create-plan — Claude Code skill: plan a coding task
Turns a prompt into one actionable plan with a checklist. Useful when you want the steps agreed before any code changes.
npx claude-code-templates@latest --skill development/create-planWhat create-plan does
The skill stays read-only the whole time. It reads README.md and the obvious docs such as docs/, CONTRIBUTING.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, skims the files the task will probably touch, and notes constraints: language, frameworks, test and CI commands, deployment shape.
Follow-up questions come only when planning is impossible without them, at most one or two, preferably multiple-choice. Anything unclear but non-blocking gets a reasonable assumption instead. The output is a short paragraph on intent and approach, an in/out scope split, and a checklist of 6–10 items ordered from discovery through changes and tests to rollout. Items are atomic and verb-first, naming files and commands where it helps, with at least one slot for validation and one for risk. Up to three open questions close the plan.
You get the plan as a single final message, with no commentary wrapped around it. The shape is fixed: # Plan, the context paragraph, ## Scope, ## Action items with checkboxes, ## Open questions. No code snippets — the plan stays implementation-agnostic, so a task that needs a working snippet right away is a poor fit.
What it helps with
- agree on task steps before touching code
- get a checklist covering discovery, changes and tests
- separate what is in scope from what is out
- list open questions before work starts
- scan repo docs and surface constraints
Example prompts for the agent
- Create a plan to add CSV export for reports
- Make a plan for migrating the auth service to a new library
- I need a read-only plan for refactoring the payments module
How to install create-plan
1claude-code-templates
npx claude-code-templates@latest --skill development/create-plan2Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill create-plan -a claude-code3Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/create-plan/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/create-plan/
Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/create-plan/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/create-plan/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates create-plan2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/create-plan/SKILL.mdPlatform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates --path cli-tool/components/skills/development/create-planManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/create-plan/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Claude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about create-plan
How do I install create-plan in Claude Code?
Use the templates CLI: npx claude-code-templates@latest --skill development/create-plan. Or run npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill create-plan -a claude-code.
What does create-plan do?
It produces one plan for a coding task: a short approach paragraph, scope boundaries, a 6–10 item checklist and open questions. It writes no files.
Does create-plan work outside Claude?
The skill file also drops into other agent directories: .agents/skills/create-plan/SKILL.md for Codex, .cursor/skills/create-plan/SKILL.md for Cursor, .github/skills/create-plan/SKILL.md for GitHub Copilot.
