visualize-plan
Plan Visualization
Render planned changes as structured ASCII visualizations with risk analysis, execution order, and impact metrics. Every section answers a specific reviewer question.
Core principle: Encode judgment into visualization, not decoration.
/ork:visualize-plan # Auto-detect from current branch
/ork:visualize-plan billing module redesign # Describe the plan
/ork:visualize-plan #234 # Pull from GitHub issue
Argument Resolution
PLAN_INPUT = "$ARGUMENTS" # Full argument string
PLAN_TOKEN = "$ARGUMENTS[0]" # First token — could be issue "#234" or plan description
# If starts with "#", treat as GitHub issue number. Otherwise, plan description.
# $ARGUMENTS (full string) for multi-word descriptions (CC 2.1.59 indexed access)
CRITICAL: Task Tracking
TaskCreate(subject="Visualize plan: {PLAN_INPUT}", description="Plan visualization with ASCII rendering", activeForm="Analyzing plan context")
STEP -1: Check Memory for Prior Plans
# Search for related prior visualizations
mcp__memory__search_nodes(query="plan visualization {PLAN_INPUT}")
# If found, offer to compare with previous plan
STEP 0: Detect or Clarify Plan Context
First, attempt auto-detection by running scripts/detect-plan-context.sh:
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/detect-plan-context.sh"
This outputs branch name, issue number (if any), commit count, and file change summary.
If auto-detection finds a clear plan (branch with commits diverging from main, or issue number in args), proceed to Step 1.
If ambiguous, clarify with AskUserQuestion:
AskUserQuestion(
questions=[{
"question": "What should I visualize?",
"header": "Source",
"options": [
{"label": "Current branch changes (Recommended)", "description": "Auto-detect from git diff against main", "markdown": "```\nBranch Diff Analysis\n────────────────────\n$ git diff main...HEAD\n\n→ File change manifest (+A, M, -D)\n→ Execution swimlane by phase\n→ Risk dashboard + pre-mortems\n→ Impact summary (lines, tests, API)\n```"},
{"label": "Describe the plan", "description": "I'll explain what I'm planning to change", "markdown": "```\nPlan Description\n────────────────\nYou describe → I visualize:\n\n→ Before/after architecture diagrams\n→ Execution order with dependencies\n→ Risk analysis per component\n→ Decision log (ADR-lite format)\n```"},
{"label": "GitHub issue", "description": "Pull plan from a specific issue number", "markdown": "```\nGitHub Issue Source\n───────────────────\n$ gh issue view #N\n\n→ Extract requirements from body\n→ Map to file-level changes\n→ Generate execution phases\n→ Link back to issue for tracking\n```"},
{"label": "Quick file diff only", "description": "Just show the change manifest, skip analysis", "markdown": "```\nQuick File Diff\n───────────────\n[A] src/new-file.ts +120\n[M] src/existing.ts +15 -8\n[D] src/old-file.ts -45\n─────────────────────────────\nNET: +82 lines, 3 files\n\nNo risk analysis or swimlanes\n```"}
],
"multiSelect": false
}]
)
STEP 1: Gather Data
Run scripts/analyze-impact.sh for precise counts:
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/analyze-impact.sh"
This produces: files by action (add/modify/delete), line counts, test files affected, and dependency changes.
For architecture-level understanding, spawn an Explore agent on the affected directories:
Agent(
subagent_type="Explore",
prompt="Explore the architecture of {affected_directories}. Return: component diagram, key data flows, health scores per module. Use the ascii-visualizer skill for diagrams.",
model="haiku"
)
STEP 2: Render Tier 1 Header (Always)
Use assets/tier1-header.md template. Load Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/visualization-tiers.md") for field computation (risk level, confidence, reversibility).
PLAN: {plan_name} ({issue_ref}) | {phase_count} phases | {file_count} files | +{added} -{removed} lines
Risk: {risk_level} | Confidence: {confidence} | Reversible until {last_safe_phase}
Branch: {branch} -> {base_branch}
[1] Changes [2] Execution [3] Risks [4] Decisions [5] Impact [all]
STEP 3: Ask Which Sections to Expand
AskUserQuestion(
questions=[{
"question": "Which sections to render?",
"header": "Sections",
"options": [
{"label": "All sections", "description": "Full visualization with all 5 core sections", "markdown": "```\n[1] Change Manifest [A]/[M]/[D] file tree\n[2] Execution Swimlane with phases\n[3] Risks Dashboard + pre-mortems\n[4] Decisions ADR-lite decision log\n[5] Impact Lines, tests, API, deps\n```"},
{"label": "Changes + Execution", "description": "File diff tree and execution swimlane", "markdown": "```\n[1] Change Manifest\n [M] src/auth.ts +45 -12\n [A] src/oauth.ts +89\n\n[2] Execution Swimlane\n Phase 1 ====[auth]========▶\n Phase 2 ----[blocked]--===▶\n```"},
{"label": "Risks + Decisions", "description": "Risk dashboard and decision log", "markdown": "```\n[3] Risk Dashboard\n MEDIUM ██░░ migration reversible\n HIGH ███░ API breaking change\n Pre-mortem: \"What if auth fails?\"\n\n[4] Decision Log\n D1: OAuth2 over JWT (security)\n D2: Postgres over Redis (durability)\n```"},
{"label": "Impact only", "description": "Just the numbers: files, lines, tests, API surface", "markdown": "```\n[5] Impact Summary\n ┌──────────┬─────┬───────┐\n │ Metric │Count│ Delta │\n ├──────────┼─────┼───────┤\n │ Files │ 12 │ +3 │\n │ Lines │ 450 │ +127 │\n │ Tests │ 8 │ +4 │\n │ API sfc │ 3 │ +1 │\n └──────────┴─────┴───────┘\n```"}
],
"multiSelect": false
}]
)
STEP 4: Render Requested Sections
Render each requested section following ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/section-rendering.md conventions. Use the corresponding reference for ASCII patterns:
| Section | Reference | Key Convention |
|---|---|---|
| [1] Change Manifest | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/change-manifest-patterns.md) |
[A]/[M]/[D] + +N -N per file |
| [2] Execution Swimlane | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/execution-swimlane-patterns.md) |
=== active, --- blocked, | deps |
| [3] Risk Dashboard | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/risk-dashboard-patterns.md) |
Reversibility timeline + 3 pre-mortems |
| [4] Decision Log | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/decision-log-patterns.md) |
ADR-lite: Context/Decision/Alternatives/Tradeoff |
| [5] Impact Summary | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/assets/impact-dashboard.md) |
Table: Added/Modified/Deleted/NET + tests/API/deps |
STEP 5: Offer Actions
After rendering, offer next steps:
AskUserQuestion(
questions=[{
"question": "What next?",
"header": "Actions",
"options": [
{"label": "Write to designs/", "description": "Save as designs/{branch}.md for PR review", "markdown": "```\nSave to File\n────────────\ndesigns/\n └── feat-billing-redesign.md\n ├── Header + metadata\n ├── All rendered sections\n └── Ready for PR description\n```"},
{"label": "Generate GitHub issues", "description": "Create issues from execution phases with labels and milestones", "markdown": "```\nGitHub Issues\n─────────────\n#101 [billing] Phase 1: Schema migration\n labels: component:billing, risk:medium\n#102 [billing] Phase 2: API endpoints\n labels: component:billing, risk:low\n blocked-by: #101\n```"},
{"label": "Drill deeper", "description": "Expand blast radius, cross-layer check, or migration checklist", "markdown": "```\nDeep Dive Options\n─────────────────\n[6] Blast Radius\n direct → transitive → test impact\n[7] Cross-Layer Consistency\n Frontend ↔ Backend endpoint gaps\n[8] Migration Checklist\n Ordered runbook with time estimates\n```"},
{"label": "Done", "description": "Plan visualization complete"}
],
"multiSelect": false
}]
)
Write to file: Save full report to designs/{branch-name}.md using assets/plan-report.md template.
Generate issues: For each execution phase, create a GitHub issue with title [{component}] {phase_description}, labels (component + risk:{level}), milestone, body from plan sections, and blocked-by references.
Store in memory: Save plan summary to knowledge graph for future comparison:
mcp__memory__create_entities(entities=[{
"name": "Plan: {plan_name}",
"entityType": "plan-visualization",
"observations": [
"Branch: {branch}",
"Risk: {risk_level}, Confidence: {confidence}",
"Phases: {phase_count}, Files: {file_count}",
"Key decisions: {decision_summary}"
]
}])
Deep Dives (Tier 3, on request)
Available when user selects "Drill deeper". Load Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/deep-dives.md") for cross-layer and migration patterns.
| Section | What It Shows | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| [6] Blast Radius | Concentric rings of impact (direct -> transitive -> tests) | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/blast-radius-patterns.md) |
| [7] Cross-Layer Consistency | Frontend/backend endpoint alignment with gap detection | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/deep-dives.md) |
| [8] Migration Checklist | Ordered runbook with sequential/parallel blocks and time estimates | (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/deep-dives.md) |
Key Principles
| Principle | Application |
|---|---|
| Progressive disclosure | Tier 1 header always, sections on request |
| Judgment over decoration | Every section answers a reviewer question |
| Precise over estimated | Use scripts for file/line counts |
| Honest uncertainty | Confidence levels, pre-mortems, tradeoff costs |
| Actionable output | Write to file, generate issues, drill deeper |
| Anti-slop | No generic transitions, no fake precision, no unused sections |
Rules Quick Reference
| Rule | Impact | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
section-rendering (load ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/section-rendering.md) |
HIGH | Rendering conventions for all 5 core sections |
| ASCII diagrams | MEDIUM | Via ascii-visualizer skill (box-drawing, file trees, workflows) |
References
Load on demand with Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/<file>"):
| File | Content |
|---|---|
visualization-tiers.md |
Progressive disclosure tiers and header field computation |
change-manifest-patterns.md |
Change manifest ASCII patterns |
execution-swimlane-patterns.md |
Execution swimlane ASCII patterns |
risk-dashboard-patterns.md |
Risk dashboard ASCII patterns |
decision-log-patterns.md |
Decision log ASCII patterns |
blast-radius-patterns.md |
Blast radius ASCII patterns |
deep-dives.md |
Cross-layer consistency and migration checklist |
Assets
Load on demand with Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/assets/<file>"):
| File | Content |
|---|---|
plan-report.md |
Full mustache-style report template |
impact-dashboard.md |
Impact table template |
tier1-header.md |
5-line summary template |
Related Skills
ork:implement- Execute planned changesork:explore- Understand current architectureork:assess- Evaluate complexity and risksork:memory- Search prior plan visualizationsork:remember- Store plan decisions for future reference