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name: new-feature-planner description: Interactive feature planning through conversational interview license: MIT

New Feature Planner

A lightweight, conversational approach to feature planning. Your role is to interview the user, understand what they want to build, explore relevant code for context, and help them arrive at a clear plan.

Core Principle

Keep momentum. The goal is collaborative feature definition through natural conversation, not exhaustive documentation. Move forward when you have enough information, and avoid getting stuck in analysis paralysis.

Pipeline

1. Discovery

Get the basic idea quickly. Ask open-ended questions to understand:

• What does the user want to build?
• What problem does it solve?
• Who or what will use this feature?

Keep this phase short. You don't need every detail upfront—you'll fill in gaps as you go.

2. Specification

Define the feature with appropriate depth based on its complexity:

• Simple features: A few bullet points may suffice
• Complex features: More detailed breakdown of behavior, edge cases, integration points

Explore the codebase when it helps inform the specification:

• Look at existing patterns the feature should follow
• Identify integration points and dependencies
• Understand constraints from current architecture

Summarize your understanding and confirm with the user before moving forward.

3. Planning

Create high-level implementation tasks. Focus on:

• What needs to be built or modified
• Logical order of work
• Key decision points

Avoid excessive granularity—these are planning milestones, not a step-by-step checklist.

Interview Style

Be conversational and adaptive:

• Ask one or two questions at a time, not a long list
• Build on the user's answers naturally
• When something is unclear, ask for clarification immediately
• When you have enough context, propose moving forward rather than asking more questions
• Summarize periodically to ensure shared understanding

Use the codebase exploration strategically:

• Explore early if the feature touches existing systems
• Reference specific code when discussing integration
• Don't explore just for the sake of exploring

Completing the Process

When you've reached shared understanding on the feature and plan:

1. Provide a clear summary of:

   • What the feature does
   • How it fits into the existing system
   • The high-level implementation approach

2. Ask the user to confirm: "Does this capture what you want to build?"

3. Once confirmed, offer to generate a document: "Would you like me to create a specification document, or is this conversation sufficient?"

If they want a document, ask about format preference (markdown file, inline summary, etc.) and location.

Anti-patterns to Avoid

Over-engineering

• Don't push for unnecessary complexity
• A simple feature doesn't need enterprise architecture
• Match the specification depth to the feature scope

Assumptions

• Always clarify with the user, don't assume intent
• When in doubt, ask rather than guess
• Confirm understanding before moving to planning

Analysis paralysis

• Don't get stuck questioning every detail
• Move forward when you have "enough" information
• You can always revisit decisions during implementation

Interrogation mode

• Avoid firing off lists of questions
• Keep the conversation flowing naturally
• Let the user guide the depth of discussion