Skip to content
All Skills

Create Plan

Create a concise plan. Use when a user explicitly asks for a plan related to a coding task.

Software Engineering|v1|Updated 7/14/2026|GitHub source
MCP get_skill({ skillId: "create-plan-e55e9f5d" })

Use this skill with your agent

Create a free account and connect via MCP

Get Started Free
# Create Plan

## Goal

Turn a user prompt into a **single, actionable plan** delivered in the final assistant message.

## Minimal workflow

Throughout the entire workflow, operate in read-only mode. Do not write or update files.

1. **Scan context quickly**
   - Read `README.md` and any obvious docs (`docs/`, `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `ARCHITECTURE.md`).
   - Skim relevant files (the ones most likely touched).
   - Identify constraints (language, frameworks, CI/test commands, deployment shape).

2. **Ask follow-ups only if blocking**
   - Ask **at most 1–2 questions**.
   - Only ask if you cannot responsibly plan without the answer; prefer multiple-choice.
   - If unsure but not blocked, make a reasonable assumption and proceed.

3. **Create a plan using the template below**
   - Start with **1 short paragraph** describing the intent and approach.
   - Clearly call out what is **in scope** and what is **not in scope** in short.
   - Then provide a **small checklist** of action items (default 6–10 items).
      - Each checklist item should be a concrete action and, when helpful, mention files/commands.
      - **Make items atomic and ordered**: discovery → changes → tests → rollout.
      - **Verb-first**: "Add…", "Refactor…", "Verify…", "Ship…".
   - Include at least one item for **tests/validation** and one for **edge cases/risk** when applicable.
   - If there are unknowns, include a tiny **Open questions** section (max 3).

4. **Do not preface the plan with meta explanations; output only the plan as per template**

## Plan template (follow exactly)

```markdown
# Plan

<1–3 sentences: what we're doing, why, and the high-level approach.>

## Scope
- In:
- Out:

## Action items
[ ] <Step 1>
[ ] <Step 2>
[ ] <Step 3>
[ ] <Step 4>
[ ] <Step 5>
[ ] <Step 6>

## Open questions
- <Question 1>
- <Question 2>
- <Question 3>
```

## Checklist item guidance
Good checklist items:
- Point to likely files/modules: src/..., app/..., services/...
- Name concrete validation: "Run npm test", "Add unit tests for X"
- Include safe rollout when relevant: feature flag, migration plan, rollback note

Avoid:
- Vague steps ("handle backend", "do auth")
- Too many micro-steps
- Writing code snippets (keep the plan implementation-agnostic)
#broad-capability#creative#planning

Related Skills

More skills in Software Engineering

Accessibility Standards

Comprehensive web accessibility standards based on WCAG 2.2 AA, with 38+ anti-patterns, legal enforcement context (EAA, ADA Title II), WAI-ARIA patterns, and framework-specific fixes for modern web frameworks and libraries.

#github-copilot#accessibilityMIT

Accord

Authoring unified specification packages across Business/Development/Design teams via staged elaboration (L0 Vision → L1 Requirements → L2 Team Detail → L3 Acceptance Criteria). No code. Use when authoring cross-team specs, building L0-L3 packages, or aligning Biz/Dev/Design on a single source of truth.

#broad-capability#developmentMIT

Acquire Codebase Knowledge

Use this skill when the user explicitly asks to map, document, or onboard into an existing codebase. Trigger for prompts like "map this codebase", "document this architecture", "onboard me to this repo", or "create codebase docs". Do not trigger for routine feature implementation, bug fixes, or narrow code edits unless the user asks for repository-level discovery.

#github-copilot#documentationMIT

Acreadiness Assess

Run the AgentRC readiness assessment on the current repository and produce a static HTML dashboard at reports/index.html. Wraps `npx github:microsoft/agentrc readiness` and hands off rendering to the @ai-readiness-reporter custom agent. Supports policies (--policy) for org-specific scoring. Use when asked to assess, audit, or score the AI readiness of a repo.

#github-copilot#planningMIT

Acreadiness Generate Instructions

Generate tailored AI agent instruction files via AgentRC instructions command. Produces .github/copilot-instructions.md (default, recommended for Copilot in VS Code) plus optional per-area .instructions.md files with applyTo globs for monorepos. Use after running /acreadiness-assess to close gaps in the AI Tooling pillar.

#github-copilot#skillMIT

Acreadiness Policy

Help the user pick, write, or apply an AgentRC policy. Policies customise readiness scoring by disabling irrelevant checks, overriding impact/level, setting pass-rate thresholds, or chaining org baselines with team overrides. Use when the user asks about strict mode, AI-only scoring, custom weights, CI gating, or wants org-wide standardisation.

#github-copilot#planningMIT