Interview Style Doc Building

---
name: interview-style-doc-building
description: "Build structured strategy documents by asking one question at a time and patching the file."
category: productivity
risk: critical
source: community
source_repo: davidondrej/skills
source_type: community
date_added: "2026-07-07"
author: davidondrej
tags: [documentation, interview, planning]
tools: [claude, codex]
license: "MIT"
license_source: "https://github.com/davidondrej/skills/blob/main/LICENSE"
---

# Interview-Style Doc Building

The user's preferred mode for creating durable strategic docs. AI does NOT propose content — AI asks one question, the user answers, AI patches the file, AI asks the next question. The file IS the conversation's output, updated incrementally.

## When to Use

- Building a new SSOT file (life priorities, life vision, principles, frameworks, ranked lists).
- Filling out a structured doc the user explicitly wants to author themselves.
- Quarterly/annual reviews where the user's words go into the file.

**NOT for:** day planning (use `day-plan`), task triage (`organize-tasks`), or anything where AI proposes content first.

## The Loop

1. **Create the file** with a skeleton (header, sections, "to be filled in" placeholders). Single `write_file` for the new file. After this, NEVER overwrite — only `patch`.
2. **Ask ONE question.** Concise. Specific. Single-faceted. Open-ended where possible.
3. **Wait for the answer.** Don't ask the next question yet.
4. **Patch the file** with the user's answer in the correct section.
5. **Re-ask** — next question, or follow-up if the answer was incomplete.
6. Repeat until the file is complete.

## Hard Rules

- **One question at a time.** Never dump multiple questions in a single message. The user has flagged this.
- **Patch, don't overwrite.** After the initial skeleton, use `patch` for every update. Never `write_file` to an existing doc.
- **Update the file BEFORE asking the next question.** Order: receive answer → patch file → ask next question. Not the reverse.
- **Lists from the user are UNORDERED SETS.** When the user lists items in response to "which X should we cover?" or "what are the Ys?", that is a SET, not a ranking. Never infer rank, priority, or sequence from the order they typed them. If you need ordering, ask explicitly: "Which of these is #1?"
- **Ask dynamics, not names.** When the user references a person, don't ask "who is X?" — ask about the role/dynamic.
- **No snark, no attitude, no filler.** Concise questions, concise acknowledgments.
- **No speculative additions.** Don't invent sections, edge cases, or "anything else?" prompts unless the user asks.

## Question Design

- **Domain-discovery, not confirmation.** "What wins against everything else?" — not "Is Business #1?"
- **Surface new reality.** Each question should pull out info AI doesn't already have.
- **Engine-move framing where applicable.** "What's the thing that, if true, makes the rest obvious?"
- **Concrete over abstract.** "What's #2 — the domain that wins against everything except #1?" beats "Tell me about your second priority."

## File Patching Pattern

After each answer:
1. Read the relevant section (if not already in context).
2. `patch` with `old_string` = placeholder or previous entry, `new_string` = updated content with the user's words preserved.
3. Confirm the diff. Move on.

For ranked lists, append one rank at a time:
```
1. **Business** — Q2 #1 goal: ...
2. **Health** — get below 81.0 kg, sleep 9h/day, ...
```
Each rank gets patched in as the user confirms it.

## Common Pitfalls

- **Assuming order from a set.** The user lists "A, B, C, D" → AI writes "1. A, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D" → the user flags it. ALWAYS confirm rank explicitly.
- **Asking too many questions at once.** Even bundling 2 violates the rule.
- **Overwriting the file** instead of patching specific sections — destroys prior content.
- **Adding AI-generated content** to fill out sections. Sections stay empty until the user provides the content.
- **Skipping the file update** between Q&A pairs — the doc falls out of sync.

## Pairing with Other Skills

- `day-plan` — different pattern (task triage), not interview-style.
- `organize-tasks` — Todoist-specific.
- `memory-management` — separate from this; persona/preferences go to memory.

## Limitations

- Adapted from `davidondrej/skills`; verify local paths, tools, credentials, and agent features before acting.
- For commands, remote access, scheduling, browser automation, or file-changing workflows, get explicit user approval and confirm the target environment first.