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fix(ce-plan): close escape hatches that let the skill abandon direct invocations#554

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tmchow merged 2 commits intomainfrom
tmchow/fix-plan-trigger-scope
Apr 14, 2026
Merged

fix(ce-plan): close escape hatches that let the skill abandon direct invocations#554
tmchow merged 2 commits intomainfrom
tmchow/fix-plan-trigger-scope

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@tmchow tmchow commented Apr 13, 2026

Summary

ce:plan had interpretive gaps that let the agent classify legitimate planning requests as "not a planning task" and abandon the workflow, even on explicit /ce:plan invocations. This closes those escape hatches and adds smarter routing when planning isn't the right tool.

What changed

Closed escape hatches (commit 1):

  • Removed the "prefer ce:brainstorm first" sentence from the description frontmatter. It was meant for auto-selection routing but gave the model justification to reroute on direct invocation too.
  • Added a top-of-body directive: "When directly invoked, always plan." with explicit instruction to never abandon. This is the primary fix.
  • Replaced the dead-end "Do not proceed until you have a clear planning input" with actionable alternatives: ask clarifying questions or use Phase 0.4's bootstrap.
  • Scoped the Phase 0.1b "everything else" exit clause (quick questions, factual lookups) to auto-selection only.
  • Broadened Phase 0.4 from "No-Requirements-Doc Fallback" to "Planning Bootstrap" so it covers any underspecified input.

Smart routing after bootstrap (commit 2):

After Phase 0.4's bootstrap establishes enough context, ce:plan now detects two cases where a different workflow fits better:

  • Symptom without root cause (broken behavior, cause unknown): auto-routes to ce:debug with announcement. Can't plan a fix for something you haven't diagnosed.
  • Clear task ready to execute (known fix, no decisions to make): suggests ce:work as a faster alternative. User chooses.

Brainstorm suggestions and universal planning routes are preserved. The difference is they're now suggestions with continuation paths rather than gates that block the workflow.

Test plan

  • bun test passes (94/94 tests, including frontmatter validation)
  • bun run release:validate confirms metadata in sync
  • Ran 6 simulated eval runs (3 test cases x old/new skill) to verify non-regression

Compound Engineering
Claude Code

tmchow and others added 2 commits April 13, 2026 10:38
…invocations

When users explicitly invoked /ce:plan, the skill could classify legitimate
planning tasks as "not a planning task" and exit the workflow. Three structural
changes prevent this: remove brainstorm redirect from description, replace
dead-end gates with clarification paths, and scope auto-selection-only exits.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
…better fit

After the Phase 0.4 planning bootstrap, ce:plan now detects two cases where
a different workflow serves the user better: symptoms without a root cause
auto-route to ce:debug (can't plan what you haven't diagnosed), and clear
tasks with obvious fixes suggest ce:work as a faster alternative.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
@tmchow tmchow merged commit e4d5f24 into main Apr 14, 2026
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@github-actions github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Apr 13, 2026
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