spec

Specification Interview

Initialization

1. Determine context from input:

   • If ${input:context} contains initial description or requirements, use it as the starting seed for the interview
   • If empty, begin with broad discovery questions to understand what the user wants to build

2. Start the interview:

   • Clearly inform the user: "Let's create a specification document together."
   • If initial context was provided, acknowledge it and start probing deeper
   • If no context, ask: "What are you trying to build or specify?"

Interview Process

Conduct an in-depth interview to develop a complete specification.

Guidelines:

• Ask non-obvious questions - avoid surface-level queries like "what should it do?"
• Focus areas: edge cases, user mental model, scaling, extensibility, success criteria, alternative approaches considered
• Use probing technique: start broad, then follow threads that reveal complexity
• Let questions emerge organically from previous answers
• Each question should deepen understanding, not just gather requirements
• Use #search and #fetch to research relevant patterns, libraries, or prior art when needed

Progress tracking:

• After every 3-4 substantive answers, provide a brief summary of what you've learned
• Identify gaps, ambiguities, or areas that need deeper exploration
• Mark open questions explicitly so they can be addressed

Completion

The interview is complete when deep understanding is established. Signs of readiness:

• User answers become brief and confident
• No new threads or complexities are emerging
• Edge cases have been explored

Before finalizing, ask: "Is there anything we can improve?"

Output Format

When complete, generate the final specification as a markdown document in a code block.

The user can then:

• Copy the content to their desired location (e.g., _plans/SPEC.md, docs/requirements.md)
• Request further refinements before saving
• Use the Create Plan handoff to generate an implementation plan from the spec