Best for
- This skill sits before parallel-agent-dispatch in the dispatch sequence. parallel-agent-dispatch covers the contract; this skill covers the assumption the contract is built on.
Source profileQuality 96/100
laurigates/claude-plugins/agent-patterns-plugin/skills/verify-before-plan/SKILL.md
verify-before-plan
Verify orchestrator premises (file counts, build state, artefact presence) before dispatching parallel subagents. Use when a wave's briefs cite a number, path, or behaviour not yet checked.
- Source repository stars
- 54
- Declared platforms
- 1
- Static risk flags
- 1
- Last source update
- 2026-08-28
- Source checked
- 2026-08-28
Decision brief
What it does: where it fits
A premise is anything the orchestrator's plan asserts about the world without having looked: "there are 41 SKILL.md files that need editing," "the deprecated endpoint still has callers," "build is green on main," "the agent must rewrite the manifest." Before a wave of parallel s…
Not for
- The unifying pattern: the premise was true at some past moment, but the current session has not confirmed it. Time is the silent invalidator.
Compatibility matrix
Platform support, with evidence labels
| Platform | Status | Evidence | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codex | Not declared | No explicit evidence | Portability before use |
| Claude Code | Declared | Source record | Install path and trigger |
| Cursor | Not declared | No explicit evidence | Portability before use |
| Gemini CLI | Not declared | No explicit evidence | Portability before use |
Installation
Inspect first. Install second.
The source command is displayed only when detected. A safe inspection prompt is always available so your agent can explain every action before execution.
Source-detected install commandSource
npx skills add https://github.com/laurigates/claude-plugins --skill "agent-patterns-plugin/skills/verify-before-plan"Safe inspection promptEditorial
Inspect the Agent Skill "verify-before-plan" from https://github.com/laurigates/claude-plugins/blob/c056e44b978db58648ad20440dc1515cb09af09d/agent-patterns-plugin/skills/verify-before-plan/SKILL.md at commit c056e44b978db58648ad20440dc1515cb09af09d. List every install step, command, network request, credential, file read/write, external action, and rollback step. Explain whether it fits my task. Do not install or execute anything until I approve.
Workflow
What the source asks the agent to do
- 01
The Verification Protocol
State the load-bearing facts in one or two sentences, in the form the wave's briefs will reference. Numbers, paths, and "does X" claims must be explicit — "all the affected plugins" is not yet a premise.
State the load-bearing facts in one or two sentences, in the form the wave's briefs will reference. Numbers, paths, and "does X" claims must be explicit — "all the affected plugins" is not yet a premise.Inline the verifier if it is one to three tool calls. Use a one-shot investigation agent only when the answer requires multi-file synthesis.The verifier — whether inline calls or a dispatched agent — must report: - 02
Step 1: Name the premise
State the load-bearing facts in one or two sentences, in the form the wave's briefs will reference. Numbers, paths, and "does X" claims must be explicit — "all the affected plugins" is not yet a premise.
State the load-bearing facts in one or two sentences, in the form the wave's briefs will reference. Numbers, paths, and "does X" claims must be explicit — "all the affected plugins" is not yet a premise. - 03
Step 2: Pick the cheapest verifier
Inline the verifier if it is one to three tool calls. Use a one-shot investigation agent only when the answer requires multi-file synthesis.
Inline the verifier if it is one to three tool calls. Use a one-shot investigation agent only when the answer requires multi-file synthesis. - 04
Step 3: Verifier return contract
The verifier — whether inline calls or a dispatched agent — must report:
The verifier — whether inline calls or a dispatched agent — must report: - 05
Step 4: Diff verdict against premise
If confirmed, dispatch as planned. If refuted or partial, revise the plan: shrink the file scope, re-allocate per-agent IDs, drop agents that no longer have work, re-write the brief that cites the refuted fact. Only then dispatch.
If confirmed, dispatch as planned. If refuted or partial, revise the plan: shrink the file scope, re-allocate per-agent IDs, drop agents that no longer have work, re-write the brief that cites the refuted fact. Only the…
Permission review
Static risk signals and limitations
Reads files
The documentation asks the agent to read local files, directories, or repositories.
| Manifest / counter snapshot | `Read` the file and quote the relevant lines |Reads files
The documentation asks the agent to read local files, directories, or repositories.
| "git-repo-agent supports X" (from the name) | Name ≠ behaviour; agent did not implement X | Read `agents/git-repo-agent/SKILL.md` |Evidence record
Why each signal appears
EvidenceSourceComputedTestedEditorial
| Signal | Value | Evidence type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality score | 96/100 | Computed | Documentation, specificity, maintenance, and trust rules |
| Repository stars | 54 | Source | Repository attention, not individual Skill quality |
| Compatibility | 1 platforms | Source | Declared in the catalog source record |
| Usage guide | automated source guide | Editorial | Generated or reviewed according to the visible evidence level |
Pinned source
Provenance and original SKILL.md
- Repository
- laurigates/claude-plugins
- Skill path
- agent-patterns-plugin/skills/verify-before-plan/SKILL.md
- Commit
- c056e44b978db58648ad20440dc1515cb09af09d
- License
- MIT
- Collected
- 2026-08-28
- Default branch
- main
View the original SKILL.md
Verify Before Plan
A premise is anything the orchestrator's plan asserts about the world without having looked: "there are 41 SKILL.md files that need editing," "the deprecated endpoint still has callers," "build is green on main," "the agent must rewrite the manifest." Before a wave of parallel subagents fans out against that premise, verify it with a small read-only probe. A wrong premise propagates to every brief in the wave and wastes an entire wave's worth of work — restarting is the only honest salvage.
When to Use This Skill
| Use this skill when... | Skip when... |
|---|---|
| About to dispatch ≥2 parallel agents whose briefs cite a number, state, or path | Single-agent delegation — verify inline |
| The premise was carried in from an earlier message and not re-checked this session | The premise was produced by a tool call earlier in this same session |
| The user's report describes a symptom; the plan cites a cause | Waves entirely independent of repo state (e.g. brainstorming) |
| The plan assumes a tool/library/agent does X based on its name or docs | The behaviour is covered by a passing test the wave will re-run |
| The plan inherits a premise from another agent's return contract | The return contract already cites file:line evidence for the premise |
This skill sits before parallel-agent-dispatch in the dispatch
sequence. parallel-agent-dispatch covers the contract; this skill covers
the assumption the contract is built on.
The Verification Protocol
Step 1: Name the premise
State the load-bearing facts in one or two sentences, in the form the wave's briefs will reference. Numbers, paths, and "does X" claims must be explicit — "all the affected plugins" is not yet a premise.
Step 2: Pick the cheapest verifier
| Premise shape | Verifier |
|---|---|
| File count / "N occurrences of …" | Glob or Grep -c directly from the main thread |
| "Does this tool/agent do X?" | Dispatch one read-only general-purpose agent: "Report what <thing> actually does, with file:line citations" |
| "Build is green / artefact exists" | One Bash call (gh pr checks, ls path, git log --branches) |
| "User's bug is X" | Read the failing log; do not patch the symptom |
| Manifest / counter snapshot | Read the file and quote the relevant lines |
Inline the verifier if it is one to three tool calls. Use a one-shot investigation agent only when the answer requires multi-file synthesis.
Step 3: Verifier return contract
The verifier — whether inline calls or a dispatched agent — must report:
## Premise
<one-line restatement of what is being checked>
## Evidence
- file:line — <quoted finding>
- file:line — <quoted finding>
## Verdict
- confirmed | refuted | partial: <what changed>
- exact count / value: <N>
- sample paths: <up to 5>
## Implicit assumptions surfaced
- <assumptions the verifier had to make to answer>
- empty is fine — section must exist
Refuse to dispatch the wave until this report exists. "I'll check while dispatching" loses the salvage argument before it starts.
Step 4: Diff verdict against premise
If confirmed, dispatch as planned. If refuted or partial, revise the
plan: shrink the file scope, re-allocate per-agent IDs, drop agents that no
longer have work, re-write the brief that cites the refuted fact. Only then
dispatch.
Anti-patterns
| Premise | How it fails | Verifier |
|---|---|---|
| "There are 41 SKILL.md files needing edits" | Actual was 28 — some plugins have no skills; 13 agents had empty briefs | Glob("**/SKILL.md") then count |
| "git-repo-agent supports X" (from the name) | Name ≠ behaviour; agent did not implement X | Read agents/git-repo-agent/SKILL.md |
| "The user says the bug is X" | Bug was a config typo two layers up; the X patch did nothing | Read the failing log / repro |
| "The plan says clear stuck Jobs" | Real root cause was an IdP password mismatch in ConfigMap; jobs were a symptom | Re-spelunk with one read-only agent |
| "Manifest counter is at WO-012" | Counter was bumped by a coworker mid-session | Read the manifest as the last act before allocation |
| "Build is green" (from morning standup) | Broke an hour ago; one wave-member tripped over the failing step | gh pr checks or gh run list |
| "All callers of the deprecated API are gone" | Two remained in a vendored copy outside the search root | Grep with a wide-enough path |
The unifying pattern: the premise was true at some past moment, but the current session has not confirmed it. Time is the silent invalidator.
Composition
| With … | Slot it in by … |
|---|---|
parallel-agent-dispatch | Verify before the worktree-preflight; preflight assumes the file scope is right |
wave-based-dispatch | Verify per wave — a Phase-1 wave's return contract is a premise for Phase 2 |
exclusive-lock-dispatch | Verify the lock-holder list is current; locks come and go |
agent-teams | The Lead Preflight Checklist's "file-scope and pin-budget" entries are premises |
Quick Reference
Orchestrator checklist (before any parallel dispatch)
- Premise named in one or two sentences with numbers and paths
- Verifier picked (inline call ≤ 3, otherwise one read-only agent)
- Verifier return contract followed (Premise / Evidence / Verdict / Assumptions)
- Verdict
confirmed— or plan revised before dispatch - Implicit assumptions logged for the wave's briefs
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct approach |
|---|---|
| "Based on the name, X probably does Y" | Dispatch a read-only probe; cite file:line |
| "The user says the bug is X, so we patch X" | Read the failing repro before any patch |
| "The plan's remediation is X" | Verify the plan's premise; remediations inherit its truth-value |
| Verifying after dispatch ("I'll check while they work") | Verify first — re-running a wave costs more than the probe |
| Skipping the Verdict line — just summarising | The wave's briefs need a copy-pasteable fact, not a narrative |
Related
parallel-agent-dispatch— the dispatch contract whose preflight this skill protectswave-based-dispatch— per-wave premise verification fits cleanly between phasesexclusive-lock-dispatch— lock inventory is itself a premise.claude/rules/regression-testing.md— landing a verifier as a script check when a premise-failure recurs- Motivating evidence: issue #1283
— aggregate
wrong_approachandinitial_misdiagnosissignals across 284 sessions
Frequently asked questions
What to verify before installation and use
What does the verify-before-plan source document cover?
A premise is anything the orchestrator's plan asserts about the world without having looked: "there are 41 SKILL.md files that need editing," "the deprecated endpoint still has callers," "build is green on main," "the agent must rewrite the manifest." Before a wave of parallel s…
How do I install verify-before-plan?
The source record exposes this install command: npx skills add https://github.com/laurigates/claude-plugins --skill "agent-patterns-plugin/skills/verify-before-plan". Inspect the command and pinned source before running it.
Which Agent platforms does the source record declare?
The pinned source record declares support for: claude code.
Which permission-related actions were detected?
Static rules flagged read-files in the source; the page lists the matching lines and excerpts.
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