Wave Planner

Create and run a Wave-Driven Development plan for large, cross-stack tasks.

Objective

Produce:

• Vision and scope boundaries
• Decision Log
• Wave 0 contracts
• Wave 1..N parallel implementation waves
• Integration wave
• Final verification wave
• Documentation update step
• Saved plan file
• Ready-to-send worker prompts and execution checklist

Workflow

1. Decide whether to use this skill:

• Use only if work is large, multi-step, and touches multiple parts/stacks.
• If not large enough, do not use this skill.
• If the user is already in Codex and does not need external workers, recommend using wave-planner instead.

2. Ask for Gate 1 user approval before planning:

• Send a short reason: "I recommend Wave method because <short reason>. Do you agree?"
• Stop until user accepts or declines.

3. If accepted, draft the plan:

• Clarify done criteria and out-of-scope.
• Build Decision Log (naming, API shape, error model, logging, tests, style constraints).
• Define Wave 0 contracts first (types/interfaces/schemas, boundaries, API shapes, constants, flags/migrations).
• Save the plan by default inside .planning/; create the folder if it does not exist.
• Use a clear feature-based filename for the plan.

4. Choose wave and agent count with balancing rules:

• Use the minimum number of waves that still avoids conflicts.
• Group independent tasks into the same wave.
• Move dependency-bound tasks to later waves.
• Keep each worker task medium-sized (not tiny and not overloaded).
• Ensure each worker has explicit file/module ownership.

5. Produce a one-line execution preview before full detail:

• One line per wave.
• One line per worker with task summary.

6. Produce the full plan with complete shared context:

• Include full vision and all waves so each worker sees global intent.
• Include worker-specific goals, files, constraints, and verification.
• Include explicit wave order for execution (Wave 0, then Wave 1..N, then Integration, then Final Verification, then Docs).
• Make each worker prompt highly specific: exact ownership, exact files/modules, exact handoff format, exact verification steps, and any important non-goals.
• Save the full plan to the plan file by default; do not dump the full plan in chat unless the user explicitly asks.

7. Ask for Gate 2 user approval before execution:

• "Plan is ready. Execute now?"
• Stop until user accepts or declines.

8. If accepted, load and use acpx skill, then execute:

• Use acpx to create/run named sessions per worker in current wave.
• Use --prompt-retries when transient failures are likely or already observed.
• Use --suppress-reads when cleaner logs are helpful for orchestration.
• Run workers in parallel inside a wave, but execute waves sequentially.
• Wait for all workers in wave to finish and validate handoffs before next wave.
• Close worker sessions after completion.

9. After all waves:

• Main agent reviews merged result and runs verification tests.
• Main agent updates existing docs if needed, or adds new docs for new features.
• Follow existing documentation format and conventions.
• Main agent updates the original plan file status to Completed or Blocked.
• Main agent adds final verification notes to the original plan file.

Global Rules

• Gating rule: planning and execution require explicit user approvals (Gate 1 and Gate 2).
• Ownership rule: workers edit only assigned files.
• Dependency rule: if outside scope is needed, return a Dependency Note instead of editing.
• Consistency rule: follow existing repo patterns; do not invent new architecture unless requested.
• Verifiability rule: each worker includes at least one concrete verification method.
• Ordering rule: wave order is strict; do not start next wave early.
• Session rule: one named session per worker; close finished sessions.
• Plan-location rule: save plans in .planning/ by default and create the folder if needed.
• Worker-context rule: every worker must read the original plan file first for the full picture before editing.
• Verification-scope rule: run targeted checks first, then broader final checks; report unrelated pre-existing failures clearly as outside scope.
• Docs rule: docs update is mandatory in final step (update existing docs or add new).

Model Routing Configuration

Read templates/model-routing.md before choosing models.

Rules:

• Classify each worker task as hard, middle, or easy.
• Select the first available model from that class's ordered list.
• If a model fails/unavailable, fallback to the next model in order.
• If placeholder guidance still exists in routing config, stop and tell user to edit routing first.

Mandatory Worker Handoff Format

1. Summary (1-3 lines)
2. Files changed (exact list)
3. Patch/diffs (or exact edits)
4. How to test (commands + expected result)
5. Risks/TODOs/Dependency Notes
6. Main plan log entry (what to append to shared execution log)
7. Completion marker: WAVE {WAVE_ID} / {AGENT_NAME} DONE

Output Contract

Always output the final plan using this section order:

• A) Vision
• B) Decision Log
• C) Contracts (Wave 0)
• D) Waves (1..N with agents)
• E) Integration + Final Verification + Docs
• F) Worker prompts
• G) Execution checklist (acpx sessions + wave order)

Use templates from templates/ when helpful.