goal-setter
Turn rough long-running work into a compact Codex /goal with a clear finish line.
goal-setter is a Codex skill for work that needs more than a one-off prompt. It turns a rough request into a short goal that fixes the result, the evidence for success, the boundaries, and the stop rules, while leaving implementation judgment to the runner.
It favors verification targets over rule-heavy procedures: the goal should say what must be proven, not prescribe every step.
Built for Codex. Works on Claude Code too.
When to Use It
Do not turn every request into a Goal. Use goal-setter when the work can keep going across several checks and the finish line must be judged by evidence.
| Work | Better format |
|---|---|
| One clear edit, explanation, or review | Normal prompt |
| Narrow work that may need a few tries | One sentence or short paragraph Goal |
| Migration, performance work, broad bug fixing, or evidence-backed research | Standard Goal |
| Long research or high-risk change | Goal plus the smallest needed plan, checklist, or evaluation file |
What It Does
- Reconstructs the intended result before drafting.
- Adds only clauses that change the result, evidence, boundary, risk, or stop decision.
- Interviews one material question at a time when the request is too ambiguous for an honest Goal and each answer determines the next question; bundles independent blockers.
- Keeps Goal intake focused, then writes concrete subagent execution rules when feedback loops, parallel exploration, context isolation, or independent verification can improve Done. Separate tasks remain user-directed.
Details live in docs/RUNTIME.md. Examples live in docs/EXAMPLES.md.
Install
Pick one install path:
| If you use | Install | Invoke with |
|---|---|---|
Codex App /plugins | Codex App Plugin | $goal-setter:goal-setter ... |
| Codex local skills | Codex Skill | $goal-setter ... |
| Claude Code | Claude Code marketplace | /goal-setter:goal-setter ... |
| Another agent with Skills CLI support | Skills CLI | the agent's skill invocation syntax |
Most Codex App users should install only the Codex App Plugin.
Codex App Plugin
In Codex, open /plugins, choose Add plugin marketplace, and enter:
Source: gotalab/goal-setter-skill
Git ref: main
Sparse paths: plugins/goal-setter
Then install Goal Setter from the Plugins screen.
Codex Skill
In Codex chat:
$skill-installer install https://github.com/gotalab/goal-setter-skill/tree/main/skills/goal-setter
Restart Codex, then invoke with $goal-setter.
Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add gotalab/goal-setter-skill
/plugin install goal-setter@goal-setter
Invoke with /goal-setter:goal-setter.
Skills CLI
npx skills add gotalab/goal-setter-skill
Usage
Draft a goal without activating it:
$goal-setter draft a goal for migrating our API client to v2
Shape and activate a goal:
$goal-setter set a goal: all checkout tests pass after the refactor
goal-setter sets the Goal through Codex's native Goal mechanism. When feedback
loops, parallel exploration, context isolation, or independent verification
could improve the Done decision, the Goal tells the running Codex task to spawn
subagents, wait for their evidence, and synthesize it. Goal intake itself stays
in the parent context unless understanding the request requires substantial
independent investigation. The Goal does not force a fixed sequence of roles or
stages; the parent chooses the next useful shape from current evidence and cost.
create_thread creates separate user-owned tasks, so it is used only when the
user explicitly requests separate tasks, threads, or worktrees.
Docs
Repository
skills/goal-setter/SKILL.md # the skill
skills/goal-setter/scripts/ # goal length validator
scripts/ # packaging and release checks
plugins/goal-setter/ # Codex plugin bundle
.claude-plugin/ # Claude Code plugin metadata