---
name: phx-brief
description: Interactive briefing of a plan file — explains reasoning, schema decisions,
component choices. Use when developers need to understand a plan before approving.
---
# Plan Briefing
Interactive walkthrough of a plan's reasoning, decisions, and solution
shape. Designed for developers who need to understand a plan in 1-2
minutes instead of reading the full document.
## Why This Exists
Plans answer "what to do" but bury "why." This skill bridges that
gap with an interactive walkthrough.
## Usage
```
phx-brief # Latest plan
phx-brief .claude/plans/user-auth/plan.md # Specific plan
```
## Arguments
- `$ARGUMENTS` = Path to plan file (optional, auto-detects latest)
## Mode Detection
Read the plan file and determine mode from phase statuses:
- **All phases `[PENDING]`** = Pre-work briefing (what WILL happen)
- **Any phase `[COMPLETED]` or `[IN_PROGRESS]`** = Post-work briefing
(what WAS done and why)
## Execution Flow
### Step 1: Locate and Load Plan
1. If `$ARGUMENTS` has a path, use it
2. Otherwise, find latest plan:
Use Glob to find `.claude/plans/*/plan.md` and pick the most recent.
3. If no plan found, tell user and suggest `phx-plan`
4. Read the plan file
### Step 2: Load Supporting Artifacts
Read what's available (don't fail if missing):
- `.claude/plans/{slug}/summaries/consolidated.md` (research summary)
- `.claude/plans/{slug}/scratchpad.md` (decisions, dead-ends)
- `.claude/plans/{slug}/progress.md` (work log, post-work only)
### Step 3: Present Briefing Sections
Present ONE section at a time, wrapped in the visual briefing block
(see `references/briefing-guide.md` Visual Formatting).
**The section MUST be emitted as visible response text BEFORE the
`AskUserQuestion` call.** Content composed only in thinking/reasoning
is invisible to the user, and the `question` field is too short to
carry it. If the user would see only a "Continue?" dialog, the section
was never shown. Write the ★ Briefing block as normal output first,
then ask:
- If sections remain: question "Continue the briefing?" with options
**"Next: {title}"**, **"Ask me a question about this"**, **"Stop here"**
- If final section: no question needed, show closing message
### Section Flow (Pre-Work Mode)
| # | Title | Source |
|---|-------|--------|
| 1 | What We're Building | Summary + Scope |
| 2 | Key Decisions | Technical Decisions + scratchpad rationale |
| 3 | Solution Shape | Phases overview + Data Model |
| 4 | Risks & Confidence | Risks table + unknowns/spikes |
### Section Flow (Post-Work Mode)
| # | Title | Source |
|---|-------|--------|
| 1 | What Was Built | Summary + completion status |
| 2 | Key Decisions & Why | Technical Decisions + scratchpad |
| 3 | How It Was Built | Phases with implementation notes |
| 4 | Lessons & Patterns | Risks encountered + patterns used |
See `references/briefing-guide.md` for section content templates.
## Iron Laws
1. **ONE section at a time** — never dump all content
2. **User controls pace** — always offer to stop
3. **Explain WHY, not just WHAT** — rationale over listing
4. **Ground in artifacts** — focus on insights specific to this
plan's research, decisions, and scratchpad entries, not general
programming concepts
5. **Keep each section under 20 lines** — this is a briefing,
not a lecture
6. **NEVER skip sections or auto-start work** — briefing is read-only; do not execute plan tasks or launch `phx-work` without explicit user request
7. **SECTION TEXT BEFORE THE QUESTION** — every ★ Briefing block is
visible response text emitted before its `AskUserQuestion`; never
deliver a section only inside thinking or the question field
## Closing Message
After final section (or when user stops):
```
That's the briefing! For full details, see:
{plan_path}
Ready to proceed? Try `phx-work {plan_path}` to start execution.
```
Post-work variant:
```
That's what was built! For full details, see:
{plan_path}
Consider `phx-compound` to capture key learnings for future reference.
```
## Integration
```text
phx-plan --> phx-brief (optional) --> phx-work --> phx-brief (optional)
create understand before execute understand after
```
## Complex Plan Enhancement
For plans with 5+ phases or 4+ key decisions, consider suggesting
visual rendering after Section 3. See
`references/visual-explainer.md` for thresholds and commands.
## Notes
- Runs in main conversation context (not a subagent)
- Model: no special requirement — uses default session model
- No artifacts written — briefing is ephemeral, plan IS the artifact
- Reference file readable since skill runs in user's session