{"slug":"brainstorming-12","title":"brainstorming","summary":"Use when defining ambiguous or high-complexity new features, product behavior, UI/component design, architecture choices, contract changes, or when grilling/pressure-testing a plan or design. Routine small requests stay on the fast path.","platform":"Claude","tags":[],"authorName":"LLM Mart","authorSlug":"llm-mart","score":0,"source":"github","price":null,"verified":false,"createdAt":"2026-09-15T18:23:33.491689Z","repo":{"url":"https://github.com/GanyuanRan/Aegis","stars":1224,"forks":53,"license":"MIT","updatedAt":"2026-09-20T11:25:37Z"},"bodyHtml":"<hr>\n<h2>name: brainstorming\ndescription: \"Use when defining ambiguous or high-complexity new features, product behavior, UI/component design, architecture choices, contract changes, or when grilling/pressure-testing a plan or design. Routine small requests stay on the fast path.\"</h2>\n\n<h1>Execute</h1>\n<p>→ Direct grilling or plan/design pressure-test? → Enter <code>Grilling Mode</code> below. Soft challenge intent? → Use its one-line mode confirmation. Do not start normal design artifacts, document writing, task planning, or implementation during the interview.\n→ New feature, product behavior, UI/component design, architecture/contract change, or ambiguous medium/high-complexity work? → <strong>Design first. No implementation until the needed design/spec is approved.</strong></p>\n<ol>\n<li>Explore project context → read authority docs, check for existing patterns</li>\n<li>Ask clarifying questions one at a time (prefer multiple choice)</li>\n<li>Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs and your recommendation</li>\n<li>Present design sections → get user approval after each</li>\n<li>Write spec → self-review → user review → transition to writing-plans\n→ HARD GATE: For tasks that match this skill, do NOT write code, scaffold projects, or invoke implementation skills until design/spec approval is satisfied.</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>Route Fixtures</h2>\n<p>These rows are calibration expectations for method behavior, not a runtime\nregex router. The Agent selects the route from evidence; route selection is\nnot a user question.</p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Scenario</th>\n<th>Route</th>\n</tr>\n</thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>想法还没想清楚，先梳理功能设计</td>\n<td>normal brainstorming, compact output first</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>讨论公共 API 契约和兼容边界</td>\n<td>normal brainstorming, design sections before implementation</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>盘问/拷问/审问这个方案，不要顺着我</td>\n<td><code>Grilling Mode</code></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>修复登录按钮的空指针</td>\n<td><code>systematic-debugging</code></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>review 当前 PR / diff / 当前代码</td>\n<td><code>requesting-code-review</code></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>给我一个有目标的方案</td>\n<td><code>goal-framing</code> when goal intent is explicit; otherwise normal brainstorming</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>把按钮文案从保存改成提交</td>\n<td>fast-path; no design ceremony</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<h1>Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs</h1>\n<p>Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.</p>\n<p>Start by understanding the current project context and authority boundary, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the smallest design artifact that stabilizes the work and get the required approval.</p>\n\n<h2>Grilling Mode</h2>\n<h3>Mode Precedence</h3>\n<p>While Grilling Mode is active, it overrides the normal brainstorming execution\nflow. Suspend <code>Checklist</code>, <code>The Process</code>, the <code>Compact output contract</code>, and\nall documentation or design-transition requirements until the user exits the\ninterview; retain the no-implementation hard gates.</p>\n<h3>Grilling Entry Signals</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Direct:</strong> The user asks to grill or interrogate an idea, plan, or design, or explicitly requests a pressure-test. Direct phrases include <code>grill me</code>, <code>grill this plan</code>, <code>审问我</code>, <code>盘问我</code>, and <code>拷问我</code>. Enter the mode immediately.</li>\n<li><strong>Soft:</strong> The user asks to challenge assumptions, find holes, red-team, or \"别顺着我\" about a draft idea, plan, or design. Ask only: <code>Grill or normal brainstorming?</code> Enter the mode only after confirmation.</li>\n<li><strong>Not grilling:</strong> A bare/literal phrase reference, or a PR, diff, or current-code review. Explain literal phrases normally; route implementation review to <code>requesting-code-review</code>.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Opening Card</h3>\n<p>After the user has entered the mode, emit this once in the user's language, then begin the interview:</p>\n<pre><code>◆ Grilling Session\nTarget: &lt;idea / plan / design&gt;\nQuestion path: value -&gt; boundaries -&gt; failure modes -&gt; acceptance\nPace: deep (default) | fast (user-requested)\n</code></pre>\n<h3>Pace</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Deep:</strong> Ask exactly one decision question per turn when it is blocking or depends on the previous answer. State the recommended answer and the most relevant trade-off before waiting.</li>\n<li><strong>Fast:</strong> Only when the user explicitly asks for a fast or batched interview (for example, <code>fast</code>, <code>batch</code>, <code>快问</code>, or <code>一次问几个</code>), ask at most three independent decision questions. Give each question its recommendation and trade-off, then wait for the user's responses. Return to deep pace for dependent follow-ups.</li>\n</ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Explore the codebase and current authority docs for facts before asking. Do not ask the user for facts that can be found locally.</li>\n<li>The user owns the decision. Do not treat a recommendation, a tentative answer, or a shared-understanding checkpoint as final approval.</li>\n<li>Aside from the one-time opening card, keep the turn to the observation, recommendation, and the selected pace's questions. Do not emit a full design ceremony, write docs, create a plan, or implement while the interview is active.</li>\n<li>End when the user says to stop, defer, or that the questions are sufficient. Reconfirm in a structured <code>Challenge Result</code>. That summary does not grant completion authority.</li>\n</ol>\n<pre><code>Challenge Result\n- Survived assumptions\n- Rejected assumptions\n- New evidence needed\n- Design changes required\n- Residual risks\n- Return state: interview | design | approaches | writing-plans\n</code></pre>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>If the user asks to proceed after the interview, return to the normal brainstorming design gate. A design/spec still needs the required approval before planning or implementation.</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>Route Away / Doc Necessity Gate</h2>\n<p>Do not force this workflow onto low-complexity work. A tiny\nwording edit, single-owner bug fix, simple config/status question, local\nutility change, or mechanical multi-file change can proceed through concise\nintent, baseline check, TDD/debugging, and verification without any new\ndocument. Run the Doc Necessity Gate before writing any spec, plan, ADR, or\nbaseline artifact:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Does an existing spec/plan/ADR/baseline already cover this change surface?\n-&gt; Update that owner document in place; never create a sibling document.</li>\n<li>Is the surface durable/irreversible (schema, public API, owner, dependency\ndirection, migration, compat-path retirement), cross-session/cross-person\nhandoff, approval-gated, or authority-required?\n-&gt; Yes: write the smallest artifact for that surface (see Documentation).\n-&gt; No: write no document; keep compact drafts in-session.</li>\n<li>Re-check at edit time and at closeout; escalate to the smallest stabilizing\nspec if uncertainty or impact grows.</li>\n</ol>\n<h3>Route Precedence</h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Route-away cases leave this workflow first (<code>systematic-debugging</code>,\n<code>requesting-code-review</code>, <code>goal-framing</code> when goal intent is explicit,\nfast-path micro-tasks).</li>\n<li><code>Grilling Mode</code> requires explicit challenge intent. Ordinary discussion,\nevaluation, or the need to clarify understanding is not grilling.</li>\n<li>Otherwise run the normal brainstorming flow and escalate depth on evidence:\ncontracts, owners, persistence, migration, security, consumer count, or\nblast radius. Escalate after evidence, not merely because the first\nrequest sounds ambitious.</li>\n<li>File count alone is not a design signal: a mechanical multi-file change\ncan still be fast-path, and a one-file contract change can still be full\ndesign.</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>Role And Authority Contract</h2>\n<h3>Agent-owned decisions</h3>\n<p>Resolve these directly without asking the user:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>repository investigation strategy and evidence gathering order</li>\n<li>file and function organization inside an accepted owner</li>\n<li>testing commands and proportional verification mechanics</li>\n<li>inline versus subagent execution when policy already allows it</li>\n<li>reversible implementation structure that does not change product behavior,\ncontract, authority, or durable boundaries</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>User-owned decisions</h3>\n<p>Ask the user only for:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>product behavior or preference</li>\n<li>irreversible, destructive, external, public, production, or sensitive impact</li>\n<li>explicit product/contract commitments only the user can make</li>\n<li>necessary information unavailable from repository, tools, and authority docs</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Every user question must pass this test:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If the user chooses another answer, which design boundary, behavior, owner,\nacceptance criterion, or risk decision changes?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If none changes, do not ask. When a question passes this test,\nattach a recommended option and the reason for it, so the user decides\nbetween framed choices instead of researching. This classification clarifies which decisions\nare user-owned; it does not remove the approval points this workflow already\ndefines.</p>\n<h2>Checklist</h2>\n<p>You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Explore project context</strong> — check files, docs, recent commits, authority\ndocs, and passively consume relevant active <code>CONTEXT.md</code> language without\nloading active modeling</li>\n<li><strong>Choose the path and scope</strong> — real design? diagnosis? route accordingly or decompose first</li>\n<li><strong>Ask clarifying questions</strong> — one at a time, understand purpose/constraints/success criteria</li>\n<li><strong>Draft working artifacts</strong> — <code>TaskIntentDraft</code>, <code>BaselineReadSetHint</code>, <code>BaselineUsageDraft</code>, <code>ImpactStatementDraft</code></li>\n<li><strong>Run existence check when adding new surfaces</strong> — only if an approach adds a new owner, skill, artifact, adapter, fallback, workflow step, or benchmark metric</li>\n<li><strong>Propose 2-3 approaches</strong> — with trade-offs and your recommendation</li>\n<li><strong>Present design</strong> — in sections scaled to complexity, get user approval where required</li>\n<li><strong>Write spec artifact</strong> — only after the Doc Necessity Gate passes and no existing owner spec/plan covers the surface; if covered, update that document instead of creating a sibling</li>\n<li><strong>Spec self-review</strong> — check for placeholders, contradictions, ambiguity, scope, boundary</li>\n<li><strong>User reviews written spec</strong> — ask user to review before proceeding</li>\n<li><strong>Transition to implementation</strong> — invoke writing-plans skill (terminal state)</li>\n</ol>\n<p><strong>The terminal state is invoking writing-plans.</strong> Do NOT invoke any other implementation skill.</p>\n<h2>The Process</h2>\n<p><strong>Understanding the idea:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)</li>\n<li>Read relevant authority docs before asking deep questions</li>\n<li>Use existing canonical terms in questions, options, scenarios, and the spec.\nIf terminology crystallizes or conflicts, compose\n<code>establishing-project-context</code>; do not leave the resolution only in the spec.</li>\n<li>If the request is diagnosis/root-cause/follow-up to an approved plan → route to correct workflow</li>\n<li>If the request spans multiple independent subsystems → flag and decompose first</li>\n<li>Ask clarifying questions one at a time, prefer multiple choice</li>\n<li>Separate facts, assumptions, unknowns while exploring</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Working artifacts:</strong> Keep four drafts: <code>TaskIntentDraft</code> (outcome, goal,\nsuccess evidence, stop condition, non-goals, scope, risks),\n<code>BaselineReadSetHint</code> (candidate docs, authority gaps),\n<code>BaselineUsageDraft</code> (required refs, optionally delivered context refs,\nacknowledged-before-plan refs, cited refs, missing refs, advisory decision),\nand <code>ImpactStatementDraft</code> (affected layers, owners, invariants, compat,\nnon-goals). Refresh when scope changes.</p>\n<p><strong>Compact output contract:</strong> <code>Aegis Visibility</code>, <code>TaskIntentDraft</code>, <code>BaselineReadSetHint</code>,\n<code>BaselineUsageDraft</code>, <code>Requirement Ready Check</code>, <code>ImpactStatementDraft</code>,\n<code>Existence Check</code>, <code>Product Risk Lens</code>, <code>Architecture Integrity Lens</code>,\n<code>Prior-Art &amp; Reuse Lens</code>, <code>Baseline Role Alignment</code>, <code>Plan-Time Complexity Check</code>, <code>Options</code>, and <code>Decision Needed</code>. Use this compact shape before expanding into a full design\nstructure.</p>\n<p><code>Aegis Visibility</code> for this workflow names why design/spec clarification comes\nbefore implementation and what drift, overbuild, wrong-owner, or missing\nacceptance risk that restraint reduces. Keep it natural and task-specific; do\nnot turn it into a fixed skill trace.</p>\n<p>Use a compact <code>BaselineUsageDraft</code> whenever the design direction depends on\nspecific baseline docs or current-authority refs:</p>\n<pre><code>BaselineUsageDraft:\n- Required baseline refs:\n- Delivered context refs:\n- Acknowledged before plan refs:\n- Cited in design refs:\n- Missing refs:\n- Decision: continue | needs-baseline-readback | needs-verification | pause-for-user | blocked\n</code></pre>\n<p><code>Delivered context refs</code> is optional host-projected bookkeeping only. It is not\nauthoritative proof that a host injected or the model internally consumed a\ncontext payload. The artifact exists to make baseline/context attention drift\nvisible before the design is recommended or approved.</p>\n<p>Use a compact <code>Requirement Ready Check</code> before recommending a design when the\nrequirement is not already confirmed and complete:</p>\n<pre><code>Requirement Ready Check:\n- Requirement source refs:\n- Goals and scope refs:\n- User / scenario refs:\n- Requirement item refs:\n- Acceptance / verification criteria refs:\n- Open blocker questions:\n- Decision: ready | needs-source | needs-goal-alignment | needs-scenario | needs-acceptance-criteria | needs-clarification | needs-user-decision | blocked\n</code></pre>\n<p>Treat task intent, conversation, source documents, and agent inference as\ncandidate requirement sources until project authority confirms them. If the\ndecision is not <code>ready</code>, keep the design at proposal/spec clarification level;\ndo not turn the gap into implementation tasks.</p>\n<p><strong>Existence Check:</strong> Before recommending an approach that adds a new owner,\nskill, artifact, host adapter, fallback, compatibility path, workflow step, or\nbenchmark metric, check whether it needs to exist. Use\n<code>docs/current/AEGIS_MINIMALITY_REFERENCE.md</code> as the reference. Do not force this\nonto ordinary feature design that reuses existing owners and artifacts.</p>\n<pre><code>Existence Check:\n- Proposed new surface:\n- Existing owner / reuse candidate:\n- Why existing surface is insufficient:\n- Creation proof:\n- Entropy / retirement impact:\n- Decision: reuse-existing | add-with-proof | defer | reject | needs-first-principles-review\n</code></pre>\n<p>If the decision is <code>reuse-existing</code>, recommend the reuse path instead of a new\nsurface. If the decision is <code>add-with-proof</code>, carry the proof, verification\nsignal, and any retirement trigger into the design/spec.</p>\n<p><strong>Product Risk Lens:</strong> For ambiguous product, feature, UI, workflow, or\narchitecture choices, add a compact review lens, not persona roleplay:</p>\n<pre><code>Product Risk Lens:\n- Value:\n- Non-goals:\n- Trade-offs:\n- Decision needed:\n</code></pre>\n<p>This is a review lens, not persona output. It does not override baseline evidence,\napproved requirements, or current authority docs; it only makes the product risk\nand decision point visible before implementation.</p>\n<p><strong>Plan-Time Complexity Check:</strong> Before choosing an implementation direction for\nmedium/high work, inspect the likely owner files and current shape. This is an\nadvisory design pressure check, not a gate and not completion authority. Do not\nforce it onto tiny low-risk edits.</p>\n<p>Use <code>using-aegis/references/complexity-governance.md</code> for the shared artifact\nclasses, pressure-signal interpretation, and over-budget handling.</p>\n<pre><code>Complexity Budget:\n- Artifact class:\n- Target files / artifacts:\n- Current pressure:\n- Projected post-change pressure:\n- Budget result: within-budget | at-risk | over-budget\n- Planned governance:\n\nPlan-Time Complexity Check:\n- Better file boundary:\n- Recommendation: edit-in-place | extract helper | add owner file | split task | defer refactor\n</code></pre>\n<p><strong>Exploring approaches:</strong> Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs and\nrecommendation. Make scope boundary explicit: what's in, what's deferred, what\nbelongs elsewhere.</p>\n<p>Before approach selection, use <code>Existence Check</code> for any proposed new surface.\nEscalate to <code>first-principles-review</code> and its <code>Decision Hygiene Review</code> when\nthe candidate direction still introduces a new owner, duplicate owner,\nfallback, adapter, compat-only carrier, delete-first question, unverified\nassumption, or \"long-term stable\" claim after the existence check. Do not make\neither check a universal design ceremony; return to this workflow once the\ndecision surface is clean.</p>\n<p>When the central decision is internal retirement vs compat retention vs\npersistent-state confirmation, compose <code>anti-entropy-governance</code>. It classifies\nthe deletion target, chooses <code>delete-first | compat-exception | confirmation-first</code>, and keeps destructive authority outside the design skill.</p>\n<p>Use the narrower <code>Architecture Integrity Lens</code> when the main risk is not broad\nstrategy but architecture coherence: unclear canonical owner, responsibility\noverlap, caller-side fallback, stale path carrying real logic, or a possible\nhigher-level owner / contract / source-of-truth simplification. The lens should\nanswer invariant, canonical owner / contract, responsibility overlap,\nhigher-level simplification, retirement / falsifier, and verdict before the\napproach is recommended.</p>\n<p><strong>Prior-Art &amp; Reuse Lens:</strong> When a candidate approach would introduce a new\nmechanism, protocol, artifact shape, or nontrivial interaction pattern, check\nproven external practice before inventing one. This lens is behavior-triggered:\nresearch precedents when the direction is novel for the project, plausible\napproaches remain after internal reuse checks, or the domain sits outside\ncurrent repository evidence. Do not run research ceremony for routine work that\nalready maps to well-known framework patterns, and do not let an unavailable\nweb/search tool stall approach selection.</p>\n<pre><code>Prior-Art &amp; Reuse Lens:\n- Searched precedents: &lt;bounded sources; index-first summary; cite anchor per claim&gt;\n- Adopt verbatim: &lt;proven pattern + source&gt;\n- Adapt with reason: &lt;tailored part -&gt; project constraint / non-negotiable it maps to&gt;\n- Reject with reason: &lt;project fact that makes the pattern inapplicable&gt;\n- Degraded: &lt;no web/search tooling -&gt; external basis unknown; internal-only evidence stated&gt;\n</code></pre>\n<p>Search results are evidence candidates, not prompt payload: summarize\nindex-first and cite anchors instead of pasting raw pages. An \"industry\nstandard\" claim without a citable anchor stays <code>unknown</code>. Every adapt/reject\ndecision binds to a named project constraint or fact, not taste. The lens feeds\nonly the approach recommendation; it stays advisory and grants no completion\nauthority.</p>\n<p><strong>Baseline Role Alignment:</strong> When a question may involve both \"what should be\nbuilt\" and \"where it should live\", keep requirement truth separate from\narchitecture truth:</p>\n<pre><code>Baseline Role Alignment:\n- Product / Requirement Baseline:\n- Architecture / Runtime Boundary Baseline:\n- Result: aligned | Design Defect | Implementation Drift | missing-authority | needs-clarification\n- scope: requirements | architecture | both\n- Next action:\n</code></pre>\n<p>Use <code>Design Defect</code> when the relevant requirement, design, or baseline is wrong.\nUse <code>Implementation Drift</code> when the work deviates from a correct unchanged\nbaseline. <code>Architecture Defect</code> and <code>Architecture Drift</code> remain compatibility\naliases for architecture-scoped <code>Design Defect</code> and architecture-scoped\n<code>Implementation Drift</code>. This is a review lens, not a runtime gate or completion\nauthority.</p>\n<p><strong>Presenting the design:</strong> Scale sections to complexity. Cover only the surfaces that matter: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing, compatibility boundary. Get approval for the design before implementation when behavior, contract, architecture, or user-facing flow is being decided.</p>\n<p><strong>ADR signals:</strong> When the design/spec touches durable architecture surfaces\n(owner, public contract, artifact shape, dependency direction,\nsource-of-truth, host compatibility, runtime-ready boundary, fallback,\nadapter, or retirement schedule), mark the ADR signal, source refs, real\nalternatives, and expected baseline-sync question for later completion. Do not\ncreate accepted architecture memory from unexecuted ideas.</p>\n<p><strong>Design for isolation:</strong> Each unit = one clear purpose, well-defined interface, testable independently. Can someone understand it without reading internals? Can you change internals without breaking consumers?</p>\n<p><strong>Existing codebases:</strong> Follow existing patterns. Include targeted improvements only when they serve the current goal. If the design touches contracts, compat, fallbacks, or duplicated owners → call it out directly.</p>\n<h2>Design Probe</h2>\n<p>A probe is allowed only when it can change the design direction and existing\nrepository evidence is insufficient:</p>\n<pre><code>Design Probe\n- Question\n- Expected decision impact\n- Target and effect boundary\n- Why existing evidence is insufficient\n- Stop condition\n- Evidence produced\n- Cleanup\n</code></pre>\n<p>Prefer read-only execution. A disposable probe must not create a maintained\nowner, public contract, compatibility promise, or hidden persistence path. It\nis design evidence, not delivered implementation.</p>\n<h2>Software Scenario Profiles</h2>\n<p>Apply only the relevant profile instead of loading every lens for every task:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><code>greenfield-feature</code>: value, smallest deliverable behavior, minimum owner,\nacceptance, explicit future non-goals;</li>\n<li><code>existing-system-change</code>: current state, target state, the delta between\nthem, preserved invariants, callers, migration, and retirement;</li>\n<li><code>refactor</code>: preserved observable behavior, owner/coupling defect, dependency\ndirection, old-path retirement, behavior-preservation evidence;</li>\n<li><code>public-contract</code>: consumers, versioning, precedence, errors, compatibility,\nmigration, negative cases;</li>\n<li><code>persistence-migration</code>: data owner, schema evolution, partial migration,\ncrash recovery, backup/rollback, read/write cutover;</li>\n<li><code>ui-workflow</code>: user journey and loading/empty/error/partial/success/cancel/\nretry states, accessibility, irreversible actions, recovery;</li>\n<li><code>security-permission</code>: trust boundary, attacker capability, authority owner,\nsensitive data, downgrade/revocation, safe failure, auditability;</li>\n<li><code>operational-release</code>: deployment boundary, observability, partial rollout,\nrollback, compatibility window, operator recovery.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Design Ready And Design Complete</h2>\n<p>Approach selection is ready when:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>the desired outcome and primary scenario are known;</li>\n<li>scope and non-goals are explicit;</li>\n<li>current behavior and the target delta are grounded;</li>\n<li>key invariants and the likely canonical owner are identified;</li>\n<li>at least one observable acceptance criterion exists;</li>\n<li>no open unknown can still change the approach category.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Not every unknown must be eliminated; only decision-changing unknowns block\nconvergence.</p>\n<p>The design can hand off when all applicable conditions hold:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>the selected approach and canonical owner are explicit;</li>\n<li>fixed behavior/contract and implementation-owned choices are separated;</li>\n<li>alternatives were materially compared or excluded by evidence;</li>\n<li>critical assumptions have evidence or explicit acceptance;</li>\n<li>failure/recovery and consumer impact are covered where applicable;</li>\n<li>acceptance criteria are observable and usable by verification;</li>\n<li>new owners, fallbacks, adapters, compatibility, or persistence have creation\nproof and retirement/rollback treatment;</li>\n<li>every user-owned decision has real user approval.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Design Complete is method readiness, not completion authority. Transition to\nwriting-plans only after these conditions hold; do not carry unresolved\ndecision-changing unknowns into the plan.</p>\n<h2>After the Design</h2>\n<p><strong>Documentation:</strong></p>\n<ol>\n<li><p><strong>Aegis Project Workspace initialization (first creation only):</strong>\nIf <code>docs/aegis/</code> does not exist and configured Aegis workspace support is\navailable, initialize the target project:\n<code>python &lt;aegis-workspace-helper&gt; init --root &lt;target-project-root&gt;</code>.\nIf installed Aegis workspace support is unavailable, create it manually:</p>\n<ol type=\"a\">\n<li>Create <code>docs/aegis/README.md</code> — describes workspace purpose and structure</li>\n<li>Create <code>docs/aegis/INDEX.md</code> — empty index, will be appended below</li>\n<li>Create <code>docs/aegis/BASELINE-GOVERNANCE.md</code> from the template in\n\"BASELINE-GOVERNANCE.md Template\" section below</li>\n<li>If the project has existing code, create an initial baseline snapshot:\n<code>docs/aegis/baseline/YYYY-MM-DD-initial-baseline.md</code> using the\n\"Initial Baseline Snapshot Template\" below\nIf <code>docs/aegis/</code> already exists, use it — do not recreate.</li>\n</ol>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>Write the validated spec artifact when needed:</strong>\nUse the smallest artifact that stabilizes the task:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Spec Brief: <code>docs/aegis/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-&lt;topic&gt;-brief.md</code> for medium\ntasks that need what/why/acceptance pinned before planning.</li>\n<li>Design Spec: <code>docs/aegis/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-&lt;topic&gt;-design.md</code> for high\ncomplexity, architecture, contract, migration, cross-module, or ambiguous\nbehavior requiring user review.\nSpecs always go to <code>specs/</code> — never to <code>work/</code>. <code>docs/aegis/work/</code>\nholds session-level drafts, not project documents; only promote a draft to\n<code>specs/</code> or <code>plans/</code> when the Doc Necessity Gate passes.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>Update INDEX.md:</strong>\nPrefer configured Aegis workspace support: <code>python &lt;aegis-workspace-helper&gt; append-index --root &lt;target-project-root&gt; --path docs/aegis/specs/&lt;filename&gt;.md --kind spec --title \"&lt;title&gt;\"</code>. If workspace support is unavailable, append the new spec entry\nto <code>docs/aegis/INDEX.md</code> manually.\nAfter the append, run <code>python &lt;aegis-workspace-helper&gt; check --root &lt;target-project-root&gt;</code> when configured workspace support is available. This validates\nstructure and index coverage only; it does not grant completion authority.\nINDEX bookkeeping: creating a document registers it; updating an existing\ndocument does not change the index; superseding or deleting a document\nupdates the index.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Commit the design document to git.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Include the latest <code>TaskIntentDraft</code>, <code>BaselineReadSetHint</code>,\n<code>BaselineUsageDraft</code>, and <code>ImpactStatementDraft</code> inline or in an appendix\nwhen they materially shaped the design.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Record explicit non-goals and compatibility boundaries so the later implementation plan does not drift.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Cross-repo changes: decide per change surface per repo; a durable\ncross-repo contract is recorded as an ADR in the owning repo, with the other\nside carrying only its local impact (mirror relationship, no duplication).</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p><strong>Spec Self-Review:</strong>\nAfter writing the spec document, look at it with fresh eyes:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Placeholder scan:</strong> Any \"TBD\", \"TODO\", incomplete sections, or vague requirements? Fix them.</li>\n<li><strong>Internal consistency:</strong> Do any sections contradict each other? Does the architecture match the feature descriptions?</li>\n<li><strong>Scope check:</strong> Is this focused enough for a single implementation plan, or does it need decomposition?</li>\n<li><strong>Ambiguity check:</strong> Could any requirement be interpreted two different ways? If so, pick one and make it explicit.</li>\n<li><strong>Boundary check:</strong> Did you clearly mark invariants, compatibility\nboundaries, owners, non-goals, and any ADR signals for later completion\nbackfill? If the spec endorses a risky approach, confirm the\n<code>first-principles-review</code> <code>Decision Hygiene Review</code> or <code>Architecture Integrity Lens</code> result is reflected or explicitly marked unnecessary.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Fix any issues inline. No need to re-review — just fix and move on.</p>\n<p><strong>User Review Gate:</strong>\nAfter a Design Spec review loop passes, ask the user to review the written spec before proceeding:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\"Spec written and committed to <code>&lt;path&gt;</code>. Please review it and let me know if you want to make any changes before we start writing out the implementation plan.\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Wait for the user's response when this workflow requires review. If they request changes, make them and re-run the spec review loop. Only proceed once the user approves. For a small Spec Brief created only to pin medium-task acceptance, user review may be concise unless project rules require a formal approval step.</p>\n<p><strong>Implementation:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Invoke the writing-plans skill to create a detailed implementation plan</li>\n<li>Do NOT invoke any other skill. writing-plans is the next step.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Key Principles</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>One question at a time</strong> - Don't overwhelm with multiple questions</li>\n<li><strong>Multiple choice preferred</strong> - Easier to answer than open-ended when possible</li>\n<li><strong>YAGNI ruthlessly</strong> - Remove unnecessary features from all designs</li>\n<li><strong>Explore alternatives</strong> - Always propose 2-3 approaches before settling</li>\n<li><strong>Incremental validation</strong> - Present design, get approval before moving on</li>\n<li><strong>Be flexible</strong> - Go back and clarify when something doesn't make sense</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>BASELINE-GOVERNANCE.md Template</h2>\n<p>When creating <code>docs/aegis/BASELINE-GOVERNANCE.md</code> for the first time, use this template:</p>\n<pre><code># Baseline Governance\n\n## 1. Baseline Roles\n- Product / Requirement Baseline: confirmed requirement sources, target state,\n  goals and scope, users / scenarios, requirement items, acceptance /\n  verification criteria, non-goals, workflow constraints, open questions,\n  change records, and approved requirement/spec intent.\n- Architecture / Runtime Boundary Baseline: canonical owner, contract,\n  source-of-truth boundary, dependency direction, compatibility, runtime-ready\n  boundary, and retirement state.\n\n## 2. Design Defect\nA confirmed error, gap, contradiction, or wrong abstraction IN the relevant\nrequirement, design, or baseline.\n- Fix the defective requirement/design/baseline first.\n- Then align implementation to the corrected baseline.\n- Do NOT patch implementation around a defective baseline.\n\n## 3. Implementation Drift\nImplementation, plan, review, or documentation has deviated from a confirmed,\ncorrect, unchanged requirement or architecture baseline.\n- Return to baseline via the simplest stable path.\n- Do NOT \"update baseline to match drift\" without explicit review.\n\n## 4. Compatibility Aliases\n- Architecture Defect = architecture-scoped Design Defect.\n- Architecture Drift = architecture-scoped Implementation Drift.\n- New findings should report Design Defect / Implementation Drift plus\n  `scope: requirements | architecture | both`.\n\n## 5. Baseline Check Protocol\nBefore non-trivial changes:\n1. Read the latest Product / Requirement Baseline candidate.\n2. Read the latest Architecture / Runtime Boundary Baseline candidate.\n3. Compare current work against requirement acceptance and architecture owner /\n   contract boundaries.\n4. Check for new anti-patterns not recorded in known list.\n5. Report: aligned / Design Defect / Implementation Drift /\n   missing-authority / needs-clarification, with\n   `scope: requirements | architecture | both`.\n\n## 6. Architecture Review — 7 Dimensions\nAfter each non-trivial change:\n1. **Ownership integrity** — every component has exactly one canonical owner\n2. **Module boundaries** — no unauthorized cross-module coupling\n3. **Contract changes** — all API/signature/behavior contract changes documented\n4. **Cascade proliferation** — no new cascading dependency chains\n5. **Dependency direction** — dependencies flow toward stability\n6. **Retirement completeness** — old owners/fallbacks/paths removed or scheduled\n7. **Entropy flow** — net complexity decreased or stayed; no unjustified new entities\n\n## 7. Hard Boundaries\n- BASELINE-GOVERNANCE.md is the constitution for THIS project's Aegis workspace\n- Baseline snapshots in `baseline/` are evidence, not authority\n- ADRs in `adr/` record decisions; they do not replace baseline governance\n- This file is NEVER auto-updated — changes require explicit user review\n</code></pre>\n<h2>Initial Baseline Snapshot Template</h2>\n<p>When creating the first <code>docs/aegis/baseline/YYYY-MM-DD-initial-baseline.md</code>:</p>\n<p>Bootstrap the project's dual baselines instead of writing a flat repo inventory.\nThe first baseline should make later <code>Baseline Role Alignment</code> checks possible\neven when the repo is still early or partially defined.</p>\n<p>Minimum shape:</p>\n<pre><code># &lt;Project&gt; Initial Baseline\n\nDate: `YYYY-MM-DD`\nStatus: `initial dual-baseline snapshot`\n\n## 1. Purpose\n- why this baseline exists\n- what later alignment checks should use it for\n\n## 2. Workspace Structure\n- top-level directories, entry points, substrate roots, or seams worth tracking\n\n## 3. Current Authority Surfaces\n- README / AGENTS / ADR / spec / baseline / external reference roots\n- current authority gaps or missing documents\n\n## 4. Product / Requirement Baseline\n### 4.1 Current Truth\n- confirmed requirement sources or current authority gaps\n- target state, goals, and scope\n- target users, roles, usage scenarios, or system scenarios\n- functional, quality, constraint, and delivery / transition requirement items\n- acceptance / verification criteria and evidence expectations\n- success evidence, value claim, or phase focus already fixed\n\n### 4.2 Non-negotiables\n1. ...\n\n### 4.3 Product Non-goals\n- ...\n\n## 5. Architecture / Runtime Boundary Baseline\n### 5.1 Current Truth\n- canonical owner or substrate split\n- contract / source-of-truth boundary\n- dependency direction or owner layering already fixed\n\n### 5.2 Architecture Non-negotiables\n1. ...\n\n### 5.3 Architecture Non-goals\n- ...\n\n## 6. Ownership / Contract Snapshot\n- important surface -&gt; current owner\n- contract seams, missing seam inventory, or boundary gaps\n\n## 7. Current State and Risks\n- current stage\n- known risks, unknowns, or missing evidence\n\n## 8. Alignment Use\n- when to read the Product / Requirement Baseline\n- when to read the Architecture / Runtime Boundary Baseline\n- when to report `scope: both`\n\n## 9. Compatibility Boundary\n- what must NOT break during early work\n</code></pre>\n<p>Do not collapse the first bootstrap baseline into a generic 10-field checklist.\nIf the project is sparse, keep sections short and mark authority gaps explicitly\ninstead of guessing.</p>\n","files":[{"path":"expanded-design-guidance.md","sizeBytes":9630,"isText":true},{"path":"SKILL.md","sizeBytes":24552,"isText":true},{"path":"spec-document-reviewer-prompt.md","sizeBytes":1742,"isText":true}],"reviewScore":null,"reviewSummary":null,"trust":{"provenance":"trusted-source-unreviewed","notice":"Community-authored content, reproduced verbatim and not vetted as instructions. 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