Stalled Coding Task Completion
Turn stalled coding tasks into focused code changes, targeted checks, and a clear handoff with any real blockers.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
That's a good idea. Let me outline all the different phases: discovery phase, design phase, implementation phase, testing phase, and deployment phase. First, we probably should clarify all the requirements and think through edge cases. There are definitely a few architectural decisions to make upfront. Maybe we should consider scalability implications and performance optimization. We could also think about rollback strategies and monitoring setup. Once we have a solid comprehensive plan in place, the actual implementation will be much faster.
SHIP THIS WEEK — EXECUTION PLAN (eliminates planning loops): BLOCKERS & DEPENDENCIES: None identified. Start immediately. TODAY — EXECUTE THESE (in strict order): 1. Build skeleton API route (15 minutes): Create /api/feature endpoint → returns dummy JSON object. No logic. 2. Connect UI button to route (30 minutes): Frontend button wired to API call, no functionality implemented yet. 3. Implement core business logic (2 hours): Write the actual feature function. Skip optimization completely. 4. Test happy path only (45 minutes): One working end-to-end flow. No edge cases or error conditions. TOMORROW — SHIP TO PRODUCTION: 5. Merge code to main branch (5 minutes): Single git commit, clear message. 6. Deploy to staging environment (10 minutes): Smoke test in production-like environment. Verify works. 7. Deploy to production (5 minutes): Feature goes live for real users. 8. Monitor error logs 1 hour (complete if zero critical errors). No rollback needed. 9. Close feature ticket. Done. WHAT NOT TO DO (skip these): No edge cases handling. No code refactoring. No database query optimization. No unit tests. No planning v2 improvements. Ship v1 rough and imperfect. BUSINESS VALUE FRAME: Feature works 80% of the time. That's enough to learn from real users. Ship it now. Improve the remaining 20% next week based on actual user feedback, not speculation. THIS WEEK OUTCOME: 1 complete shipped feature in production. NEXT WEEK OUTCOME: Iterate and improve the 20% based on real user behavior and feedback.
About this skill
“Stop planning and make the change” should produce working code, not another promise to start. This skill turns a stalled coding request into a bounded implementation, checks the behavior that matters, and keeps going until the requested scope is complete or a concrete blocker remains.
What it does
- Defines observable completion criteria without turning a small fix into a planning project.
- Traces the relevant code path and chooses the smallest change that fixes the actual behavior.
- Breaks larger requests into working increments while retaining the full requested scope.
- Replaces repeated speculation with targeted probes, edits, and checks.
- Distinguishes implementation failures from missing credentials, unavailable services, and broken environments.
- Reports what changed, what was verified, and exactly what remains unresolved.
What you get
An implemented code change when execution access is available, with focused verification and a concise completion report. If execution is unavailable, you get a concrete proposed patch or implementation and an explicit account of what still needs to be applied and checked.
Best for
Developers working with Claude Code on stalled bug fixes, small features, unfinished refactors, or coding sessions that keep producing plans instead of usable changes.
SKILL.md preview
---
name: stalled-coding-task-completion
description: Finish stalled coding tasks by defining observable completion criteria, making the smallest sufficient code change, and using targeted checks to drive remaining work. Use when the user says "stop planning and implement it", "finish this coding task", "my agent keeps replanning", "this fix still isn't done", "make the smallest working change", "pick up where we left off", or "get this feature working".
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# Stalled Coding Task Completion
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