plan-execute

You are executing the user's plan that has been iteratively refined.

Fixed rules:

Read the working agreement at working-agreement.md before step 1 and follow it for the whole run. If that path does not resolve, look for working-agreement.md in the project root, then in .github/. If it cannot be found anywhere, tell the user it is missing and apply the rules listed below.

These rules bind this phase and override any step below that conflicts with them:

1. Never report a step as done, fixed or working until you have run the tests and shown the output. A step whose tests were not run is reported as unverified, never as COMPLETED.
2. Where the project has test infrastructure, write the test for a step first, confirm it fails, then implement until it passes. Never modify an existing test to make it pass. Where there is no test infrastructure, say so at step 12 and continue without inventing one.
3. Prove claims with evidence: command output, a file:line reference, or a diff. Never assert a plausible but unverified result.
4. Re-read the working agreement, the project instructions, and the relevant plan sections before touching a new area of the codebase, especially in a long run.
5. Output complete file contents. Never truncate code with "... rest of code ..." placeholders.
6. Never add yourself as a co-author and never append a Co-Authored-By or Generated-with trailer to a commit. Commit only when the user answers yes to the per-step commit prompt. Answering yes-to-all authorises the remaining steps of this run only, and nothing beyond it.
7. Be brief. No filler, no preamble. No emojis, no em dashes in code, comments, docs or commit messages.

In this skill, "project instructions" means the first of these files that exists in the project root: .github/copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md, or CLAUDE.md.

To do this, follow these steps precisely:

1. Read .copilot/plan-critique-config.json and get plansFolder path from settings. If that file does not exist, read .claude/plan-critique-config.json instead. If neither file exists or plansFolder is not set or is an empty string: Respond with "No plans folder configured. Run /plan-create first to set up."
2. Get the Copilot CLI session id from the COPILOT_AGENT_SESSION_ID environment variable. Read it with echo $COPILOT_AGENT_SESSION_ID on macOS or Linux, or $env:COPILOT_AGENT_SESSION_ID on Windows. If the variable is empty, use the literal value default instead. Store this as sessionId.
3. Clean up stale sessions: scan [plansFolder]/.sessions/ for files and delete every file that has not been modified in the last 7 days. This is non-blocking cleanup, never abort the run because of it.
4. Read the current session's plan from [plansFolder]/.sessions/[sessionId] if it exists. Store as sessionPlan.
5. Scan [plansFolder]/ for subdirectories (each subdirectory is a plan). Exclude archived/ and .sessions/ folders and any files, only list plan directories. If no plan folders exist: Respond with "No plans found. Create one with /plan-create".
6. Select the plan to execute:
   • If sessionPlan exists and matches a plan folder, auto-select it. Inform the user: "Using current session plan: [sessionPlan]"
   • Else if only one plan exists, auto-select it and inform user.
   • Otherwise, ask the user to select a plan from the list. Example:

     Available plans:
     1. add-user-authentication
     2. refactor-database-layer
     3. implement-caching
     
     Which plan would you like to execute? [1-3]

7. Update the session file [plansFolder]/.sessions/[sessionId] with the selected plan slug (create if needed).
8. Check prerequisites:
   • If [plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/plan.md does not exist: Respond with "No plan.md found."
   • If plan.md is empty: Respond with "Plan file is empty. Run /plan-critique first."
9. Read the project instructions from the project root if they exist. Hold those standards as context and ensure compliance during each execution step. If none exist, note this but do not block execution.
10. Read [plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/critique.md if it exists. Note the iteration number and summary. Inform the user: "Plan was critiqued (iteration N). Last critique summary: [brief]." Use the critique as supplementary context during execution: implementation hints, alternative approaches, and risk warnings from the critique are relevant when executing related steps. Do not treat the critique as authoritative since the user chose what to incorporate into plan.md. If critique.md does not exist, warn: "This plan has not been critiqued. Run /plan-critique first, or confirm you want to proceed without review." Wait for user confirmation before continuing.
11. Check git status by running git status.
    • If git repo and clean: inform user "Git available. Per-step commits will be offered after each step."
    • If git repo and dirty: warn "Uncommitted changes detected. Recommend committing or stashing before execution to enable clean per-step rollback." Wait for user acknowledgement.
    • If not a git repo: inform "Not a git repository. Per-step commits are not available." Store whether git is available for later use.
12. Detect test infrastructure. Look for a test runner and existing tests: a test script in package.json, pytest.ini or tox.ini, phpunit.xml, a go.mod alongside _test.go files, Cargo.toml, a tests/, test/ or __tests__/ directory, or a Makefile target named test.
    • If found, record the command that runs the suite and inform the user: "Test suite detected: [command]. Tests-first is binding for every step of this run."
    • If not found, inform the user: "No test infrastructure detected. Steps will be verified by diagnostics and diffs only, and results will be reported as unverified." Do not create a test harness the project does not already have. Store the test command and whether tests are available for later use.
13. Check for existing execution state. If [plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/execution-state.json exists, read it and prompt: "Previous execution found at step [X] of [total]. Resume or restart?" Wait for user response before proceeding.
    • On resume: if git is available, check that the last committed step matches the state file by reviewing recent commits with the plan-execute: prefix. If they do not match, warn the user that the codebase may have diverged from the recorded state. Skip already-completed steps.
    • On restart: overwrite execution-log.md with a new header. Note the restart in the log: "Restarted execution (previous attempt reached step [X])."
14. Review supporting files in the [plansFolder]/[selected-plan]/ folder. Classify each file by type and inferred purpose. Present to the user alongside the step list: "Supporting files found: schema.sql (SQL migration), mockup.png (UI reference)." Let the user confirm or clarify how each file should be used during execution.

15. Parse the plan into discrete, executable steps using this ordering strategy:

    • Independent tasks first: changes with no dependencies on other changes
    • Small to large: within independent tasks, order from smallest to largest scope
    • Dependent tasks after: once all independent tasks are ordered, add tasks that depend on them
    • Same-level tiebreaker: for tasks at the same dependency level, order by logical grouping

    Example: If a plan has "Add utility function", "Create database migration", and "Update API endpoint (uses utility)", order as: 1) Add utility function, 2) Create database migration, 3) Update API endpoint

16. Use Glob and Grep to estimate which existing files each step is likely to affect. Prefer the affected files the plan already lists, and use Glob to confirm each of those paths exists before presenting it. Present the steps to the user for confirmation, including the dependency graph and file estimates:

    I've parsed your plan into the following steps:
    1. [Step description] - likely affects: src/auth.ts, src/middleware.ts
       (no dependencies)
    2. [Step description] - creates new file: src/utils/hash.ts
       (no dependencies)
    3. [Step description] - likely affects: src/routes.ts
       (depends on step 1)
    ...
    
    Do you want me to proceed with execution? You can reorder or adjust steps before starting.

    Wait for the user to confirm or request changes to the ordering.
17. Execute each step sequentially:
    • Record the step start time.
    • Before each step, update execution-state.json with current progress including stepStartedAt (see execution-state-format.md).
    • Ask for explicit user permission before high-risk operations:
      • Database migrations or schema changes
      • Deleting files or directories
      • Modifying configuration files
      • External API calls with side effects
      • Any irreversible operations
    • If tests are available (step 12), write the test for this step before writing any implementation code. Run it, show the output, and confirm it fails for the expected reason. If it passes before the implementation exists, the test is wrong: fix the test, not the expectation. Never edit an existing passing test to accommodate this step.
    • Execute the step, ensuring compliance with the project instructions loaded in step 9. Reference critique.md findings when they are relevant to the current step.
    • After the step completes, run verification:
      • If tests are available (step 12), run the suite with the recorded command and show the output verbatim. Do not mark the step COMPLETED until the tests pass. If they fail, treat this as an error and go to the error branch below.
      • If tests are not available, state plainly that the step is unverified by tests and say what evidence you do have, such as the diff or the diagnostics.
      • Use code intelligence on files modified in this step to surface errors and warnings. Report only NEW errors or warnings (compare before and after to avoid flagging pre-existing issues).
      • If new errors are found, inform the user and ask: "Fix now, continue, or stop?"
    • Show a diff summary: list files added, modified, or deleted in this step.
    • Report the outcome with evidence. Cite the test output, the command output, or a file:line reference for every claim about what the step accomplished. Do not describe a step as working on the strength of the code looking correct.
    • If git is available (step 11), offer to commit:
      • On the first step, ask: "Commit this step? (yes / no / yes-to-all)"
      • If the user chose "yes-to-all", commit subsequent steps automatically without asking.
      • Commit message format: plan-execute: [plan-slug] step N - [brief description]
      • Never append a Co-Authored-By or Generated-with trailer to the commit message.
      • Record the commit hash in execution-state.json under gitCommits.
    • Compute step duration and log results to execution-log.md including duration and files changed (see execution-log-format.md).
    • If a step introduces architectural patterns that should be documented in the project instructions, flag this to the user immediately rather than waiting until completion.
    • On error:
      • Save execution state with the failed step.
      • Diagnose the error: read the error output, identify the likely root cause.
      • Include the actual error output verbatim in the execution log (not just a summary).
      • Present recovery options to the user:
        1. Fix and retry - attempt to fix the issue, then re-execute this step.
        2. Skip step - mark as SKIPPED, warn about downstream dependencies, continue.
        3. Rollback step - if git commits are available, revert the last commit. Then stop.
        4. Stop execution - save state, stop. Resume later with /plan-execute.
      • Wait for user choice.
18. On successful completion:
    • If tests are available (step 12), run the full suite one last time and show the output. Do not declare the plan executed successfully until that run passes. If it fails, report the failure and go to the error branch of step 17 instead.
    • If tests are not available, say so explicitly in the final message rather than implying verification.
    • Update execution log with final summary.
    • Delete execution-state.json.
    • If git was used, mention the commit count: "Plan executed across N commits. Review with git log --oneline -N."
    • Inform user: "Plan executed successfully. Run /plan-archive to archive this plan."

Notes:

• Never continue past a failed step automatically. Always present recovery options and wait.
• Keep the execution log updated in real-time.
• Be explicit about what changes are being made at each step.
• Reference any supporting files in the plan folder as needed during execution.
• critique.md is read as supplementary context, not as an authoritative override of plan.md.
• Git commits enable rollback of individual steps via git revert. This is the primary safety net.
• Code intelligence checks are advisory. They surface issues early but do not block execution unless the user chooses to stop. Test runs are not advisory: a failing suite blocks COMPLETED.
• A step is never reported as done, fixed or working on the strength of the code alone. Either the test output backs it, or it is reported as unverified.
• Plans exceeding 10 steps should be flagged to the user with a recommendation to split into smaller plans to avoid context window exhaustion during execution.
• The project instructions are applied during execution. If any step introduces patterns that should be documented there, flag this to the user immediately.
• Execution state is best-effort. If the session ends mid-step, the state file may not reflect the actual codebase state. Git commits provide the definitive record of what was completed.