Analyze and Plan Skill
When to Use
Activate when the user wants to:
- •Analyze an existing issue and create an implementation plan
- •Validate that an issue is ready for development (DoR check)
- •Break down a feature or fix into phased, actionable steps
- •Identify impacted files, risks, and test strategies
User Preferences
Before planning, resolve the user's Profile:
- •Check for
.github/copilot-preferences.ymlor.vscode/copilot-preferences.ymlin the workspace. - •Load policy packs from
policy/packs/*.ymland overrides frompolicy/module-policy.ymlorpolicy/modules/*.ymlif they exist. - •Apply the resolved Profile's conventions for logging, testing, observability, and coding style.
Inputs
- •Path to the issue file, or the issue open in the editor via
#file. - •Use
#file/#selectionprimarily; expand to@workspaceonly to find impacted modules.
Steps
- •
Validate DoR
- •Check the issue has: Overview, Quick Context & Summary, Acceptance Criteria, and Steps to Reproduce or Expected vs Actual (for bugs).
- •Verify Technical Notes subsections: Implementation Approach, Key Considerations, Investigation Areas, Diagnostic Steps, Dependencies/Blockers.
- •If anything is missing, patch the issue → set
status: needs-infoand add ONE question in## Missing; stop.
- •
Identify Impacted Files and Invariants
- •Search the workspace for files and modules affected by the planned changes.
- •Document invariants (conditions that must remain true after changes).
- •
Write the Plan
- •Write or replace
## Planin the issue file with 3–8 steps. - •Each step should be tagged with
phase:<n>for phased execution. - •Focus on minimal diffs with rollback strategy.
- •Write or replace
## Impacted Fileslisting all paths to be touched.
- •Write or replace
- •
Update Technical Notes
- •Refresh Implementation Approach, Key Considerations, and Dependencies to reflect the current understanding.
- •
Propose Tests
- •List file paths and test case names for each plan step.
- •If the test framework is unknown, create framework-agnostic test outlines (TODOs).
- •
Security and Performance Notes
- •Note OWASP-class risks relevant to the changes.
- •Identify big-O complexity and memory hotspots.
- •
Lock the Plan
- •Set
status: in-progressin the issue front-matter. - •Set
plan_lock: true. - •Create or update
_artifacts/plan.jsonwithallowed_pathsmatching## Impacted Files. - •Append a timestamped entry under
## Activitysummarizing the plan.
- •Set
- •
Print Change Summary
- •List all files created or modified.
Guardrails
- •Do not write implementation code. This skill only plans.
- •Do not call CLIs or the network.
- •If the issue is in
status: brainstormwithplan_lock: false, produce Alternatives and Open Questions but do not lock the plan.