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checkpoint-plan

npx machina-cli add skill uukuguy/dev-phase-manager/checkpoint-plan --openclaw
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SKILL.md
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Checkpoint Plan

Save current plan execution state to filesystem, enabling seamless workflow continuation across /clear operations.

Execution Steps

1. Locate Plan File

Check docs/plans/ directory for the latest plan file:

# Find the most recent plan file
latest_plan=$(ls -t docs/plans/*.md 2>/dev/null | grep -v "\.checkpoint" | head -1)

if [ -z "$latest_plan" ]; then
  echo "⚠️ No plan file found"
  echo ""
  echo "Please do one of the following:"
  echo "1. /writing-plans - Create new plan"
  echo "2. Manually create plan file in docs/plans/"
  exit 1
fi

2. Collect State Information

Gather state from current context and filesystem:

  • Plan file path: From step 1
  • Current phase:
    • If not started → design
    • If executing → execution
    • If completed → review
  • Completed tasks: From git log or user input
  • Current task: From user input
  • Execution mode: subagent-driven or executing-plans or null
  • Phase name: From phase stack or user input

3. Save Checkpoint

Create or update docs/plans/.checkpoint.json:

{
  "plan_file": "docs/plans/2026-02-22-mcp-server.md",
  "phase": "design",
  "created_at": "2026-02-22T17:30:00+08:00",
  "updated_at": "2026-02-22T17:30:00+08:00",
  "completed_tasks": [],
  "current_task": null,
  "execution_mode": null,
  "phase_name": "Phase 5 - MCP Server",
  "notes": "Design phase completed, ready for execution"
}

Field Descriptions:

  • plan_file: Relative path to plan file
  • phase: Current phase (design | execution | review)
  • created_at: First creation time (ISO 8601 format)
  • updated_at: Last update time (ISO 8601 format)
  • completed_tasks: Array of completed tasks
  • current_task: Current task (string or null)
  • execution_mode: Execution mode (subagent-driven | executing-plans | null)
  • phase_name: Phase name for display
  • notes: Optional notes

4. Confirmation Output

Display success information:

✅ Checkpoint saved

Plan: Phase 5 - MCP Server
File: docs/plans/2026-02-22-mcp-server.md
Phase: design
Status: Design completed, ready for execution

Next steps:
1. /clear - Clear context
2. /resume-plan - Resume execution

Use Cases

Case 1: After Design Completion

/brainstorming
/writing-plans
/checkpoint-plan    # Save design phase state
/clear
/resume-plan        # Start execution

Case 2: During Execution

/resume-plan
/subagent-driven-development
# ... executed 3 tasks ...
/checkpoint-plan    # Save execution progress
/clear
/resume-plan        # Continue execution

Case 3: Switching Work

# Working on Phase 5
/checkpoint-plan    # Save current progress
# Switch to other work
# Later return
/resume-plan        # Resume Phase 5

Integration with Third-Party Skills

Non-invasive design - integrates through workflow composition:

writing-plans (superpowers)
  ↓
checkpoint-plan (user-defined)
  ↓
clear
  ↓
resume-plan (user-defined)
  ↓
subagent-driven-development (superpowers)

File Locations

  • Checkpoint file: docs/plans/.checkpoint.json
  • Plan file: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-feature.md (created by writing-plans)
  • Phase stack file: docs/dev/.phase_stack.json (managed by start-phase)

Notes

  1. Auto-detection: Automatically detect completed tasks from git log when possible
  2. User confirmation: Ask user for current progress if auto-detection fails
  3. Overwrite warning: Warn user if checkpoint already exists
  4. Backup suggestion: Recommend periodic checkpoint file backups

Source

git clone https://github.com/uukuguy/dev-phase-manager/blob/main/skills/checkpoint-plan/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Checkpoint Plan saves the current plan execution state to the filesystem, enabling seamless workflow continuation across /clear operations. It records the plan file, phase, timestamps, completed tasks, and the current task so you can resume where you left off.

How This Skill Works

It searches docs/plans for the most recent plan file, determines the current phase (design, execution, or review), gathers completed tasks and the active task, and writes a .checkpoint.json in docs/plans with fields like plan_file, phase, created_at, updated_at, completed_tasks, current_task, execution_mode, and phase_name.

When to Use It

  • After finishing the design phase and about to clear context
  • During execution when pausing and resuming after /clear
  • When switching to unrelated work and returning later
  • When auto-detection of progress fails and user needs to confirm
  • Before backing up or archiving plan progress

Quick Start

  1. Step 1: Locate the latest plan file in docs/plans/
  2. Step 2: Run checkpoint-plan to save current state to docs/plans/.checkpoint.json
  3. Step 3: Use /clear to reset context and later /resume-plan to continue

Best Practices

  • Warn before overwriting an existing checkpoint and consider backups
  • Auto-detect completed tasks with git log when possible, else prompt for input
  • Store checkpoints in docs/plans/.checkpoint.json with a descriptive notes field
  • Use ISO 8601 timestamps for created_at and updated_at
  • Update the checkpoint after meaningful progress to keep resume accurate

Example Use Cases

  • Saving a checkpoint after design and before /clear
  • Saving during execution to pause and resume later
  • Switching work and resuming later with /resume-plan
  • Auto-detecting completed tasks via git log when possible
  • Manual progress input when auto-detection fails

Frequently Asked Questions

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