Planning

If preflight readiness is missing, stale, or blocked (check .pulse/tooling-status.json), stop and invoke pulse:using-pulse before continuing.

Planning has two jobs:

1. Choose the least workflow that protects the work.
2. Prepare only the approved current work for validating.

If this skill cannot explain the work with practical outcomes and realistic examples, it is not done.

Core Planning Model

Mode
  -> Shape
    -> Epic?
      -> Current Work
        -> Beads?

• Mode: direct_task | spike | small_change | standard_feature | high_risk_feature
• Shape: work-shape, phase-plan, or epic-map
• Current Work: direct item, spike question, current story, or current phase
• Bead: worker-sized executable unit for validated current work

For new feature work, define architecture/reality basis before shaping current work.

Hot-Path Rules

• history/<feature>/CONTEXT.md is the source of truth; planning reads but never overrides locked decisions.
• Every small_change still requires an approved mini CONTEXT.md; do not treat low risk as permission to skip locked decisions.
• Read .pulse/project-docs.json first when present, then listed docs before relying only on feature history artifacts.
• Start with a mode gate and record why smaller modes are insufficient when above small_change.
• Gate 2 is mandatory: do not prepare current-work artifacts before explicit shape approval.
• For tough work, prefer epic maps when capability/risk areas are clearer than milestone phases.
• Create beads only for approved current work, and only after feasibility passes (except already-proven direct/small work).
• Carry relevant corrections/ratchets from learnings into bead learning_refs.

Pipeline

CONTEXT.md
  -> Phase 0 Learnings Retrieval
  -> Phase 1 Discovery                 (history/<feature>/discovery.md)
  -> Phase 2 Synthesis                 (history/<feature>/approach.md)
  -> Phase 3 Mode Gate + Work Shape    (work-shape.md | phase-plan.md | epic-map.md)
  -> HARD-GATE (Gate 2): human approval required
  -> approved outcome: continue inside planning to current-work prep
  -> Phase 4 Current-Work Prep         (current-story-pack.md | phase-<n>-contract.md + phase-<n>-story-map.md)
  -> Handoff: recommend pulse:validating (`next_action: manual_invoke` by default)

Bead timing contract:

• direct_task and already-proven small_change may create current-work beads in planning.
• standard_feature and high_risk_feature default to no-bead planning output; validating must confirm feasibility first.
• After validating reaches feasibility READY/READY WITH CONSTRAINTS, route once to planning to create only current-work beads, then resume validating for schema/structure/bead review.

Load references/planning-reference.md for mode quality rules and artifact templates.

Phase Execution Contract

Before you start

1. If .pulse/scripts/pulse_status.mjs exists, run node .pulse/scripts/pulse_status.mjs --json.
2. Read history/<feature>/CONTEXT.md; if missing, stop and ask the human to provide or approve a mini CONTEXT.md through pulse:exploring before planning, even for small_change.
3. Stop if .pulse/tooling-status.json reports blocked.
4. Read project docs first (.pulse/project-docs.json when present; otherwise minimal relevant docs set).

Phase 0: Learnings Retrieval (mandatory)

1. Read .pulse/memory/critical-patterns.md.
2. Check staleness via .pulse/STATE.md; if last compounding is missing or >3 completed features old, warn and continue.
3. Use recall-pack pointers first (corrections -> ratchets -> learnings), then targeted grep only if needed.
4. Record Institutional Learnings at top of history/<feature>/discovery.md.

Phase 1: Discovery

• Explore architecture topology, existing patterns, constraints, and external references only when novel.
• Prefer GitNexus when configured; explicitly document fallback when unavailable.
• Write history/<feature>/discovery.md using references/planning-reference.md.

Phase 2: Synthesis

• Read CONTEXT.md + discovery.md.
• Write history/<feature>/approach.md using references/planning-reference.md.
• Include gap analysis, recommended approach, alternatives, risk map, proposed structure, learnings applied.
• For every HIGH risk define: component, reason, validating owner, YES/NO spike question, affected beads, decision gate options, and testing_mode expectation.

Phase 3: Mode Gate + Work Shape (Gate 2 setup)

• Choose mode first: direct_task | spike | small_change | standard_feature | high_risk_feature.
• Write one approved shape artifact:
  • work-shape.md for direct/spike/small work
  • phase-plan.md for milestone-shaped work
  • epic-map.md for capability/risk-shaped work
• Set Approval status: PENDING and stop for user approval.
• If revised, set or keep REVISE_REQUIRED; only set APPROVED after explicit approval.
• Gate 2 approval authorizes planning to continue into Phase 4; it does not invoke validating.
• After approval, update runtime state with gate: GATE 2, gate_status: approved, and continue to current-work prep.
• Planning is not complete until the approved current-work artifacts are written.
• Only invoke pulse:validating in the same session when the user explicitly chooses an equivalent of Approve and continue to validating now; otherwise validating remains the next manual skill after planning completion.

Approval sync checklist before moving forward:

1. Update shape artifact approval state.
2. Sync same state into .pulse/STATE.md and .pulse/state.json.
3. Confirm both artifacts name the same approved current work.
4. Enter current-work preparation after Gate 2 approval; do not invoke validating unless the user explicitly asked to continue to validating now in the same context.

Phase 4: Current-Work Prep

• Select current work from approved shape:
  • direct/spike/small: current work in work-shape.md
  • epic-map: current story in current-story-pack.md
  • phase-plan: current phase contract/story map
• Keep prep bounded to one executable current slice.
• Current work must lock entry/exit, scope, verification, and out-of-scope boundaries.

Phase 5: Current-Work Bead Creation (conditional)

• Create real beads with br create; never pseudo-beads in markdown.
• Create only current-work beads. Never create future-story/future-phase beads.
• Beads are allowed in planning only when either condition holds:
  1. mode is direct_task or already-proven small_change
  2. validating has already returned READY/READY WITH CONSTRAINTS for this current work and explicitly routed back for bead creation
• For standard_feature and high_risk_feature, do not create execution beads before feasibility passes.
• For epic/phase work, keep one whole-feature epic open until final reviewing closeout.
• Normalize every bead immediately with required schema fields:
  • dependencies, files, verify, verification_evidence, testing_mode, decision_refs, learning_refs
• Use references/bead-template.md for bead schema details.
• Fill story/work-to-bead mapping after bead creation.

STATE + Handoff

After major transitions, update .pulse/STATE.md as a mirror of durable artifacts (source of truth remains history files).

If context exceeds 65% at a phase boundary:

• write .pulse/handoffs/planning.json with the shared envelope from ../using-pulse/references/handoff-contract.md
• register it in .pulse/handoffs/manifest.json
• keep payload concise and current-work specific (completed_through, artifacts_written, beads_created, open_questions, current_work)

Completion Handoff

On success:

• discovery, approach, and approved shape artifact are written
• Gate 2 approval is recorded and synced
• current-work prep artifacts are written
• bead state is explicit:
  • direct/proven-small path: current-work beads may already exist and