Common Mistakes

Most GSD frustrations trace back to a small set of repeatable mistakes. Here’s what goes wrong and how to avoid it.

#Mistake 1: Skipping the Discuss Phase

Running /gsd:plan-phase without first running /gsd:discuss-phase. The agent makes all architectural decisions without your input — it picks defaults and reasonable choices, but they’re not your choices.

#Mistake 2: Ignoring VERIFICATION.md Gaps

Running /gsd:verify-work and seeing gaps, then immediately starting Phase N+1 without closing them.

#Mistake 3: Letting Context Drift Past 70%

Running a long session without clearing context. The agent’s output gradually degrades — responses become shorter, less thorough, skip edge cases.

#Mistake 4: Editing Files the Agent Owns

Manually editing SUMMARY.md files, PLAN.md files mid-execution, or ROADMAP.md requirement status without running the appropriate GSD command.

#Mistake 5: Making Plans Too Large

Approving a phase plan with one plan containing 6+ tasks, or tasks whose action section spans three paragraphs.