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Input: Raw Prompt

When to Use

Use this guide when a developer types a vague instruction ("Test the checkout flow") and needs to turn it into a bounded, reviewable plan.

Decision

Situation Action
Harness allows interactive clarification Planner asks five scoping questions before writing the plan
No interactive clarification available Planner writes draft with ## Clarifications needed block
Scope genuinely unknowable Planner picks one happy path + one negative; reviewer extends

The Three Failure Modes

  1. Over-broad crawl — Planner generates 40 scenarios, most low-value
  2. Hallucinated fields — Planner invents features that don't exist
  3. Happy paths only — no negative coverage

Pattern: clarifying questions the Planner should ask

Before I write the plan, I need to confirm:

1. What is the entry URL for the flow?
2. Which user role should I assume (anonymous / customer / admin)?
3. What does "done" look like — order confirmation page, email,
   receipt download, all of the above?
4. Are there variants I should exclude — guest checkout, subscription
   products, gift cards?
5. What is out of scope — payment provider integration?
   tax calculation?

Pattern: clarifications block

# Checkout flow

## Clarifications needed

Before this plan is final, please confirm:
- Should the test cover the new Stripe Elements form or the legacy redirect?
- Is guest checkout in scope?
- Should I assume a single-item cart or multi-item?

## Draft scope

(Assumes Stripe Elements, registered customer, single-item cart.
If wrong, update the Clarifications block and regenerate.)

Reviewer answers the clarifications, regenerates, gets a real plan.

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: Accepting "test everything" as scope → Right: produces unreviewable output; every plan needs explicit boundaries
  • Wrong: Letting the Planner make up acceptance criteria from observed behavior without flagging → Right: encodes whatever happens to be there
  • Wrong: Not surfacing assumptions in the draft → Right: reviewer can't tell what was decided vs invented

See Also