Skills github awesome-copilot

create-implementation-plan

Use it when:
You want a feature, refactor, package upgrade or infrastructure change planned in a file an agent can execute without asking questions.
It does:
Fills a mandatory template: requirements and constraints, phases with goals and task tables, alternatives, dependencies, files, tests, risks and assumptions.
You get:
A Markdown file in /plan/, named like feature-auth-module-1.md, with front matter and a status badge: Planned, In progress, Completed, On Hold or Deprecated.
Checks:
Runs grep commands so each REQ-, TASK- or other identifier is declared only once, renumbering duplicates until the checks come back empty.
Unlike create-specification:
That one, from the same repo, defines what a component must do; this one sets out the tasks to build it.

TL;DR

The plan is written for machines first: deterministic language with nothing left to interpret, tables and lists that parse cleanly, and tasks that name exact file paths, functions and implementation details so none needs a human decision. Each phase has a GOAL- and measurable completion criteria, and its TASK- rows track completion and date; tasks within a phase can run in parallel unless a dependency is stated. Every section of the template is required, headers must match exactly and no placeholder text may remain. Before finishing, the agent runs three grep checks over the file: two that must return nothing, catching an identifier declared twice in a task table or a bullet line, and a broader scan for awareness only, since references to an ID are allowed. The file name starts with its purpose: upgrade, refactor, feature, data, infrastructure, process, architecture or design. The checks need grep, sed, sort and uniq, or Windows equivalents.

Summarizes the skill at 797337f.

npx skills add https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot --skill create-implementation-plan
Total Downloads
12,600 on skills.sh, Nov 9, 2026
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Feb 25, 2026 on skills.sh
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Category

Make the agent question you and write the plan down before it writes code.

Everything for building software: planning, coding, debugging, design, frameworks, cloud, agents and skills.

Type

A one-shot action you invoke by name, such as turning the conversation into a PRD.

Effect

Its own steps create or change files, git state or local tools.

Needs

Instructions only. Works in any agent that supports skills.

Publisher

A verified publisher on skills.sh, or the company or maintainer behind the product the skill operates.

Topics

SKILL.md

From github/awesome-copilot at 797337f. Checked daily, last changed Nov 6, 2026.

Frontmatter
name: create-implementation-plan
description: 'Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure.'

Create Implementation Plan

Primary Directive

Your goal is to create a new implementation plan file for ${input:PlanPurpose}. Your output must be machine-readable, deterministic, and structured for autonomous execution by other AI systems or humans.

Execution Context

This prompt is designed for AI-to-AI communication and automated processing. All instructions must be interpreted literally and executed systematically without human interpretation or clarification.

Core Requirements

  • Generate implementation plans that are fully executable by AI agents or humans
  • Use deterministic language with zero ambiguity
  • Structure all content for automated parsing and execution
  • Ensure complete self-containment with no external dependencies for understanding

Plan Structure Requirements

Plans must consist of discrete, atomic phases containing executable tasks. Each phase must be independently processable by AI agents or humans without cross-phase dependencies unless explicitly declared.

Phase Architecture

  • Each phase must have measurable completion criteria
  • Tasks within phases must be executable in parallel unless dependencies are specified
  • All task descriptions must include specific file paths, function names, and exact implementation details
  • No task should require human interpretation or decision-making

AI-Optimized Implementation Standards

  • Use explicit, unambiguous language with zero interpretation required
  • Structure all content as machine-parseable formats (tables, lists, structured data)
  • Include specific file paths, line numbers, and exact code references where applicable
  • Define all variables, constants, and configuration values explicitly
  • Provide complete context within each task description
  • Use standardized prefixes for all identifiers (REQ-, TASK-, etc.)
  • Include validation criteria that can be automatically verified

Output File Specifications

  • Save implementation plan files in /plan/ directory
  • Use naming convention: [purpose]-[component]-[version].md
  • Purpose prefixes: upgrade|refactor|feature|data|infrastructure|process|architecture|design
  • Example: upgrade-system-command-4.md, feature-auth-module-1.md
  • File must be valid Markdown with proper front matter structure

Mandatory Template Structure

All implementation plans must strictly adhere to the following template. Each section is required and must be populated with specific, actionable content. AI agents must validate template compliance before execution.

Template Validation Rules

  • All front matter fields must be present and properly formatted
  • All section headers must match exactly (case-sensitive)
  • All identifier prefixes must follow the specified format
  • Tables must include all required columns
  • No placeholder text may remain in the final output
  • Identifiers must be uniquely declared. Every identifier (REQ-NNN, SEC-NNN, CON-NNN, GUD-NNN, PAT-NNN, GOAL-NNN, TASK-NNN, ALT-NNN, DEP-NNN, FILE-NNN, TEST-NNN, RISK-NNN, ASSUMPTION-NNN) must be declared exactly once. A declaration is where the identifier introduces a row: the leading cell in a TASK/GOAL table row, or the bolded prefix in a bullet line like - **REQ-001**: .... The same identifier may then appear any number of times as a reference elsewhere in the plan (a TASK body citing a REQ, one TASK citing another TASK, the Dependencies section pointing at a DEP already declared upstream, etc.). References are expected and not collisions.

Identifier Uniqueness Check

Run these checks before finalizing the plan. Checks (1) and (2) target declarations and must return zero rows. Check (3) is a broad informational scan: it will surface valid references too, so use it for awareness rather than as a gate.

# Set PLAN_FILE to the plan being validated.
PLAN_FILE="/plan/<purpose>-<component>-<version>.md"

# 1) Duplicate TASK / GOAL declarations in table rows.
grep -oE '\| (TASK|GOAL)-[0-9]+ \|' "$PLAN_FILE" \
  | sed -E 's/.*((TASK|GOAL)-[0-9]+).*/\1/' \
  | sort | uniq -d

# 2) Duplicate declaration IDs in bullet-style spec lines.
grep -oE '^- \*\*(REQ|SEC|CON|GUD|RISK|ASSUMPTION|TASK|GOAL|FILE|TEST|PAT|ALT|DEP)-[0-9]+\*\*:' "$PLAN_FILE" \
  | sed -E 's/^- \*\*([A-Z]+-[0-9]+)\*\*:.*/\1/' \
  | sort | uniq -d

# 3) Broad duplicate scan (diagnostic only; may include valid references).
grep -oE '(REQ|SEC|CON|GUD|RISK|ASSUMPTION|TASK|GOAL|FILE|TEST|PAT|ALT|DEP)-[0-9]+' "$PLAN_FILE" \
  | sort | uniq -d

Prerequisites: a POSIX-compatible shell (sh / bash) with grep, sed, sort, and uniq. On Windows without these tools, use equivalent platform-native commands and preserve the same declaration-vs-reference logic.

If check (1) or (2) returns any row, re-number the duplicate so each identifier is declared exactly once, then re-run the checks until both are empty.

Status

The status of the implementation plan must be clearly defined in the front matter and must reflect the current state of the plan. The status can be one of the following (status_color in brackets): Completed (bright green badge), In progress (yellow badge), Planned (blue badge), Deprecated (red badge), or On Hold (orange badge). It should also be displayed as a badge in the introduction section.

---
goal: [Concise Title Describing the Package Implementation Plan's Goal]
version: [Optional: e.g., 1.0, Date]
date_created: [YYYY-MM-DD]
last_updated: [Optional: YYYY-MM-DD]
owner: [Optional: Team/Individual responsible for this spec]
status: 'Completed'|'In progress'|'Planned'|'Deprecated'|'On Hold'
tags: [Optional: List of relevant tags or categories, e.g., `feature`, `upgrade`, `chore`, `architecture`, `migration`, `bug` etc]
---

# Introduction

![Status: <status>](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-<status>-<status_color>)

[A short concise introduction to the plan and the goal it is intended to achieve.]

## 1. Requirements & Constraints

[Explicitly list all requirements & constraints that affect the plan and constrain how it is implemented. Use bullet points or tables for clarity.]

- **REQ-001**: Requirement 1
- **SEC-001**: Security Requirement 1
- **[3 LETTERS]-001**: Other Requirement 1
- **CON-001**: Constraint 1
- **GUD-001**: Guideline 1
- **PAT-001**: Pattern to follow 1

## 2. Implementation Steps

### Implementation Phase 1

- GOAL-001: [Describe the goal of this phase, e.g., "Implement feature X", "Refactor module Y", etc.]

| Task | Description | Completed | Date |
|------|-------------|-----------|------|
| TASK-001 | Description of task 1 | ✅ | 2025-04-25 |
| TASK-002 | Description of task 2 | |  |
| TASK-003 | Description of task 3 | |  |

### Implementation Phase 2

- GOAL-002: [Describe the goal of this phase, e.g., "Implement feature X", "Refactor module Y", etc.]

| Task | Description | Completed | Date |
|------|-------------|-----------|------|
| TASK-004 | Description of task 4 | |  |
| TASK-005 | Description of task 5 | |  |
| TASK-006 | Description of task 6 | |  |

## 3. Alternatives

[A bullet point list of any alternative approaches that were considered and why they were not chosen. This helps to provide context and rationale for the chosen approach.]

- **ALT-001**: Alternative approach 1
- **ALT-002**: Alternative approach 2

## 4. Dependencies

[List any dependencies that need to be addressed, such as libraries, frameworks, or other components that the plan relies on.]

- **DEP-001**: Dependency 1
- **DEP-002**: Dependency 2

## 5. Files

[List the files that will be affected by the feature or refactoring task.]

- **FILE-001**: Description of file 1
- **FILE-002**: Description of file 2

## 6. Testing

[List the tests that need to be implemented to verify the feature or refactoring task.]

- **TEST-001**: Description of test 1
- **TEST-002**: Description of test 2

## 7. Risks & Assumptions

[List any risks or assumptions related to the implementation of the plan.]

- **RISK-001**: Risk 1
- **ASSUMPTION-001**: Assumption 1

## 8. Related Specifications / Further Reading

[Link to related spec 1]
[Link to relevant external documentation]