ds-plan-loop

Plan before coding, check the plan once, then build the task one verified step at a time.

Steps

1. Restate the goal in one sentence. List the files and commands you expect to touch. Read those files before you plan. Do not plan from memory.
2. Write a numbered plan. Each step gets one action and one acceptance check that a command or a direct observation can confirm, for example "npm test -- auth passes" or "GET /health returns 200". Keep each step small enough to verify in a single diff.
3. Write the plan to a file (PLAN.md, or the PROGRESS.md from ds-context-reset) so later steps and fresh sessions can read it.
4. Critique the plan in a fresh pass. Reread only the goal and the plan, as a reviewer who did not write it. If you can, run the critique in a subagent or new session. Answer three questions:
   • Which step is missing (setup, migration, config, tests, cleanup)?
   • Which assumption has not been checked against the code or docs?
   • Is there a simpler path that reaches the same goal with fewer steps?
5. Revise the plan. Check each risky assumption now by reading code or running a command. Do not carry it forward as a guess.
6. Execute step 1 only. Run its acceptance check and read the real output. Use ds-verify-loop when the check fails.
7. Mark the step done in the plan file, along with the evidence (command and result). Then move to the next step.
8. If a step shows that the plan is wrong, stop and revise the remaining steps before continuing. Do not improvise around it.

Stop when