Consolidates the reference-discipline change with every consumer of it, so this PR is independently mergeable (previously split across two stacked PRs whose intermediate state left the SDD spec reviewer blind). writing-plans: plans reference the spec — never restate, paraphrase, or summarize it; spec owns WHAT/WHY, plan owns HOW; cite by path in the header (**Spec:** template line) and by section where a task needs context; No Placeholders repetition stays intra-plan; no-spec branch scoped to conversational-requirements-only (eval-caught: an agent used an unscoped no-spec branch to skip writing the spec entirely). brainstorming: spec path loophole closed (claude shortened docs/superpowers/specs/ to docs/specs/, documented run); an existing differently-named docs dir is not a "user preference". subagent-driven-development: Spec Context section — the controller reads the plan-cited spec and pastes cited sections into implementer and spec-reviewer prompts; the spec reviewer's diff-only rule gets a spec-document exception. Without this, reference discipline starves the pipeline of requirements. executing-plans: Step 1 reads the spec the plan cites (the non-subagent path; plans are no longer self-contained). Eval evidence (quorum, full-stack text): cost-spec-plan-duplication claude 3/3 pass (RED: 5/5 agents failed), codex pass, pi pass (the 683-line duplication RED agent); sdd-spec-context-consumed functional pass with deterministic dispatch-prompt check; writing-plans-no-spec-conversational 2/2 pass; triggering-writing-plans canary 3/3. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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name, description
| name | description |
|---|---|
| executing-plans | Use when you have a written implementation plan to execute in a separate session with review checkpoints |
Executing Plans
Overview
Load plan, review critically, execute all tasks, report when complete.
Announce at start: "I'm using the executing-plans skill to implement this plan."
Note: Tell your human partner that Superpowers works much better with access to subagents. The quality of its work will be significantly higher if run on a platform with subagent support (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Codex App, Copilot CLI, and Gemini CLI all qualify; see the per-platform tool refs in ../using-superpowers/references/). If subagents are available, use superpowers:subagent-driven-development instead of this skill.
The Process
Step 1: Load and Review Plan
- Read plan file, and the spec it cites in its
**Spec:**header (plans reference requirements rather than restating them) - Review critically - identify any questions or concerns about the plan
- If concerns: Raise them with your human partner before starting
- If no concerns: Create todos for the plan items and proceed
Step 2: Execute Tasks
For each task:
- Mark as in_progress
- Follow each step exactly (plan has bite-sized steps)
- Run verifications as specified
- Mark as completed
Step 3: Complete Development
After all tasks complete and verified:
- Announce: "I'm using the finishing-a-development-branch skill to complete this work."
- REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch
- Follow that skill to verify tests, present options, execute choice
When to Stop and Ask for Help
STOP executing immediately when:
- Hit a blocker (missing dependency, test fails, instruction unclear)
- Plan has critical gaps preventing starting
- You don't understand an instruction
- Verification fails repeatedly
Ask for clarification rather than guessing.
When to Revisit Earlier Steps
Return to Review (Step 1) when:
- Partner updates the plan based on your feedback
- Fundamental approach needs rethinking
Don't force through blockers - stop and ask.
Remember
- Review plan critically first
- Follow plan steps exactly
- Don't skip verifications
- Reference skills when plan says to
- Stop when blocked, don't guess
- Never start implementation on main/master branch without explicit user consent
Integration
Required workflow skills:
- superpowers:using-git-worktrees - Ensures isolated workspace (creates one or verifies existing)
- superpowers:writing-plans - Creates the plan this skill executes
- superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch - Complete development after all tasks