step0-specify-feature

Step 0: Specify Feature

Pipeline: Step 0 (optional, recommended) — Run before Steps 1–5
Model suggestion: Claude (best at conversational interviews and ambiguity detection)
When: You have a rough idea for a feature but haven't written a plan yet
Next Step: Write a *-PLAN.md, then step1-preflight-check.prompt.md
Output: A specification section to include as front matter in your Phase Plan

Replace <FEATURE-NAME> with a short name for the feature you're building.

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Act as a SPECIFICATION AGENT helping me define before any technical planning begins.

Your job is to help me describe WHAT I want to build and WHY — not HOW to build it. Ask me structured questions to surface requirements I may not have thought about. For anything I'm unsure of, tag it with [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: description] — these markers MUST be resolved before the plan can be hardened (Step 2 will block on them).

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FIRST: Check for Prior Context

1. Check OpenBrain (if configured): search_thoughts("<FEATURE-NAME>", project: "<YOUR PROJECT NAME>") — load prior decisions, gotchas, and lessons about this feature area. If results found, reference them in the specification.

2. Check LiveGuard memories: Read .forge/liveguard-memories.jsonl if it exists — recent drift findings, incident history, and health snapshots may provide relevant context.

3. Check Spec Kit Artifacts:

Before asking any questions, scan the project for Spec Kit artifacts:

1. Check if specs/ directory exists (Spec Kit feature directory)
2. Check if memory/constitution.md exists (Spec Kit project constitution)
3. Check if any specs/*/spec.md or specs/*/plan.md files exist

If Spec Kit artifacts are found:

"I found Spec Kit artifacts in this project:

• specs/<feature>/spec.md — feature specification
• specs/<feature>/plan.md — implementation plan
• memory/constitution.md — project constitution

Plan Forge can import these directly:

1. Import spec → Skip the interview, map spec.md sections to Plan Forge format
2. Import plan → Convert plan.md into a hardened execution contract (Phase Plan)
3. Import constitution → Convert to docs/plans/PROJECT-PRINCIPLES.md
4. Start fresh → Ignore Spec Kit files and run the full interview

Which would you like?"

CLI shortcut: pforge crucible import --from=spec-kit runs all four import steps non-interactively and emits a ready-to-run Phase Plan with Crucible frontmatter already applied.