Interview-first discovery routine — run an interactive spec interview BEFORE building anything non-trivial. Use when you type /discovery, or at the start of any larger task (new site/app/feature/ dashboard/report/tool, a multi-step build, or a vague "make it better" ask). Turns a fuzzy ask into a confirmed spec + plan before code. Skip for one-line lookups, trivial fixes, or when you already answered this turn.
Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: discovery
description: >
Interview-first discovery routine — run an interactive spec interview BEFORE building anything
non-trivial. Use when you type /discovery, or at the start of any larger task (new site/app/feature/
dashboard/report/tool, a multi-step build, or a vague "make it better" ask). Turns a fuzzy ask into a confirmed spec + plan
before code. Skip for one-line lookups, trivial fixes, or when you already answered this turn.
---
# /discovery — interview-first spec, then plan
the standing rule (CLAUDE.md + working-with-claude): get a full download before building. This
operationalizes it. Adapted from Anthropic's "interview-first spec" guidance.
## Steps
1. **Read the room first.** Skim the relevant code/memory (spawn an Explore subagent if scope is
uncertain) so questions are informed, not generic. Recall: `/second-brain pull <terms>` if stuck.
2. **Interview with `AskUserQuestion`** — 2–4 questions, `multiSelect: true` where apt. Cover the five
axes, and **recommend a default in each** (first option, "(Recommended)") so it's a confirmation,
not a blank:
- **Scope** — what's in / explicitly out.
- **Target environment** — repo, stack, deploy target, live vs sandbox (esp. money systems).
- **Output shape** — files, UI, report, API; format + where it lands.
- **Tradeoffs** — speed vs thoroughness, cost ceiling (OpenRouter cap), token budget.
- **Done-criteria** — how you will know it's finished + how to verify.
Surface the ambiguities you might not have spelled out — that's the value.
3. **Restate the spec** in 2–3 lines from the answers; note assumptions taken.
4. **`TaskCreate` a plan** (for 3+ step work) and execute step-by-step, marking tasks inline.
5. **Hand the work a verification check** (test/build/live URL) so it self-checks, not guesses "done".
## Notes
- If it's genuinely small, say so and just do it — don't ceremony a one-liner.
- For large multi-phase builds, escalate to `gtan-workflow`; for the pure UI pipeline, `/design-build`.
- Reach for this yourself at the start of any larger task; nothing forces it on you.
