Feature: dedicated verification step in plan-work-items for HITL/AFK classification and unverified assumptions #110

Issue Type

Feature Request

Summary

plan-work-items should grow a dedicated verification step that treats HITL vs AFK classification and unverified assumptions in more depth than the current work-item drafting step does.

Reported Behavior

Today the HITL vs AFK classification and the unverified-assumption gate live inside the work-item drafting step of plan-work-items. In PR #109 review, the verification guidance was placed in that drafting step. The feedback agrees this is fine where it is for now, given the full skill content, but wants deeper treatment long term.

Expected Behavior

A dedicated verification step in plan-work-items that carries a lightweight version of the HITL vs AFK decision, with a "TBD" (or similar) option for work items that need more in-depth review during that verification step. Quoting the originating feedback:

long term, it would be a good idea to create a full verification step that covers this in more depth. something like a lightweight version of the HITL vs AFK decision could go here, maybe with a "TBD" or similar option for items that need more in-depth review during the verification step

Missing Information

The problem space is not yet decided; these need to be worked out before the feature can be specified:

• The concrete shape and placement of the verification step within plan-work-items — what it does, and where it sits relative to the drafting step.
• How this overlaps with Feature: skill to autonomously drive feature implementation from work items via sub-agents #96 (a formal AFK vs HITL classification driven by a suggested implementation/review skill, plus a classification for whether an item needs human input before building) and Planning chain lets shared interface/data contracts reach implementation un-pinned (invented mid-build) #107 (handling open items and un-pinned contracts).
• Whether resolving unverified assumptions and open items belongs in this same verification step or in a separate stage, as raised in the parent review thread.
• Success criteria for the verification step, and what the "TBD" option routes to next.

Suspected Areas

• han-planning/skills/plan-work-items/SKILL.md — the work-item drafting step and the proposed verification step.
• Intersects Feature: skill to autonomously drive feature implementation from work items via sub-agents #96 (formal HITL/AFK classification) and Planning chain lets shared interface/data contracts reach implementation un-pinned (invented mid-build) #107 (open items / un-pinned contracts).

Recommended Next Step

/research — the problem space must be researched (options for the verification step, how it reconciles with #96 and #107, whether assumption/open-item resolution is a separate stage) before the feature can be specified.

Filed from PR #109 review feedback: #109 (comment)