choice questions when possible (e.g., "Is this a new feature, a bug fix, or a refactor?").
• If the input is empty, ask: "What would you like to plan? Describe the task or project."
• Do not proceed to research/design/generation — this skill only gathers context.

Output: Scoped Context

After completing the workflow, produce a scoped context block (as markdown) with this schema:

scope-id: YYYY-MM-DD-NNN-scope
domain: software | non-software
status: confirmed
interactionMode: detailed | smart | yolo

# Scoped Context

## Problem
[Clear statement of the problem frame]

## Intended Behavior
[Description of desired outcome]

## Success Criteria
- [Criterion 1]
- [Criterion 2]

## Existing Plan
path: docs/plans/...md | null
action: resume | review | archive | delete | create-new | none

## Related Learnings
- docs/learnings/XXX.md — [1-line applicability note]
- (List from docs/learnings/INDEX.md; empty list if none)

## Learning Gaps
- [Gap name] — [Follow-up action via /pwrl-learnings]

## Requirements Found
- docs/brainstorms/XXX.md — [relevant excerpt]
- docs/requirements/XXX.md — [relevant excerpt]
- (Empty list if none found)

This context is passed to pwrl-plan-research (S3) for the research phase.

Workflow

Step 1: Check for Existing Plan

1. Search docs/plans/ for existing plans related to the task.

2. If an existing plan is found:

   • Read the plan to understand its title and goal.
   • Ask the user via ask_user_question (multiple choice):

     An existing plan was found: "[Plan Title]"
     What would you like to do?
     - Resume: Continue working on this plan
     - Review: Read the plan before deciding
     - Archive: Keep for reference, mark as inactive
     - Delete: Remove the plan entirely
     - Create New: Start fresh
     

   • Handle each choice:
     • Resume: Use plan as-is; set existing_plan.action: resume
     • Review: Show plan summary, then re-prompt with same options
     • Archive: Move to archive; set existing_plan.action: archive
     • Delete: Remove file; set existing_plan.action: delete
     • Create New: Keep old plan; set existing_plan.action: create-new

3. If no existing plan is found:

   • Set existing_plan.path: null, existing_plan.action: none
   • Proceed to Step 1.5

Step 1.5: Select Interaction Mode

Ask the user to choose their engagement level for this workflow. Use the platform's ask_user_question extension (or equivalent) to present the following three options:

Question: "How would you like to proceed with this workflow?"

Options:

• Detailed (Step-by-Step) — Review and confirm at each phase transition; inspect generated artifacts before proceeding; maximum control. Best for complex work, unfamiliar codebases, and learning.
• Smart (Risk-gated automation) — Phases run automatically; pause only when the next phase produces a HIGH-risk operation. v1 simplifies this to a single confirmation prompt at workflow start.
• Yolo (Full Automation) — Every phase runs automatically; only the final outcome is reported. Fastest. Best for straightforward, well-understood work and time-sensitive hotfixes.

Store the selection in the scoped context (replacing the placeholder in the schema above):

interactionMode: detailed | smart | yolo

Propagation: The interactionMode value flows into pwrl-plan-research, pwrl-plan-design, and pwrl-plan-generate artifacts. Each downstream phase reads the value and adjusts its confirmation behavior:

• Detailed: Pause at every phase transition; show generated artifacts; require explicit approval.
• Smart: Run phases automatically; pause only at HIGH-risk operations.
• Yolo: Run every phase automatically; report only the final outcome.

Step 2: Domain Validation

• Ask: "Is this a software/code planning task?"
• If yes: Set domain: software
• If no: Set domain: non-software
  • Note: Non-software planning is outside pwrl-plan's scope. Suggest a universal planning approach instead. The downstream skills (pwrl-plan-research, pwrl-plan-design, pwrl-plan-generate) only support software planning.

Step 3: Bootstrap Problem Context

If no existing context was found (no plan, no brainstorms/requirements), bootstrap from the user:

1. Problem Frame: Ask "What problem are you trying to solve? Describe it in 1-2 sentences."
2. Intended Behavior: Ask "What should happen after this is implemented? Describe the desired outcome."
3. Success Criteria: Ask "How will we know this is complete? What specific outcomes define success?" Collect 1-3 criteria.

If the user already provided rich context in the initial input, extract these from the input text and confirm with the user via ask_user_question.

Step 4: Learnings Index Gate

Search project learnings (in docs/learnings/INDEX.md) for entries matching the task description. For details on keyword matching, relevance rating, gap identification, and examples, see learnings-gate-logic.md. Add HIGH and MEDIUM relevance learnings to Related Learnings; identify and document any learning gaps.

Step 5: Requirements Search

1. Search docs/brainstorms/ for files whose names or content match the task description.
   • Keywords: exact match on filename, grep content for relevant terms
   • If the directory does not exist, skip silently
2. Search docs/requirements/ for matching files.
   • Same approach as brainstorms
3. For each match:
   • Extract the title and a 1-2 sentence relevant excerpt
   • Add to Requirements Found list
4. If no matches found, set Requirements Found to empty.

Step 6: Confirm and Return Scoped Context

1. Present the assembled scoped context to the user via ask_user_question for confirmation.
2. Ask: "Is this context correct? Should I proceed to the research phase?"
3. If confirmed: Return the scoped context (markdown block as defined above).
4. If corrections needed: Iterate through Steps 2-5 as needed based on user feedback.
5. Do not proceed to research/design/generation — this skill only gathers context.

Edge Cases

Seven edge cases commonly encountered during scope gathering: outdated existing plans, multiple plans found, no learnings indexed, missing requirement directories, vague user input, non-software domains, and learning gaps. For handling instructions, decision trees, and examples, see edge-cases.md.

State Passing (to S3: pwrl-plan-research)

The scoped context object is passed to pwrl-plan-research in markdown format with YAML frontmatter. Downstream skills read it from docs/plans/.scope/YYYY-MM-DD-NNN-scope.md. For detailed schema documentation, field reference, storage conventions, and versioning rules, see state-schema.md.

References

• Source: Phase 1 of pwrl-plan/SKILL.md
• Downstream: pwrl-plan-research (S3) — receives scoped context
• Integration: ask_user_question extension for all user decisions
• Learnings Index: docs/learnings/INDEX.md
• Plan storage: docs/plans/
• Brainstorms: docs/brainstorms/ (optional)
• Requirements: docs/requirements/ (optional)