/retrospective

name: retrospective
description: Analyzes evaluation patterns across completed plans and evolves the superpowers checklists accordingly.
argument-hint: <plan-path-1> [plan-path-2] [--across-all]
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: true
allowed-tools: ["Read", "Glob", "Grep", "Write", "Edit", "Bash(python3:*)", "Bash(git:*)", "Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/seed-checklists.sh:*)", "Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/post-plan-diff.sh:*)", "Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/jsonl-emit.sh:*)", "Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/docs-index.sh:*)"]

Retrospective

Analyze evaluation patterns across completed plans, identify recurring failures, and auto-apply checklist evolution — the downstream consumer of executing-plans Phase 4 "Checklist Evolution Candidates". The user reviews post-commit via `git show docs/retros/checklists/`.

Recommended: run wrapped in `/goal`

**Launch it under Claude Code's built-in `/goal`** (v2.1.139+) — a retrospective can span multiple turns:

/goal "Claude has narrated a successful checklist-evolution commit (with commit hash) and stated the retrospective is complete" /superpowers:retrospective <plan-paths>

`/goal` is a **user-typed outer wrapper** (a skill cannot enable it for itself mid-run), and its evaluator judges only what Claude narrates in the transcript — phrase the condition against narrated output (the commit-hash line, an explicit completion statement), never filesystem state. Full semantics and condition phrasing: `../../skills/references/goal-wrapper.md`.

Pre-Check (run first, in order)

A. INSUFFICIENT-POST-PLAN advisory (informational)

Read the most recent `plan_completed` event from `docs/retros/plans-completed.jsonl`. If `hours_since_completion < 24h` AND `bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/post-plan-diff.sh" summary <completion_commit> <files...>` returns `total == 0`, output the INSUFFICIENT-POST-PLAN reminder verbatim (see `./references/post-plan-diff.md` §Pre-Check A) and proceed to Phase 0 — do NOT pause. Skip silently when `completion_commit` is missing.

B. Recall persistent memory (calibration priors)

**CRITICAL — do this before Phase 0, do NOT skip it as setup.** Persistent memory holds the human judgments the evolution-log cannot capture. Recall is a SECONDARY calibration signal — `docs/retros/evolution-log.jsonl` (Phase 1 step 5) stays authoritative; when they disagree, the log wins.

The `MEMORY.md` index hooks are ALREADY in your context (injected at session start) — read nothing from disk. Scan them now and select the ones bearing on this run: prior evolution/rejection decisions and debt trackers, harness-design principles, and working-style feedback. Carry them forward as priors into Phase 1 step 5 (calibration history), Phase 3 (suppression of weakly-justified ADDs), and Phase 4 (self-reject a proposal that contradicts a recalled prior, citing the memory entry). If no calibration-relevant hook exists, log `Pre-Check B: no calibration-relevant memory` and proceed. Never resolve a memory path, read a topic file, block, or ask — the index hooks carry the signal on their own.

When a recalled hook cited as evidence for an approved Phase 3 proposal proves project-specific and durable, the Phase 4 step 3.5 draft records `Promoted from private assistant memory hook: <hook-name>, <date>` in its `## Why` section — cross-project harness-design stances are NOT promoted, and the private hook is never deleted or modified.

Phase 0: Bootstrap (run only when no checklists exist)

Before Phase 1, check whether `docs/retros/checklists/` contains `{mode}-v1.md` for each mode (design / plan / code). Phase 0 runs per-mode independently — seed only the modes missing a v{N} file; if all three are present, log `Phase 0: all checklists present, skipping seed` and proceed. Full procedure (Path A vs. Path B Full History Bootstrap, exit codes, `--force` reset): `./references/bootstrap.md`.

Phase 1: Data Collection

1. **Resolve inputs**: Parse `$ARGUMENTS` for plan paths. If `--across-all`, scan `docs/plans/` for all `*-plan/` directories with evaluation reports. If no argument is given, read `docs/retros/plans-completed.jsonl` and auto-scope to plans completed after the most recent `retrospective_run` event in `docs/retros/evolution-log.jsonl`. Complement the log via the docs index: `bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/docs-index.sh" list --kind plan --status implemented` scopes shipped plans; `bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/docs-index.sh" list --status expired` surfaces prior expirations as calibration input (read an expired plan's retro report before re-proposing anything that touches it). Also consult memory: `bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/docs-index.sh" list --kind memory --status active`; fold matches into Phase 2 analysis as calibration input. 2. **Resolve evals**: For each plan path, read evaluation reports (`evaluation-round-*.md`, `evaluation-design-round-*.md`, `evaluation-plan-round-*.md`) from the plan directory, or from a sibling `*-evals/` directory when one exists. 3. **Read checklists**: Scan `docs/retros/checklists/` for each mode's latest `{mode}-v{N}.md` (highest N). 4. **Read reports**: Read each plan's evaluation reports; extract per-item results (Item ID, Result, Evidence) and rework items. 5. **Read evolution history** (calibration input): Read `docs/retros/evolution-log.jsonl` if present; build a history table keyed by `item_id` (most recent event, timestamp, rationale). This feeds Phase 3 — do NOT re-propose an `ADD` for an item `REMOVE`d in the most recent retrospective unless the new evidence is materially different; cite the historical entry in any such proposal. 6. **Read post-plan diff**: For each plan with a `completion_commit` field, run `bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/post-plan-diff.sh" list <completion_commit> <completion_modified_files...>` and pass the classified commit list to Phase 5a (classification rules and skip conditions: `./references/post-plan-diff.md`).

7. **Minimum d