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plan-writing▌

davila7/claude-code-templates · updated Apr 8, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates --skill plan-writing
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summary

Source: obra/superpowers

skill.md

Plan Writing

Source: obra/superpowers

Overview

This skill provides a framework for breaking down work into clear, actionable tasks with verification criteria.

Task Breakdown Principles

1. Small, Focused Tasks

  • Each task should take 2-5 minutes
  • One clear outcome per task
  • Independently verifiable

2. Clear Verification

  • How do you know it's done?
  • What can you check/test?
  • What's the expected output?

3. Logical Ordering

  • Dependencies identified
  • Parallel work where possible
  • Critical path highlighted
  • Phase X: Verification is always LAST

4. Dynamic Naming in Project Root

  • Plan files are saved as {task-slug}.md in the PROJECT ROOT
  • Name derived from task (e.g., "add auth" → auth-feature.md)
  • NEVER inside .claude/, docs/, or temp folders

Planning Principles (NOT Templates!)

🔴 NO fixed templates. Each plan is UNIQUE to the task.

Principle 1: Keep It SHORT

❌ Wrong ✅ Right
50 tasks with sub-sub-tasks 5-10 clear tasks max
Every micro-step listed Only actionable items
Verbose descriptions One-line per task

Rule: If plan is longer than 1 page, it's too long. Simplify.

Principle 2: Be SPECIFIC, Not Generic

❌ Wrong ✅ Right
"Set up project" "Run npx create-next-app"
"Add authentication" "Install next-auth, create /api/auth/[...nextauth].ts"
"Style the UI" "Add Tailwind classes to Header.tsx"

Rule: Each task should have a clear, verifiable outcome.

Principle 3: Dynamic Content Based on Project Type

For NEW PROJECT:

  • What tech stack? (decide first)
  • What's the MVP? (minimal features)
  • What's the file structure?

For FEATURE ADDITION:

  • Which files are affected?
  • What dependencies needed?
  • How to verify it works?

For BUG FIX:

  • What's the root cause?
  • What file/line to change?
  • How to test the fix?

Principle 4: Scripts Are Project-Specific

🔴 DO NOT copy-paste script commands. Choose based on project type.

Project Type Relevant Scripts
Frontend/React ux_audit.py, accessibility_checker.py
Backend/API api_validator.py, security_scan.py
Mobile mobile_audit.py
Database schema_validator.py
Full-stack Mix of above based on what you touched

Wrong: Adding all scripts to every plan Right: Only scripts relevant to THIS task

Principle 5: Verification is Simple

❌ Wrong ✅ Right
"Verify the component works correctly" "Run npm run dev, click button, see toast"
"Test the API" "curl localhost:3000/api/users returns 200"
"Check styles" "Open browser, verify dark mode toggle works"

Plan Structure (Flexible, Not Fixed!)

# [Task Name]

## Goal
One sentence: What are we building/fixing?

## Tasks
- [ ] Task 1: [Specific action] → Verify: [How to check]
- [ ] Task 2: [Specific action] → Verify: [How to check]
- [ ] Task 3: [Specific action] → Verify: [How to check]

## Done When
- [ ] [Main success criteria]

That's it. No phases, no sub-sections unless truly needed. Keep it minimal. Add complexity only when required.

Notes

[Any important considerations]


---

## Best Practices (Quick Reference)

1. **Start with goal** - What are we building/fixing?
2. **Max 10 tasks** - If more, break into multiple plans
3. **Each task verifiable** - Clear "done" criteria
4. **Project-specific** - No copy-paste templates
5. **Update as you go** - Mark `[x]` when complete

---

## When to Use

- New project from scratch
- Adding a feature
- Fixing a bug (if complex)
- Refactoring multiple files
how to use plan-writing

How to use plan-writing on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add plan-writing
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates --skill plan-writing

The skills CLI fetches plan-writing from GitHub repository davila7/claude-code-templates and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/plan-writing

Reload or restart Cursor to activate plan-writing. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /plan-writing) or your agent's skill management interface.

⚠

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

Additional Resources

›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases▌

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

✓

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

✓

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

✓

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

✓

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide▌

Prerequisites

  • ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices▌

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This▌

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path▌

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
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general reviews

Ratings

4.7★★★★★75 reviews
  • ★★★★★Aditi Zhang· Dec 28, 2024

    I recommend plan-writing for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Aditi Liu· Dec 28, 2024

    plan-writing fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • ★★★★★Mateo Shah· Dec 24, 2024

    Keeps context tight: plan-writing is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • ★★★★★Ama Tandon· Dec 20, 2024

    plan-writing is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • ★★★★★Sofia Huang· Dec 8, 2024

    Useful defaults in plan-writing — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • ★★★★★Olivia Torres· Dec 8, 2024

    I recommend plan-writing for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Aditi Chen· Dec 8, 2024

    plan-writing reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • ★★★★★Min Abebe· Dec 4, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: plan-writing is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • ★★★★★Rahul Santra· Nov 27, 2024

    Keeps context tight: plan-writing is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • ★★★★★Jin Jain· Nov 27, 2024

    We added plan-writing from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

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