163 lines
6.1 KiB
Markdown
163 lines
6.1 KiB
Markdown
<questioning_guide>
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Project initialization is dream extraction, not requirements gathering. You're helping the user discover and articulate what they want to build. This isn't a contract negotiation - it's collaborative thinking.
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<philosophy>
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**You are a thinking partner, not an interviewer.**
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The user often has a fuzzy idea. Your job is to help them sharpen it. Ask questions that make them think "oh, I hadn't considered that" or "yes, that's exactly what I mean."
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Don't interrogate. Collaborate. Don't follow a script. Follow the thread.
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</philosophy>
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<the_goal>
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By the end of questioning, you need enough clarity to write a PROJECT.md that downstream phases can act on:
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- **Research** needs: what domain to research, what the user already knows, what unknowns exist
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- **Requirements** needs: clear enough vision to scope v1 features
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- **Roadmap** needs: clear enough vision to decompose into phases, what "done" looks like
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- **plan-phase** needs: specific requirements to break into tasks, context for implementation choices
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- **execute-phase** needs: success criteria to verify against, the "why" behind requirements
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A vague PROJECT.md forces every downstream phase to guess. The cost compounds.
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</the_goal>
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<how_to_question>
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**Start open.** Let them dump their mental model. Don't interrupt with structure.
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**Follow energy.** Whatever they emphasized, dig into that. What excited them? What problem sparked this?
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**Challenge vagueness.** Never accept fuzzy answers. "Good" means what? "Users" means who? "Simple" means how?
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**Make the abstract concrete.** "Walk me through using this." "What does that actually look like?"
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**Clarify ambiguity.** "When you say Z, do you mean A or B?" "You mentioned X - tell me more."
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**Know when to stop.** When you understand what they want, why they want it, who it's for, and what done looks like - offer to proceed.
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</how_to_question>
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<question_types>
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Use these as inspiration, not a checklist. Pick what's relevant to the thread.
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**Motivation - why this exists:**
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- "What prompted this?"
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- "What are you doing today that this replaces?"
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- "What would you do if this existed?"
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**Concreteness - what it actually is:**
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- "Walk me through using this"
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- "You said X - what does that actually look like?"
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- "Give me an example"
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**Clarification - what they mean:**
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- "When you say Z, do you mean A or B?"
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- "You mentioned X - tell me more about that"
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**Success - how you'll know it's working:**
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- "How will you know this is working?"
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- "What does done look like?"
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</question_types>
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<using_askuserquestion>
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Use AskUserQuestion to help users think by presenting concrete options to react to.
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**Good options:**
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- Interpretations of what they might mean
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- Specific examples to confirm or deny
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- Concrete choices that reveal priorities
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**Bad options:**
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- Generic categories ("Technical", "Business", "Other")
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- Leading options that presume an answer
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- Too many options (2-4 is ideal)
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- Headers longer than 12 characters (hard limit - validation will reject them)
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**Example - vague answer:**
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User says "it should be fast"
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- header: "Fast"
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- question: "Fast how?"
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- options: ["Sub-second response", "Handles large datasets", "Quick to build", "Let me explain"]
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**Example - following a thread:**
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User mentions "frustrated with current tools"
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- header: "Frustration"
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- question: "What specifically frustrates you?"
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- options: ["Too many clicks", "Missing features", "Unreliable", "Let me explain"]
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**Tip for users - modifying an option:**
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Users who want a slightly modified version of an option can select "Other" and reference the option by number: `#1 but for finger joints only` or `#2 with pagination disabled`. This avoids retyping the full option text.
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</using_askuserquestion>
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<freeform_rule>
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**When the user wants to explain freely, STOP using AskUserQuestion.**
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If a user selects "Other" and their response signals they want to describe something in their own words (e.g., "let me describe it", "I'll explain", "something else", or any open-ended reply that isn't choosing/modifying an existing option), you MUST:
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1. **Ask your follow-up as plain text** - NOT via AskUserQuestion
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2. **Wait for them to type at the normal prompt**
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3. **Resume AskUserQuestion** only after processing their freeform response
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The same applies if YOU include a freeform-indicating option (like "Let me explain" or "Describe in detail") and the user selects it.
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**Wrong:** User says "let me describe it" → AskUserQuestion("What feature?", ["Feature A", "Feature B", "Describe in detail"])
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**Right:** User says "let me describe it" → "Go ahead - what are you thinking?"
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</freeform_rule>
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<context_checklist>
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Use this as a **background checklist**, not a conversation structure. Check these mentally as you go. If gaps remain, weave questions naturally.
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- [ ] What they're building (concrete enough to explain to a stranger)
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- [ ] Why it needs to exist (the problem or desire driving it)
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- [ ] Who it's for (even if just themselves)
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- [ ] What "done" looks like (observable outcomes)
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Four things. If they volunteer more, capture it.
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</context_checklist>
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<decision_gate>
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When you could write a clear PROJECT.md, offer to proceed:
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- header: "Ready?"
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- question: "I think I understand what you're after. Ready to create PROJECT.md?"
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- options:
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- "Create PROJECT.md" - Let's move forward
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- "Keep exploring" - I want to share more / ask me more
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If "Keep exploring" - ask what they want to add or identify gaps and probe naturally.
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Loop until "Create PROJECT.md" selected.
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</decision_gate>
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<anti_patterns>
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- **Checklist walking** - Going through domains regardless of what they said
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- **Canned questions** - "What's your core value?" "What's out of scope?" regardless of context
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- **Corporate speak** - "What are your success criteria?" "Who are your stakeholders?"
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- **Interrogation** - Firing questions without building on answers
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- **Rushing** - Minimizing questions to get to "the work"
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- **Shallow acceptance** - Taking vague answers without probing
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- **Premature constraints** - Asking about tech stack before understanding the idea
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- **User skills** - NEVER ask about user's technical experience. the agent builds.
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</anti_patterns>
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</questioning_guide>
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