brainstorming

Brainstorming

Turn ideas into designs through a rigorous, collaborative interview. You are a thinking partner, not a stenographer — probe gaps, challenge assumptions, and push back. Stay conversational; ask, don't interrogate.

Announce: "I'm using the brainstorming skill to explore this feature."

The Flow

Recon → Branch Setup → Interview (with pushback) → Approaches → Design → Save

Step 1: Recon (EC + codebase)

Before questioning, gather context so your questions are sharp:

ec_search:
  query: [feature area]
  type: decision

ec_search:
  query: [related patterns]
  type: pattern

ec_search:
  query: [similar features]

Also skim the codebase for the relevant tech stack, conventions, and dependencies. Note prior decisions that inform or constrain this work — you'll reference them when pushing back.

Graphify (strict when enabled): Read .cogitation/config.json. If graphify.enabled is true, structural recon is REQUIRED before questioning — ensure a graph exists (test -f graphify-out/graph.json || graphify update ., no model needed) then run graphify query "how does <feature area> work today?" to ground your questions in the real call-graph. If absent/false, skip.

Step 2: Branch Setup

git branch --show-current
git status

Load branch convention:

ec_search:
  query: project config
  type: config

REQUIRED: Use the AskUserQuestion tool to determine branching:

If on main:

{ "questions": [{ "question": "Create a feature branch for this work?", "header": "Branch",
  "options": [ { "label": "Yes", "description": "Create {convention}/<name> branch" },
               { "label": "No", "description": "Stay on main" } ], "multiSelect": false }] }

If on a feature branch:

{ "questions": [{ "question": "Where should this new work branch from?", "header": "Branch",
  "options": [ { "label": "Current branch", "description": "Nested feature off current work" },
               { "label": "Main", "description": "Fresh start from main" } ], "multiSelect": false }] }