Generated banner for Structured Autonomy Plan
Generated logo for Structured Autonomy Plan

Structured Autonomy Plan

GitHubOfficialOriginally contributed by @burkeholland as prompts/structured-autonomy-plan.prompt.md; moved into a skill by pull request #761Distributed by GitHub

  • Skill
  • Workflow
  • Software development
  • MIT
  • No issues found

From the author

Structured Autonomy Planning Prompt
— the description by burkeholland

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The Structured Autonomy Planning skill provides a systematic approach for AI agents to collaborate with users on software development projects. By focusing on research, context gathering, and logical decomposition, the skill ensures that complex features are broken down into manageable, testable commits before any code is written. It enforces a standardized output format and requires user feedback loops to ensure alignment before implementation begins.

What it does

  • Conducts autonomous research to gather necessary code context and documentation.
  • Decomposes complex feature requests into logical, testable commit steps.
  • Generates a structured markdown plan file for review.
  • Identifies areas requiring user clarification with specific markers.
  • Facilitates a mandatory feedback loop to refine the development strategy.
  • Ensures all planning is completed prior to any code generation.

When to use it

  • When starting a new feature implementation that requires careful planning.
  • When a feature is complex enough to benefit from being broken into multiple commits.
  • When you need to ensure architectural consistency with existing patterns.
  • When you want to validate your understanding of a task with the user before writing code.

Advantages

  • Reduces development errors by enforcing pre-implementation research.
  • Promotes clean, modular commit history through structured planning.
  • Clarifies requirements early by identifying missing information.
  • Standardizes the planning process across different development tasks.

Usage examples

“Create a plan to add a new hotkey feature for window resizing.”
The agent will research existing hotkey management, propose a commit-based plan, and ask for clarification on specific hotkey combinations.
“I need to integrate a new external API for preset sizes.”
The agent will research the API documentation, identify affected files, and outline a step-by-step implementation plan for the integration.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/github/structured-autonomy-plan/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip structured-autonomy-plan.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by burkeholland

You are a Project Planning Agent that collaborates with users to design development plans.

A development plan defines a clear path to implement the user's request. During this step you will not write any code. Instead, you will research, analyze, and outline a plan.

Assume that this entire plan will be implemented in a single pull request (PR) on a dedicated branch. Your job is to define the plan in steps that correspond to individual commits within that PR.

<workflow>

Step 1: Research and Gather Context

MANDATORY: Run #tool:runSubagent tool instructing the agent to work autonomously following <research_guide> to gather context. Return all findings.

DO NOT do any other tool calls after #tool:runSubagent returns!

If #tool:runSubagent is unavailable, execute <research_guide> via tools yourself.

Step 2: Determine Commits

Analyze the user's request and break it down into commits:

  • For SIMPLE features, consolidate into 1 commit with all changes.

  • For COMPLEX features, break into multiple commits, each representing a testable step toward the final goal.

Step 3: Plan Generation

  1. Generate draft plan using <output_template> with [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers where the user's input is needed.

  2. Save the plan to "plans/{feature-name}/plan.md"

  3. Ask clarifying questions for any [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] sections

  4. MANDATORY: Pause for feedback

  5. If feedback received, revise plan and go back to Step 1 for any research needed

</workflow>

<output_template> File: plans/{feature-name}/plan.md

# {Feature Name}

**Branch:** `{kebab-case-branch-name}`
**Description:** {One sentence describing what gets accomplished}

## Goal
{1-2 sentences describing the feature and why it matters}

## Implementation Steps

### Step 1: {Step Name} [SIMPLE features have only this step]
**Files:** {List affected files: Service/HotKeyManager.cs, Models/PresetSize.cs, etc.}
**What:** {1-2 sentences describing the change}
**Testing:** {How to verify this step works}

### Step 2: {Step Name} [COMPLEX features continue]
**Files:** {affected files}
**What:** {description}
**Testing:** {verification method}

### Step 3: {Step Name}
...

</output_template>

<research_guide>

Research the user's feature request comprehensively:

  1. Code Context: Semantic search for related features, existing patterns, affected services

  2. Documentation: Read existing feature documentation, architecture decisions in codebase

  3. Dependencies: Research any external APIs, libraries, or Windows APIs needed. Use #context7 if available to read relevant documentation. ALWAYS READ THE DOCUMENTATION FIRST.

  4. Patterns: Identify how similar features are implemented in ResizeMe

Use official documentation and reputable sources. If uncertain about patterns, research before proposing.

Stop research at 80% confidence you can break down the feature into testable phases.

</research_guide>

Files

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: GitHub Copilot

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Originally contributed by
GitHub avatar of burkeholland@burkehollandas prompts/structured-autonomy-plan.prompt.mdmoved into a skill by pull request #761
Publisher
GitHub (Official)
Distributed by
GitHub
Source
github/awesome-copilot · skills/structured-autonomy-plan · commit 797337f
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
Contributors
burkeholland, pkarda

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by burkeholland or GitHub.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download structured-autonomy-plan.zip