pre-phase-briefing

Enumerate every file, module, function, and config surface the plan references, partition them into disjoint explorer lanes, and dispatch the lanes asynchronously. Each lane reports existence, current state, and assumption accuracy, and planning is blocked until all lanes settle and a consolidated reality report is finalized.

A codebase reality check is a pre-planning verification step that confirms whether each referenced item is not started, partially done, already complete, or based on an incorrect assumption. It prevents specs and plans from being built on stale or wrong beliefs about the current code.

Scale lanes to the referenced surface: one lane for a single file or function, two to four lanes for a typical phase spanning a few areas, and up to eight lanes per batch for large surfaces. Lanes must be non-overlapping and together cover every referenced item.

Yes, the codebase reality check has a greenfield exemption when the work is a new project with no existing codebase references. The retrospective briefing still applies if prior retrospectives exist in the workspace, since user directives carry across projects.

A missing, failed, or timed-out lane is treated as an explicit coverage gap, not a pass. The affected references must be marked BLOCKED or SKIPPED_WITH_REASON and resolved before any spec finalization, plan generation, or implementation dispatch proceeds.