Plan Tracking Protocol Skill

Plan Tracking Protocol

Portable protocol for tracking plan progress across iterations. Platform-agnostic — works with any AI agent that can read/write files.

Load if: Executing plans, tracking multi-step tasks Prerequisites: @smith-ctx/SKILL.md

CRITICAL: Plan Sync Protocol

After completing ANY task, you MUST update the plan file.

This ensures the next iteration sees your progress.

Sync the plan file right after completing work — do not defer it
Mark tasks complete as soon as they are finished
Keep plan format changes compatible with checkbox parsing

Progress Tracking Format

Use this format in plan files for trackable progress:

## Tasks

- [x] Task 1: Set up project structure
- [x] Task 2: Create database schema
- [ ] Task 3: Implement API endpoints <- CURRENT
- [ ] Task 4: Add authentication
- [ ] Task 5: Write tests

## Progress Log

### Iteration 1 («TIMESTAMP»)
- Completed: Task 1, Task 2
- Notes: Used PostgreSQL instead of MySQL per user preference

### Iteration 2 («TIMESTAMP»)
- Working on: Task 3
- Blockers: None

Workflow Per Iteration

1. LOAD: Read plan file
   -> Locate and read the plan

2. IDENTIFY: Find first uncompleted task (- [ ])
   -> Skip tasks marked [x]

3. EXECUTE: Complete the current task
   -> Do the actual implementation work

4. SYNC: Update plan file with progress
   -> Mark task [x], add progress log entry
   -> Write to SAME file path

5. CONTINUE or COMPLETE
   -> If more tasks: proceed to next
   -> If all done: signal completion

Plan Update Template

When updating the plan, use this pattern:

# 1. Mark task complete (change - [ ] to - [x])
# 2. Add progress log entry with timestamp
# 3. Note any blockers or changes
# 4. Save to the same file path

Completion-Aware Reload

An auto-loaded or auto-listed plan is stale, not live, when its checkboxes are all - [x] (or git log / a session memory shows the work merged). Disregard a stale plan — report it and ask — rather than resuming it. Verify checkbox state before treating any reloaded plan as work to continue.

Completion Signal

When all tasks are done, output this exact phrase:

PLAN COMPLETE: All tasks finished successfully.

Blocker Signal

If you hit a blocker requiring human input:

BLOCKER: «description of issue requiring human decision»

Important Rules

ALWAYS update the plan file after completing work
NEVER skip the sync step - next iteration depends on it
Use checkbox format - [ ] / - [x] for trackable tasks
Add timestamps to progress log entries
Note file changes in progress log for traceability

@smith-ctx/SKILL.md - Context management
@smith-plan-claude/SKILL.md - Claude Code automation (hooks, scripts)
@smith-ralph/SKILL.md - Ralph Loop iterative development

Before You Finish

Per iteration:

Read plan file
Find first - [ ] task
Execute the task
Mark - [x], add progress log entry
Continue or signal completion

Agent Skills: Plan Tracking Protocol

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files