The plan lifecycle is the sequence of states a plan passes through: draft, proposed, accepted, active, completed. It is an evidence chain, not an authority chain — each transition requires evidence, not permission.
- Draft → Proposed (agent gate): the plan has clear steps, measurable acceptance criteria, and an identified closure condition.
- Proposed → Accepted (emsenn gate): the goal is worth pursuing and the approach is reasonable.
- Accepted → Active (agent gate): dependencies are met, the agent has context and tools.
- Active → Completed (evidence gate): acceptance criteria are met with evidence, outcome is assessed.
The lifecycle format is specified in index.md.