Genesis Brainstorm

---
name: "Brainstorm"
description: Interactive ideation and decision capture at any pipeline boundary. Opinionated dialogue that surfaces contradictions, gaps, and untested assumptions — not template-filling. Feeds the Furnace.
argument-hint: "[feature-name] [--boundary <phase>] [--tier patch|feature|epic] [--hypothesis \"<claim>\"]"
---

# Brainstorm — Ideation & Decision Capture

An opinionated interactive dialogue, run at any pipeline boundary, for structured **ideation and decision capture** — not template-filling. It surfaces contradictions, dependencies, cost concerns, and untested assumptions through conversation.

## Process

1. **Deep context load** (before saying anything substantive): `project-state.md`, the constitution, design docs, any existing `spec.md`, the prior `brainstorm-log.md`, and `approvals/master.json` to fix the pipeline position.
2. **Open with 3–5 sharp, categorized observations**, each tagged:
   - **Contradiction** — conflicts with an existing decision
   - **Missing Piece** — a gap in current thinking
   - **Cost Concern** — more expensive than it looks
   - **Untested Assumption** — taken for granted without evidence
   - **Cross-Feature Dependency** — touches another feature
   `--boundary <phase>` scopes the observations to the upcoming phase (e.g. `--boundary micro`).
3. **Dialogue** — challenge assumptions, propose alternatives, reference the constitution and prior decisions, flag scope creep against the spec tier. No monologues, no reflexive agreement.
4. **Convergence detection** — explicit ("capture this", "lock it in") or prompted once the exchange shifts from exploring to refining.
5. **Capture the session record** (only after explicit confirmation): create the feature branch and directory if needed, append a session block to `brainstorm-log.md`, commit (`brainstorm: {feature}`), update `project-state.md`.

### Brainstorm log block

```markdown
# Brainstorm Session: {date} — {boundary or topic}

## Observations
1. **{Category}:** {observation}

## Decisions
### {Topic}
- {Decision point}: {what was decided}    # numbered D-NNN

## Brainstorm Capture
{Insights that emerged — cross-spec observations, design improvements,
things that affect other features or future specs.}
- {Insight}

## Scope Tier
{patch|feature|epic} — {reasoning}
```

`--tier {patch|feature|epic}` sets proportional ceremony and persists to `/genesis-accept`.

## Hypothesis Mode (`--hypothesis "<falsifiable claim>"`)

Inverts brainstorm from divergent to convergent for technical research questions, using a Falsificationist cycle:
- **Abduction** — generate 3–5 competing, falsifiable hypotheses.
- **Deduction** — derive 2–3 checkable predictions per hypothesis.
- **Induction** — test predictions against evidence (codebase, docs, benchmarks, web research).

Each hypothesis ends *survived* / *weakened* / *falsified*; a Proof Report with the falsification record is appended to the log.

## The Furnace

The **furnace** (`.genesis/furnace.json`) is the backlog of ideas and recurring findings worth keeping but not actioned now. Entries are `F-NNN`. Brainstorm and the audits feed it; later brainstorms read it.

**In scope for the furnace:** ideas too big for the current spec but too good to lose · recurring findings that suggest a structural fix (3+ occurrences → higher conviction) · research discoveries that open new possibilities · process improvements.

**Not in scope:** bug fixes (those are zero-tolerance findings, fixed now) · increments already in scope · vague observations without actionable shape.

```json
{
  "id": "F-017",
  "title": "Extract shared validation into a reusable module",
  "description": "Three specs reimplemented the same input check — a shared validator would remove the duplication.",
  "conviction": 75,
  "source": "auth-feature/audit-a3",
  "status": "seed",
  "tags": ["refactor", "validation"],
  "target_spec": null,
  "created": "2026-06-10",
  "updated": "2026-06-18"
}
```

- **In:** a matching existing entry is updated (bump conviction / status); a genuinely new idea is appended as `F-NNN` with `status: seed`, `source: "{feature}/{phase}"`, today's date.
- **Out:** when picked up, set `target_spec` to the spec that will implement it; once landed and accepted, flip `status` to `fixed`. A living triage queue, not a write-only graveyard.

## Natural language triggers

```
- "brainstorm"
- "let's think about X"
- "ideate on this feature"
- "challenge my assumptions"
```