Implement Incremental

Runs an implementation plan phase by phase, delegating each phase to specialist agents

Works with setup

Test report

Verdict
Works with setup
Score
7.6/10
Tested
Jul 31, 2026
Environment
Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
Upstream re-checked
Aug 10, 2026 · 05aa396

Fetched SKILL.md and its three referenced files (reference/output-format.md, examples/output-example.md, reference/perspectives.md) — all HTTP 200; frontmatter parses with name+description; no security smells. Downloaded the repo's own eval-2-resume fixture (phase-1 completed, phase-2 in_progress with task T2.1 already checked, phase-3 pending) and ran the skill's Plan Discovery + resume logic against it, producing baseline.md vs skill.md. Concrete diff: the no-skill baseline re-implements T2.1 (the already-completed controller scaffold) and writes code in the orchestrator, while the skill-following artifact skips phase-1, resumes phase-2, does NOT re-delegate the completed T2.1, delegates only remaining tasks to a subagent, and flips both phase-2 frontmatter status and the README checkbox. Could not execute the actual subagent delegation or the validate/specify-meta sibling-skill calls — those need the full plugin ecosystem, hence setup.

Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works

  • Installs cleanly 5/5
  • Triggers reliably 4/5
  • Output vs. baseline 6/10
  • Docs & honesty 4/5

What Implement Incremental does

A human-in-the-loop orchestrator that executes a scaffolded implementation plan (plan/README.md manifest plus phase-N.md files) one phase at a time, delegating all coding to specialist subagents rather than writing code itself. It skips already-completed phases, resumes in_progress ones, runs a drift/constitution check via the sibling validate skill at each phase boundary, and pauses for user confirmation between phases. Triggers on requests to implement a multi-phase feature plan with review gates; it is user-invocable:false and normally dispatched by the repo's implement router skill.

How to install Implement Incremental

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rsmdt/the-startup.git /tmp/implement-incremental-src
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -R /tmp/implement-incremental-src/plugins/start/skills/implement-incremental ~/.claude/skills/implement-incremental
# This skill is ONE stage of the "start" plugin pipeline. Standalone it is limited:
# its body calls sibling skills (validate, specify-meta) and expects a plan/ directory
# scaffolded by the specify-incremental skill. For full function install the whole plugin:
#   /plugin marketplace add rsmdt/the-startup   then   /plugin install start
# Note: SKILL.md sets user-invocable: false — it is meant to be dispatched by the
# `implement` router skill (which auto-detects tier), not invoked directly by the user.

Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ (per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.

Commands — how to trigger Implement Incremental

  • /implement-incremental Runs an implementation plan phase by phase, delegating each phase to specialist agents

It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:

  • Implement this feature plan phase by phase
  • Review each phase before moving to the next
  • Walk through this single-feature implementation plan

Frequently asked questions

Is the Implement Incremental skill free?
Yes. The skill itself is free from rsmdt/the-startup. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
Does Implement Incremental work with Claude Code?
We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 31, 2026. Verdict: Works with setup. Fetched SKILL.md and its three referenced files (reference/output-format.md, examples/output-example.md, reference/perspectives.md) — all HTTP 200; frontmatter parses with name+description; no security smells. Downloaded the repo's own eval-2-resume fixture (phase-1 completed, phase-2 in_progress with task T2.1 already checked, phase-3 pending) and ran the skill's Plan Discovery + resume logic against it, producing baseline.md vs skill.md. Concrete diff: the no-skill baseline re-implements T2.1 (the already-completed controller scaffold) and writes code in the orchestrator, while the skill-following artifact skips phase-1, resumes phase-2, does NOT re-delegate the completed T2.1, delegates only remaining tasks to a subagent, and flips both phase-2 frontmatter status and the README checkbox. Could not execute the actual subagent delegation or the validate/specify-meta sibling-skill calls — those need the full plugin ecosystem, hence setup.
What is the Implement Incremental SkillProof Score?
7.6/10 — installs cleanly 5/5, triggers reliably 4/5, output vs. baseline 6/10, docs & honesty 4/5.
How do I install Implement Incremental?
Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
Can I use Implement Incremental with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?
The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.