diff --git a/src/agents/prompts/templates/planning.eta b/src/agents/prompts/templates/planning.eta
index 40cfcf73..fceb224a 100644
--- a/src/agents/prompts/templates/planning.eta
+++ b/src/agents/prompts/templates/planning.eta
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ Update the <%= it.workItemNoun || 'card' %> description with **emoji section hea
 
 **IMPORTANT:**
 - After updating the <%= it.workItemNoun || 'card' %>, ALWAYS call `AddChecklist` to create an interactive "📋 Implementation Steps" checklist with each step as an item.
+- When calling `AddChecklist`, use only the task name as each item — do NOT include "Step N:" prefixes. For example, use "Add helper function" instead of "Step 1: Add helper function". The checklist order already implies sequence.
 <% if (it.pmType === 'jira') { %>- When calling `AddChecklist`, pass items as objects with `name` and `description`. The description should include the files to modify, specific changes, and testing notes from the corresponding Implementation Step section. This becomes the JIRA subtask description.
 <% } %>- When referencing other <%= it.workItemNounPlural || 'cards' %> (related stories, dependencies), ALWAYS use markdown links: `[<%= it.workItemNounCap || 'Card' %> Title](URL)`
 
@@ -141,6 +142,7 @@ Review the updated description and move to TODO when ready to implement!
 - ALWAYS explore the codebase before creating the plan
 - ALWAYS use `UpdateWorkItem` to save your plan - DON'T JUST OUTPUT TEXT
 - ALWAYS call `AddChecklist` after updating the <%= it.workItemNoun || 'card' %> to create interactive checklists
+- NEVER include "Step N:" prefixes in `AddChecklist` items — use clean task names like "Add helper function", not "Step 1: Add helper function"
 - ALWAYS use emoji section headers (🎯, 📋, 🧪, ⚠️, 🔗) and **bold key terms** in descriptions
 - ALWAYS include a 🎯 TLDR section at the top of the <%= it.workItemNoun || 'card' %> description
 - ALWAYS use markdown link syntax `[title](url)` when referencing other <%= it.workItemNounPlural || 'cards' %>
diff --git a/src/agents/prompts/templates/respond-to-planning-comment.eta b/src/agents/prompts/templates/respond-to-planning-comment.eta
index 1ab7178b..ddd9f1cb 100644
--- a/src/agents/prompts/templates/respond-to-planning-comment.eta
+++ b/src/agents/prompts/templates/respond-to-planning-comment.eta
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ When modifying the plan, **update the existing checklists in place** — do NOT
 - **Renaming/rewriting steps**: Use `UpdateChecklistItem` to change the text of existing checklist items.
 - **Removing steps**: Use `DeleteChecklistItem` to permanently remove checklist items / subtasks that are no longer needed. Do NOT mark removed items as "complete" — they were never done, so deleting is the correct action.
 - **Reordering**: Delete and re-add items as needed to achieve the desired order.
+- **Checklist item names**: Use clean task names without "Step N:" prefixes — for example "Add helper function", NOT "Step 1: Add helper function". The checklist order already implies sequence.
 
 When the user asks to narrow scope, focus on a subset, or drop items from the plan, **always delete** the out-of-scope items rather than leaving them in the checklist.
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/agents/prompts.test.ts b/tests/unit/agents/prompts.test.ts
index 319bd754..668666b2 100644
--- a/tests/unit/agents/prompts.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/agents/prompts.test.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,18 @@ describe('system prompts content', () => {
 		expect(prompt).toContain('Category B (Plan Update)');
 		expect(prompt).toContain('Category C (Both)');
 	});
+
+	it('planning prompt instructs AddChecklist items to not use Step N prefixes', () => {
+		const prompt = getSystemPrompt('planning');
+		expect(prompt).toContain('do NOT include "Step N:" prefixes');
+		expect(prompt).toContain('Add helper function');
+	});
+
+	it('respond-to-planning-comment prompt instructs checklist items to not use Step N prefixes', () => {
+		const prompt = getSystemPrompt('respond-to-planning-comment');
+		expect(prompt).toContain('Step N:');
+		expect(prompt).toContain('clean task names without');
+	});
 });
 
 describe('resolveIncludes', () => {