Shallow Plan Mode

Why this exists

Skills like writing-plans assume a weak executor — thin context, shaky taste — so they pack the plan with paste-ready code, 2–5 minute micro-steps, and locked paths. The plan does the thinking so the executor does not have to.

That assumption falls apart when planner and executor are the same tier of strong model:

• Over-prescribe the path and the executor just follows it — agency and judgment get crushed
• Freeze every implementation choice up front on a large job and one broken link can take the whole map down
• Controller context is scarce on long runs — if the controller implements in-session, overflow and post-compact amnesia get worse

Shallow Plan flips the premise: the executor is smart enough. The plan navigates and gates; it does not do their work for them.

In one line: the plan is a map (boundaries, acceptance, work packages), not a construction booklet; the controller is a dispatcher / observer; heavy lifting goes to subagents, who orient first, then ship, verifying as they go.

Method, briefly