Official agent skill

Create Implementation Plan

by github in github/awesome-copilot

Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Create Implementation Plan

skills CLI
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-implementation-plan -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-implementation-plan --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-implementation-plan .claude/skills/create-implementation-plan && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
create-implementation-plan
GitHub stars
40k
Used in
4 other repos
Token cost
~2.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
601 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
417
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure.

  • Tasks that involve Planning
  • SKILL.md covers Primary Directive, Execution Context, Core Requirements and Plan Structure Requirements, plus 7 more sections
  • Reaches img.shields.io

What it does

Create Implementation Plan is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Planning. The repository describes itself as: Community-contributed instructions, agents, skills, and configurations to help you make the most of GitHub Copilot. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Planning

Example prompts

  • “/create-implementation-plan”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 727ff2e. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash and markdown).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • img.shields.io

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Create Implementation Plan loads about 2.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 43 tokens; SKILL.md has 601 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~43
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.1k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from github/awesome-copilot at commit 727ff2e, republished under its MIT licence (© github). 601 words, ~2,091 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/create-implementation-plan/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
create-implementation-plan
description
Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure.

Create Implementation Plan

Primary Directive

Your goal is to create a new implementation plan file for ${input:PlanPurpose}. Your output must be machine-readable, deterministic, and structured for autonomous execution by other AI systems or humans.

Execution Context

This prompt is designed for AI-to-AI communication and automated processing. All instructions must be interpreted literally and executed systematically without human interpretation or clarification.

Core Requirements

  • Generate implementation plans that are fully executable by AI agents or humans
  • Use deterministic language with zero ambiguity
  • Structure all content for automated parsing and execution
  • Ensure complete self-containment with no external dependencies for understanding

Plan Structure Requirements

Plans must consist of discrete, atomic phases containing executable tasks. Each phase must be independently processable by AI agents or humans without cross-phase dependencies unless explicitly declared.

Phase Architecture

  • Each phase must have measurable completion criteria
  • Tasks within phases must be executable in parallel unless dependencies are specified
  • All task descriptions must include specific file paths, function names, and exact implementation details
  • No task should require human interpretation or decision-making

AI-Optimized Implementation Standards

  • Use explicit, unambiguous language with zero interpretation required
  • Structure all content as machine-parseable formats (tables, lists, structured data)
  • Include specific file paths, line numbers, and exact code references where applicable
  • Define all variables, constants, and configuration values explicitly
  • Provide complete context within each task description
  • Use standardized prefixes for all identifiers (REQ-, TASK-, etc.)
  • Include validation criteria that can be automatically verified

Output File Specifications

  • Save implementation plan files in /plan/ directory
  • Use naming convention: [purpose]-[component]-[version].md
  • Purpose prefixes: upgrade|refactor|feature|data|infrastructure|process|architecture|design
  • Example: upgrade-system-command-4.md, feature-auth-module-1.md
  • File must be valid Markdown with proper front matter structure

Mandatory Template Structure

All implementation plans must strictly adhere to the following template. Each section is required and must be populated with specific, actionable content. AI agents must validate template compliance before execution.

Show full SKILL.md (303 more words)Show less

Template Validation Rules

  • All front matter fields must be present and properly formatted
  • All section headers must match exactly (case-sensitive)
  • All identifier prefixes must follow the specified format
  • Tables must include all required columns
  • No placeholder text may remain in the final output
  • Identifiers must be uniquely declared. Every identifier (REQ-NNN, SEC-NNN, CON-NNN, GUD-NNN, PAT-NNN, GOAL-NNN, TASK-NNN, ALT-NNN, DEP-NNN, FILE-NNN, TEST-NNN, RISK-NNN, ASSUMPTION-NNN) must be declared exactly once. A declaration is where the identifier introduces a row: the leading cell in a TASK/GOAL table row, or the bolded prefix in a bullet line like - **REQ-001**: .... The same identifier may then appear any number of times as a reference elsewhere in the plan (a TASK body citing a REQ, one TASK citing another TASK, the Dependencies section pointing at a DEP already declared upstream, etc.). References are expected and not collisions.

Identifier Uniqueness Check

Run these checks before finalizing the plan. Checks (1) and (2) target declarations and must return zero rows. Check (3) is a broad informational scan: it will surface valid references too, so use it for awareness rather than as a gate.

bash
# Set PLAN_FILE to the plan being validated.
PLAN_FILE="/plan/<purpose>-<component>-<version>.md"

# 1) Duplicate TASK / GOAL declarations in table rows.
grep -oE '\| (TASK|GOAL)-[0-9]+ \|' "$PLAN_FILE" \
  | sed -E 's/.*((TASK|GOAL)-[0-9]+).*/\1/' \
  | sort | uniq -d

# 2) Duplicate declaration IDs in bullet-style spec lines.
grep -oE '^- \*\*(REQ|SEC|CON|GUD|RISK|ASSUMPTION|TASK|GOAL|FILE|TEST|PAT|ALT|DEP)-[0-9]+\*\*:' "$PLAN_FILE" \
  | sed -E 's/^- \*\*([A-Z]+-[0-9]+)\*\*:.*/\1/' \
  | sort | uniq -d

# 3) Broad duplicate scan (diagnostic only; may include valid references).
grep -oE '(REQ|SEC|CON|GUD|RISK|ASSUMPTION|TASK|GOAL|FILE|TEST|PAT|ALT|DEP)-[0-9]+' "$PLAN_FILE" \
  | sort | uniq -d

Prerequisites: a POSIX-compatible shell (sh / bash) with grep, sed, sort, and uniq. On Windows without these tools, use equivalent platform-native commands and preserve the same declaration-vs-reference logic.

If check (1) or (2) returns any row, re-number the duplicate so each identifier is declared exactly once, then re-run the checks until both are empty.

Status

The status of the implementation plan must be clearly defined in the front matter and must reflect the current state of the plan. The status can be one of the following (status_color in brackets): Completed (bright green badge), In progress (yellow badge), Planned (blue badge), Deprecated (red badge), or On Hold (orange badge). It should also be displayed as a badge in the introduction section.

md
---
goal: [Concise Title Describing the Package Implementation Plan's Goal]
version: [Optional: e.g., 1.0, Date]
date_created: [YYYY-MM-DD]
last_updated: [Optional: YYYY-MM-DD]
owner: [Optional: Team/Individual responsible for this spec]
status: 'Completed'|'In progress'|'Planned'|'Deprecated'|'On Hold'
tags: [Optional: List of relevant tags or categories, e.g., `feature`, `upgrade`, `chore`, `architecture`, `migration`, `bug` etc]
---

# Introduction

![Status: <status>](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-<status>-<status_color>)

[A short concise introduction to the plan and the goal it is intended to achieve.]

## 1. Requirements & Constraints

[Explicitly list all requirements & constraints that affect the plan and constrain how it is implemented. Use bullet points or tables for clarity.]

- **REQ-001**: Requirement 1
- **SEC-001**: Security Requirement 1
- **[3 LETTERS]-001**: Other Requirement 1
- **CON-001**: Constraint 1
- **GUD-001**: Guideline 1
- **PAT-001**: Pattern to follow 1

## 2. Implementation Steps

### Implementation Phase 1

- GOAL-001: [Describe the goal of this phase, e.g., "Implement feature X", "Refactor module Y", etc.]

| Task | Description | Completed | Date |
|------|-------------|-----------|------|
| TASK-001 | Description of task 1 | ✅ | 2025-04-25 |
| TASK-002 | Description of task 2 | |  |
| TASK-003 | Description of task 3 | |  |

### Implementation Phase 2

- GOAL-002: [Describe the goal of this phase, e.g., "Implement feature X", "Refactor module Y", etc.]

| Task | Description | Completed | Date |
|------|-------------|-----------|------|
| TASK-004 | Description of task 4 | |  |
| TASK-005 | Description of task 5 | |  |
| TASK-006 | Description of task 6 | |  |

## 3. Alternatives

[A bullet point list of any alternative approaches that were considered and why they were not chosen. This helps to provide context and rationale for the chosen approach.]

- **ALT-001**: Alternative approach 1
- **ALT-002**: Alternative approach 2

## 4. Dependencies

[List any dependencies that need to be addressed, such as libraries, frameworks, or other components that the plan relies on.]

- **DEP-001**: Dependency 1
- **DEP-002**: Dependency 2

## 5. Files

[List the files that will be affected by the feature or refactoring task.]

- **FILE-001**: Description of file 1
- **FILE-002**: Description of file 2

## 6. Testing

[List the tests that need to be implemented to verify the feature or refactoring task.]

- **TEST-001**: Description of test 1
- **TEST-002**: Description of test 2

## 7. Risks & Assumptions

[List any risks or assumptions related to the implementation of the plan.]

- **RISK-001**: Risk 1
- **ASSUMPTION-001**: Assumption 1

## 8. Related Specifications / Further Reading

[Link to related spec 1]
[Link to relevant external documentation]

© github, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/create-implementation-plan of github/awesome-copilot.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 727ff2e

Used in 4 other repositories

We found 8 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 4 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in github/awesome-copilot, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Create Implementation Plan next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Create Implementation Plan compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Create Implementation Plan this skillgithub/awesome-copilot40k4 repos~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Executing Plans Inlineobra/superpowers296k2 repos~5.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Interview Meaddyosmani/agent-skills102k6 repos~3.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
OpenSpec Guided OnboardingFission-AI/OpenSpec71k1 repos~4.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Writing Plansgeeksblabla/stateofdev.ma16356 repos~661Automated safety check: PassNone
Subagent Driven DevelopmentAsvarox/allkaraoke26137 repos~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassNone

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  • Executing Plans Inline

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Categories

Questions about Create Implementation Plan

What does Create Implementation Plan do?

Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure. Create Implementation Plan is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Create a new implementation plan file for new features, refactoring existing code or upgrading packages, design, architecture or infrastructure.

When should I use Create Implementation Plan?

Create Implementation Plan fits situations like: tasks that involve Planning.

How do I install Create Implementation Plan in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-implementation-plan -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/create-implementation-plan in github/awesome-copilot) into .claude/skills/create-implementation-plan in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Create Implementation Plan in Codex?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-implementation-plan -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/create-implementation-plan in github/awesome-copilot) into .agents/skills/create-implementation-plan in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Create Implementation Plan in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-implementation-plan -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/create-implementation-plan, .gemini/skills/create-implementation-plan, .github/skills/create-implementation-plan and .opencode/skills/create-implementation-plan in your project.

What does Create Implementation Plan need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Create Implementation Plan is instructions for the agent only.

Does Create Implementation Plan access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: img.shields.io; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Create Implementation Plan safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Create Implementation Plan use?

Create Implementation Plan is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Create Implementation Plan use?

About 2.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Create Implementation Plan?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Create Implementation Plan: Executing Plans Inline (obra/superpowers, 296k stars), Interview Me (addyosmani/agent-skills, 102k stars), OpenSpec Guided Onboarding (Fission-AI/OpenSpec, 71k stars) and Writing Plans (geeksblabla/stateofdev.ma, 163 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Create Implementation Plan?

github (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in github/awesome-copilot, which has 39,748 GitHub stars. The repository holds 417 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: github/awesome-copilot on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.