Plan Briefing
Interactive walkthrough of a plan's reasoning, decisions, and solution shape. Designed for developers who need to understand a plan in 1-2 minutes instead of reading the full document.
Why This Exists
Plans answer "what to do" but bury "why." This skill bridges that gap with an interactive walkthrough.
Usage
/phx:brief # Latest plan
/phx:brief .claude/plans/user-auth/plan.md # Specific planArguments
$ARGUMENTS= Path to plan file (optional, auto-detects latest)
Mode Detection
Read the plan file and determine mode from phase statuses:
- All phases
[PENDING]= Pre-work briefing (what WILL happen) - Any phase
[COMPLETED]or[IN_PROGRESS]= Post-work briefing (what WAS done and why)
Execution Flow
Step 1: Locate and Load Plan
- If
$ARGUMENTShas a path, use it - Otherwise, find latest plan: Use Glob to find
.claude/plans/*/plan.mdand pick the most recent. - If no plan found, tell user and suggest
/phx:plan - Read the plan file
Step 2: Load Supporting Artifacts
Read what's available (don't fail if missing):
.claude/plans/{slug}/summaries/consolidated.md(research summary).claude/plans/{slug}/scratchpad.md(decisions, dead-ends).claude/plans/{slug}/progress.md(work log, post-work only)
Step 3: Present Briefing Sections
Present ONE section at a time, wrapped in the visual briefing block (see ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/briefing-guide.md Visual Formatting). After each section, use AskUserQuestion with options:
- If sections remain: "Next: {title}", "Ask me a question about this", "Stop here"
- If final section: no question needed, show closing message
Section Flow (Pre-Work Mode)
| # | Title | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What We're Building | Summary + Scope |
| 2 | Key Decisions | Technical Decisions + scratchpad rationale |
| 3 | Solution Shape | Phases overview + Data Model |
| 4 | Risks & Confidence | Risks table + unknowns/spikes |
Section Flow (Post-Work Mode)
| # | Title | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Was Built | Summary + completion status |
| 2 | Key Decisions & Why | Technical Decisions + scratchpad |
| 3 | How It Was Built | Phases with implementation notes |
| 4 | Lessons & Patterns | Risks encountered + patterns used |
See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/briefing-guide.md for section content templates.
Iron Laws
- ONE section at a time — never dump all content
- User controls pace — always offer to stop
- Explain WHY, not just WHAT — rationale over listing
- Ground in artifacts — focus on insights specific to this plan's research, decisions, and scratchpad entries, not general programming concepts
- Keep each section under 20 lines — this is a briefing, not a lecture
- NEVER skip sections or auto-start work — briefing is read-only; do not execute plan tasks or launch
/phx:workwithout explicit user request
Closing Message
After final section (or when user stops):
That's the briefing! For full details, see:
{plan_path}
Ready to proceed? Try `/phx:work {plan_path}` to start execution.Post-work variant:
That's what was built! For full details, see:
{plan_path}
Consider `/phx:compound` to capture key learnings for future reference.Integration
/phx:plan --> /phx:brief (optional) --> /phx:work --> /phx:brief (optional)
create understand before execute understand afterComplex Plan Enhancement
For plans with 5+ phases or 4+ key decisions, consider suggesting visual rendering after Section 3. See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/visual-explainer.md for thresholds and commands.
Notes
- Runs in main conversation context (not a subagent)
- Model: no special requirement — uses default session model
- No artifacts written — briefing is ephemeral, plan IS the artifact
- Reference file readable since skill runs in user's session