A roadmap is Magistr’s saved plan for a project: what to deliver, why it matters, and what must happen first. Use a connected agent to create or revise it. Planning does not need to start implementation.
Create a useful plan
In your agent conversation, describe the intended users, the result you want, and constraints such as platform, budget, or delivery expectations. For an existing project, ask the agent to inspect the code and saved work first.
Review the existing project and propose a roadmap for the requested result. Save clear deliverables and acceptance criteria in Magistr. Explain the dependencies before starting implementation.
A chunk is one deliverable with a finish you can verify. Its record can hold a description, acceptance criteria, priority, dependencies, notes, and a checklist. Avoid chunks defined only by activity, such as “work on the backend.”
For example, in an application that imports contacts, a chunk could be “Import a CSV file and report invalid rows.” Its criteria might cover a valid file, a missing required column, and a row with an invalid email. The example assumes the application already has a contact model.
Set dependencies and priorities
A dependency means another chunk must finish first. Priority expresses which eligible work matters most. Keep these separate.
If a report needs imported data, the import is a prerequisite. Changing the report’s priority cannot make missing data available. Ask the agent to check for blocked or circular dependencies before selecting work.
Use workstreams for larger areas, such as importing, reporting, and account access. Some terminal options call a workstream a track. A workstream groups deliverables; it is not a task list for a single implementation.
Read the saved plan
Ask the connected agent to summarize the roadmap, explain what is ready, and show the requirements for a selected chunk. From a terminal in the project root:
magistr roadmap status
magistr roadmap nextThe status command reports progress; the next command reports the next ready chunk without starting implementation. Confirm that the saved requirements match your intent before asking the agent to build.
If no chunk is ready, inspect unfinished prerequisites and scope filters. Do not remove a real dependency just to make a chunk startable.
Revise the plan
Use $roadmap-refresh in Codex or /roadmap-refresh in Claude Code to
research a topic and update the roadmap without implementing features.
Name the area to revisit and what has changed.
Keep completed work as history. Mark work obsolete when it is no longer intended. Record why priorities, criteria, or dependencies changed so a later session can understand the current plan.
Feedback can remain a signal while it is being investigated. Promote it into a chunk when the evidence supports a concrete deliverable.
Begin implementation
Use $next or /next when you want one ready chunk implemented. The
roadmap skill also implements one chunk; its name does not mean
“planning only.” Working in chunks covers execution and bounded
runs.
Magistr’s saved roadmap is authoritative. A generated Markdown view, when a
project permits one, is only a view. Projects with roadmap_exports: false
must keep the roadmap in Magistr and should not generate export files.