GOAP Agent Skill: Goal-Oriented Action Planning

Enable intelligent planning and execution of complex multi-step tasks through systematic decomposition, dependency mapping, and coordinated multi-agent execution.

Always use the plans/ folder for all files. Use plans/GOAP_STATE.md to track persistent state.

Quick Reference

• execution-strategies.md - Detailed guide on execution patterns
• references/guide.md - Complete examples, templates, and advanced topics

When to Use

Use this skill when facing:

• Complex Multi-Step Tasks: Tasks requiring 5+ distinct steps
• Cross-Domain Problems: Issues spanning multiple areas
• Optimization Opportunities: Tasks benefiting from parallel execution
• Quality-Critical Work: Projects requiring validation checkpoints

Core GOAP Methodology

The GOAP Planning Cycle

1. ANALYZE → 2. DECOMPOSE → 3. STRATEGIZE → 4. COORDINATE → 5. EXECUTE → 6. SYNTHESIZE

Phase 1: Task Analysis (Analyze & Strategize)

Before decomposing tasks, ensure architectural decisions are sound:

1. Analyze: Use triz-solver (solve or audit mode) to evaluate the problem and resolve contradictions.
2. Decide: Formulate an ADR (Architecture Decision Record) detailing Context, Decision, and Consequences.
3. Gate: Wait for human approval of the ADR before proceeding to decomposition.

## Task Analysis

**Primary Goal**: [Clear statement of what success looks like]
**Constraints**: [Time, Resources]
**Complexity**: Simple/Medium/Complex
**ADR Link**: [Link to approved Architecture Decision Record]

Context: Use Explore agent, check past patterns, perform TRIZ analysis, and record architectural decisions.

Phase 2: Task Decomposition

Decompose high-level objectives into manageable, testable sub-tasks.

Decomposition Framework

1. Requirements Analysis: Extract primary objective, implicit requirements, constraints, success criteria.
2. Goal Hierarchy: Top-down decomposition into sub-goals and atomic tasks.
3. Dependency Mapping: Sequential (A→B→C), Parallel (A,B,C), Converging (A,B,C→D).
4. Success Criteria: Define inputs, outputs, quality standards.

Atomic Criteria

Each task must be: Single action, defined inputs/outputs, one agent, testable.

Decomposition Patterns

• Layer-Based: Data → Business Logic → API → Testing → Docs
• Feature-Based: Core MVP → Error Handling → Performance → Integration → Testing → Docs
• Phase-Based: Research → Foundation → Implementation → Integration → Polish → Release
• Problem-Solution: Reproduce → Diagnose → Design → Fix → Verify → Prevent

Output Format

### Sub-Goals
1. [Component 1] - Priority: P0, Deps: none
2. [Component 2] - Priority: P1, Deps: Component 1

Principles: Atomic, Testable, Independent, Assigned. No task >4 hours.

Phase 3: Strategy Selection

Strategy	When	Speed
Parallel	Independent tasks	Nx
Sequential	Dependent tasks	1x
Swarm	Many similar tasks	~Nx
Hybrid	Mixed requirements	2-4x

See execution-strategies.md for details.

Phase 4: Agent Assignment

Agent	Best For
feature-implementer	New functionality
debugger	Bug fixes
test-runner	Test validation
refactorer	Code improvements
code-reviewer	Quality assurance
delegate	Context retrieval, pattern search, state assessment (before planning)
implementer	Atomic code changes post-Blueprint approval

Phase 5: Execution Planning

## Execution Plan

- Strategy: [Type]
- Quality Gates: [N checkpoints]

### Phase 1
- Tasks: [List]
- Quality Gate: [Criteria]

Phase 6: Coordinated Execution

Parallel: Single message, multiple Task tool calls Sequential: Phases with quality gates between Monitor: Track progress, validate results

Phase 7: Result Synthesis

## Summary

✓ Completed: [Tasks]
📦 Deliverables: [List]
✅ Quality: [Status]

Common Patterns

• Research → Implement → Validate
• Investigate → Diagnose → Fix → Verify
• Audit → Improve → Validate

Error Handling

• Agent Failure: Retry, Reassign, Modify, or Escalate
• Quality Gate Failure: Re-run with fixes
• Blocked: Re-order or work on independent tasks

Best Practices

DO:

✓ Break tasks into atomic units ✓ Define clear quality gates ✓ Match agents to requirements ✓ Monitor and validate incrementally

DON'T:

✗ Create monolithic tasks ✗ Skip quality gates ✗ Assume independence without verification

Integration

• execution-strategies.md: Strategy implementation (parallel, sequential, swarm)

Summary

GOAP enables systematic planning through: Analysis, Decomposition, Strategy, Quality Assurance, and Coordinated Agents.

See Also

• triz-solver — Solve problems and audit systems for contradictions using TRIZ

Rationalizations

Rationalization	Reality
"I can just execute all tasks in parallel — it's faster."	Parallel execution without dependency analysis causes race conditions, wasted tokens, and corrupted intermediate state.
"Quality gates slow things down — skip them for speed."	Skipping quality gates compounds errors across agents, requiring far more rework than the time saved.

Red Flags

• Executing tasks without mapping dependencies first
• Skipping ADR approval gate before decomposition
• Assigning agents without matching skills to task requirements

References

• references/guide.md - Complete templates, detailed examples, extended patterns, error handling, optimization
• execution-strategies.md - Execution pattern details

Voice & Context

• Default: professional + blog
• Reference: voice-profiles skill for definitions and auto-detection.