Plan

Plan

⚠️ CRITICAL RULES - READ FIRST

1. DETECT MODE: Determine if input is an existing task reference or a new requirement description

   • If input looks like story-user-api Task 1 or standalone-fix-auth Task 2: MODE A
   • If input is a new requirement (e.g., "Add user authentication"): MODE B

2. MODE A - Enhance Existing Task:

   • Read the task file from docs/​reference/​backend/​tasks/
   • User must specify task number (e.g., "Task 1", "Task 2")
   • Add or update the "Implementation Steps" section for that specific task
   • Keep all other sections intact
   • Save back to the same file

3. MODE B - Create Standalone Task File:

   • Analyze the requirement - is it simple (1 task) or complex (multiple tasks)?
   • If complex, break into multiple tasks (like task-breakdown does)
   • Use filename: standalone-{requirement-name}.md (kebab-case)
   • Save to docs/​reference/​backend/​tasks/
   • File format: same as story-based (multiple task sections)

4. READ CONSTRAINTS FIRST:

   • Must read docs/​reference/​backend/​design-system.md for design tokens
   • Must read docs/​reference/​backend/​constraints.md for tech stack
   • If task references a design, read from docs/​reference/​backend/​designs/

Language Configuration

Before generating any content, check aico.json in project root for language field to determine the output language. If not set, default to English.

MODE A: Enhance Existing Task

Process

1. Read task file: Get task details from docs/​reference/​backend/​tasks/​{task-file}.md
2. Read design (if referenced): Load related design from docs/​reference/​backend/​designs/
3. Read design system: Load docs/​reference/​backend/​design-system.md for design tokens
4. Read constraints: Load docs/​reference/​backend/​constraints.md
5. Break into atomic steps:
   • Start with file creation/​setup
   • One section/​feature per step
   • Include verification for each step
   • Do NOT include commit step (that happens during execution)
6. Keep steps atomic: One action per step
7. Update task file: Add/​replace "Implementation Steps" section
8. Present summary: Show file location and what was added

Example

# Input: User runs /​backend.plan story-user-profile-2-header

# Output:
✓ Read task: docs/​reference/​backend/​tasks/​story-user-profile-2-header.md
✓ Added 4 implementation steps to task file

Steps added:
1. Create component file
2. Implement header layout
3. Add responsive styles
4. Add unit tests

Task ready for implementation. Use aico-backend-implement to execute.

MODE B: Create Standalone Task

Process

1. Ask user for details:

   • Task type: feature | bugfix | improvement
   • Confirm task name (auto-generate from description)

2. Read constraints:

   • Read design system and technical constraints
   • If user mentions a component, check existing code

3. Generate complete task file:

   • All metadata (type, source, created, status)
   • Description
   • Context
   • Acceptance Criteria
   • Scope
   • Implementation Steps (detailed, atomic)
   • Notes

4. Save task file: Write to docs/​reference/​backend/​tasks/​standalone-{task-name}.md

5. Present summary: Show created file and next steps

Example

# Input: User runs /​backend.plan "Fix login button hover state"

# Interactive:
# Type: [feature | bugfix | improvement] → bugfix
# Task name: fix-login-button-hover (auto-generated, confirm?)

# Output:
✓ Created standalone task: standalone-fix-login-button-hover.md

Task includes:
- Description and context
- 2 acceptance criteria
- 3 implementation steps
- Test verification

Next: Use aico-backend-implement to execute this task

Implementation Steps Format

Both modes use the same step format:

## Implementation Steps

### Step 1: [Action]

**Files**:

- Create: `src/​components/[Name].tsx`
- Modify: `src/​pages/[Page].tsx:L10-L20`

**Action**:
[Exact code or action to take]

**Verify**:

```bash
[verification command]
```

Expected: [expected output]

Step 2: [Next Action]

...

## Step Granularity

Each step = ONE atomic action:

| Good Steps | Bad Steps |
|------------|-----------|
| Create component file with imports | Create component with all logic |
| Add component skeleton (empty return) | Implement entire component |
| Implement single section | Implement all sections |
| Write one test case | Write all tests |

## Step Types

### Setup Step
```markdown
**Files**: Create: `src/​components/​ProfileCard.tsx`
**Action**: Create file with basic structure
**Verify**: `npx tsc --noEmit` → No errors

Implementation Step

**Files**: Modify: `src/​components/​ProfileCard.tsx:L8-L10`
**Action**: Implement header section with Avatar and name
**Verify**: `npm run dev` → Component renders correctly

Test Step

**Files**: Create: `src/​components/​__tests__/​ProfileCard.test.tsx`
**Action**: Write unit test for profile name rendering
**Verify**: `npm test ProfileCard` → 1 test passed

Standalone Task File Template

For MODE B, see Task File Template for complete structure.

Use the same format as story-based tasks, just with:

• Filename: standalone-{requirement-name}.md
• Header: # Standalone Tasks: [Requirement Name]
• No > **Story**: ... line

Note: For simple requirements, file may contain only 1 task. For complex requirements, break into multiple tasks.

Key Rules

• ALWAYS include verification command for each step
• MUST keep steps to 2-5 minutes of work
• MUST save to docs/​reference/​backend/​tasks/ directory
• NEVER combine multiple actions into one step
• Do NOT include commit step in plan (commits happen during execution)
• MODE A: Preserve all existing content, only add/​update steps
• MODE B: Generate complete, self-contained task file

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Steps too large → ✅ One action per step
• ❌ Skip verification → ✅ Every step has verify command
• ❌ Vague actions → ✅ Include exact code
• ❌ Not saving to file → ✅ Always save task file
• ❌ Including commit in steps → ✅ Commits happen during execution, not planning
• ❌ MODE A: Overwriting existing content → ✅ Only update Implementation Steps section
• ❌ MODE B: Missing metadata → ✅ Include all template sections