Implementation Readiness Gate Skill

Implementation Readiness Gate

Validates that a plan is ready for implementation before agents are spawned. Prevents wasted compute from incomplete plans, missing acceptance criteria, or architectural misalignment.

When to Invoke

Skill({ skill: 'implementation-readiness' });

Invoke when:

Router is about to spawn agents for a HIGH or EPIC complexity task
A planner has produced a plan that needs validation before execution
Step 0.6 creation preflight in the router decision workflow

Skip when:

Task complexity is TRIVIAL or LOW
Task is a single-file bug fix or documentation update
User has explicitly bypassed the gate via READINESS_GATE=off

Readiness Checks

Check 1: Plan Completeness

Every task in the plan must have:

A clear subject/title
Acceptance criteria (at least 1 testable condition)
File paths to create or modify (at least 1)
Dependency declarations (blockedBy, if any)

Pass: All tasks have all required fields. Fail: Tasks missing acceptance criteria or file paths.

Check 2: Architecture Compliance

Verify that planned changes align with framework conventions:

New skills use .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md path pattern
New agents use .claude/agents/<category>/<name>.md path pattern
New hooks use .claude/hooks/<category>/<name>.cjs path pattern
New modules follow kebab-case naming
Gate 4 paths use creator skills (not direct writes)

Pass: All planned paths follow conventions. Fail: Non-standard paths or direct writes to creator-managed paths.

Check 3: Dependency Graph Validity

No circular dependencies between tasks
All blockedBy references point to existing tasks
Critical path identified (longest chain of dependencies)

Pass: DAG is valid with no cycles. Fail: Circular dependencies or dangling references.

Check 4: Risk Assessment Present

For HIGH/EPIC tasks:

Rollback strategy documented
Known risks identified
Performance impact considered (hooks < 100ms)

Pass: Risk section present in plan. Fail: Missing risk assessment for HIGH/EPIC task.

Check 5: Test Strategy Defined

Each feature task has associated test file path
Test approach specified (unit, integration, or both)
TDD order confirmed (tests before implementation)

Pass: Test strategy present. Fail: No test strategy for implementation tasks.

Output Format

{
  "verdict": "PASS",
  "complexity": "HIGH",
  "checks": [
    { "name": "plan-completeness", "passed": true, "details": "8/8 tasks complete" },
    {
      "name": "architecture-compliance",
      "passed": true,
      "details": "All paths follow conventions"
    },
    { "name": "dependency-graph", "passed": true, "details": "DAG valid, critical path: 4 tasks" },
    { "name": "risk-assessment", "passed": true, "details": "Rollback strategy documented" },
    { "name": "test-strategy", "passed": false, "details": "Task 3 missing test file path" }
  ],
  "blockers": ["Task 3 missing test file path"],
  "warnings": []
}

Integration with Router

This gate integrates into router-decision.md Step 7 as a pre-implementation check:

Router classifies task as HIGH/EPIC
Router invokes Skill({ skill: 'implementation-readiness' })
If verdict is PASS: proceed with agent spawning
If verdict is FAIL: return blockers to planner for resolution

Environment variable override: READINESS_GATE=off disables the gate.

Anti-Patterns

Never skip this gate for HIGH/EPIC tasks to "save time"
Never auto-pass tasks with missing acceptance criteria
Never treat warnings as passes — address them before spawning
Never apply this gate to TRIVIAL tasks — it adds unnecessary overhead

Agent Skills: Implementation Readiness Gate

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files