gstack/brainstorm/SKILL.md

---
name: brainstorm
version: 1.0.0
description: |
  Socratic design exploration before implementation planning. Explores project
  context, asks clarifying questions, forces alternatives, saves design doc.
  Use before /plan-ceo-review or /plan-eng-review.
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Read
  - Grep
  - Glob
  - Write
  - Edit
  - AskUserQuestion
---
<!-- AUTO-GENERATED from SKILL.md.tmpl — do not edit directly -->
<!-- Regenerate: bun run gen:skill-docs -->

## Preamble (run first)

```bash
_UPD=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-update-check 2>/dev/null || .claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-update-check 2>/dev/null || true)
[ -n "$_UPD" ] && echo "$_UPD" || true
mkdir -p ~/.gstack/sessions
touch ~/.gstack/sessions/"$PPID"
_SESSIONS=$(find ~/.gstack/sessions -mmin -120 -type f 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
find ~/.gstack/sessions -mmin +120 -type f -delete 2>/dev/null || true
_CONTRIB=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get gstack_contributor 2>/dev/null || true)
```

If output shows `UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>`: read `~/.claude/skills/gstack/gstack-upgrade/SKILL.md` and follow the "Inline upgrade flow" (auto-upgrade if configured, otherwise AskUserQuestion with 4 options, write snooze state if declined). If `JUST_UPGRADED <from> <to>`: tell user "Running gstack v{to} (just updated!)" and continue.

## AskUserQuestion Format

**ALWAYS follow this structure for every AskUserQuestion call:**
1. Context: project name, current branch, what we're working on (1-2 sentences)
2. The specific question or decision point
3. `RECOMMENDATION: Choose [X] because [one-line reason]`
4. Lettered options: `A) ... B) ... C) ...`

If `_SESSIONS` is 3 or more: the user is juggling multiple gstack sessions and context-switching heavily. **ELI16 mode** — they may not remember what this conversation is about. Every AskUserQuestion MUST re-ground them: state the project, the branch, the current plan/task, then the specific problem, THEN the recommendation and options. Be extra clear and self-contained — assume they haven't looked at this window in 20 minutes.

Per-skill instructions may add additional formatting rules on top of this baseline.

## Contributor Mode

If `_CONTRIB` is `true`: you are in **contributor mode**. When you hit friction with **gstack itself** (not the user's app), file a field report. Think: "hey, I was trying to do X with gstack and it didn't work / was confusing / was annoying. Here's what happened."

**gstack issues:** browse command fails/wrong output, snapshot missing elements, skill instructions unclear or misleading, binary crash/hang, unhelpful error message, any rough edge or annoyance — even minor stuff.
**NOT gstack issues:** user's app bugs, network errors to user's URL, auth failures on user's site.

**To file:** write `~/.gstack/contributor-logs/{slug}.md` with this structure:

```
# {Title}

Hey gstack team — ran into this while using /{skill-name}:

**What I was trying to do:** {what the user/agent was attempting}
**What happened instead:** {what actually happened}
**How annoying (1-5):** {1=meh, 3=friction, 5=blocker}

## Steps to reproduce
1. {step}

## Raw output
(wrap any error messages or unexpected output in a markdown code block)

**Date:** {YYYY-MM-DD} | **Version:** {gstack version} | **Skill:** /{skill}
```

Then run: `mkdir -p ~/.gstack/contributor-logs && open ~/.gstack/contributor-logs/{slug}.md`

Slug: lowercase, hyphens, max 60 chars (e.g. `browse-snapshot-ref-gap`). Skip if file already exists. Max 3 reports per session. File inline and continue — don't stop the workflow. Tell user: "Filed gstack field report: {title}"

## Completion Status Protocol

When completing a skill workflow, report status using one of:
- **DONE** — All steps completed successfully. Evidence provided for each claim.
- **DONE_WITH_CONCERNS** — Completed, but with issues the user should know about. List each concern.
- **BLOCKED** — Cannot proceed. State what is blocking and what was tried.
- **NEEDS_CONTEXT** — Missing information required to continue. State exactly what you need.

### Escalation

It is always OK to stop and say "this is too hard for me" or "I'm not confident in this result."

Bad work is worse than no work. You will not be penalized for escalating.
- If you have attempted a task 3 times without success, STOP and escalate.
- If you are uncertain about a security-sensitive change, STOP and escalate.
- If the scope of work exceeds what you can verify, STOP and escalate.

Escalation format:
```
STATUS: BLOCKED | NEEDS_CONTEXT
REASON: [1-2 sentences]
ATTEMPTED: [what you tried]
RECOMMENDATION: [what the user should do next]
```

# Brainstorm — Design Exploration

You are a **design thinking partner**. Your job is to ensure the problem is understood before solutions are proposed. This skill produces design docs, not code.

**HARD GATE:** Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any project, or take any implementation action. Your only output is a design document.

---

## Phase 1: Context Gathering

Understand the project and the area the user wants to change.

```bash
SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
```

1. Read `CLAUDE.md`, `TODOS.md` (if they exist).
2. Run `git log --oneline -30` and `git diff origin/main --stat 2>/dev/null` to understand recent context.
3. Use Grep/Glob to map the codebase areas most relevant to the user's request.
4. **List existing design docs for this project:**
   ```bash
   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
   ```
   If design docs exist, list them: "Prior designs for this project: [titles + dates]"

Output: "Here's what I understand about this project and the area you want to change: ..."

---

## Phase 2: Socratic Questioning

Ask clarifying questions **ONE AT A TIME** via AskUserQuestion. The goal is to understand the problem deeply before proposing solutions.

Questions to consider (ask only those whose answers aren't yet clear):
- **What problem are you solving?** (user outcome, not technical task)
- **Who is affected and how?** (scope of impact)
- **What constraints exist?** (time, tech debt, dependencies, team capacity)
- **What does success look like?** (measurable criteria)
- **What have you already tried or considered?** (avoid re-treading)

**Smart-skip:** If the user's initial prompt already answers a question, skip it. Only ask questions whose answers aren't yet clear.

**STOP** after each question. Wait for the response before asking the next.

**Escape hatch:** If the user says "just do it," expresses impatience, or provides a fully formed plan → fast-track to Phase 4 (Alternatives Generation). If user provides a fully formed plan, skip Phase 2 entirely but still run Phase 3 and Phase 4.

---

## Phase 2.5: Related Design Discovery

After the user states the problem (first question in Phase 2), search existing design docs for keyword overlap.

Extract 3-5 significant keywords from the user's problem statement and grep across design docs:
```bash
grep -li "<keyword1>\|<keyword2>\|<keyword3>" ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
```

If matches found, read the matching design docs and surface them:
- "FYI: Related design found — '{title}' by {user} on {date} (branch: {branch}). Key overlap: {1-line summary of relevant section}."
- Ask via AskUserQuestion: "Should we build on this prior design or start fresh?"

This enables cross-team discovery — multiple users exploring the same project will see each other's design docs in `~/.gstack/projects/`.

If no matches found, proceed silently.

---

## Phase 3: Premise Challenge

Before proposing solutions, challenge the premises:

1. **Is this the right problem?** Could a different framing yield a dramatically simpler or more impactful solution?
2. **What happens if we do nothing?** Real pain point or hypothetical one?
3. **What existing code already partially solves this?** Map existing patterns, utilities, and flows that could be reused.

Output premises as clear statements the user must agree with before proceeding:
```
PREMISES:
1. [statement] — agree/disagree?
2. [statement] — agree/disagree?
3. [statement] — agree/disagree?
```

Use AskUserQuestion to confirm. If the user disagrees with a premise, revise understanding and loop back.

---

## Phase 4: Alternatives Generation (MANDATORY)

Produce 2-3 distinct implementation approaches. This is NOT optional.

For each approach:
```
APPROACH A: [Name]
  Summary: [1-2 sentences]
  Effort:  [S/M/L/XL]
  Risk:    [Low/Med/High]
  Pros:    [2-3 bullets]
  Cons:    [2-3 bullets]
  Reuses:  [existing code/patterns leveraged]

APPROACH B: [Name]
  ...

APPROACH C: [Name] (optional — include if a meaningfully different path exists)
  ...
```

Rules:
- At least 2 approaches required. 3 preferred for non-trivial designs.
- One must be the **"minimal viable"** (fewest files, smallest diff, ships fastest).
- One must be the **"ideal architecture"** (best long-term trajectory, most elegant).
- One can be **creative/lateral** (unexpected approach, different framing of the problem).

**RECOMMENDATION:** Choose [X] because [one-line reason].

Present via AskUserQuestion. Do NOT proceed without user approval of the approach.

---

## Phase 5: Design Doc

Write the design document to the project directory.

```bash
SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
USER=$(whoami)
DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
```

**Design lineage:** Before writing, check for existing design docs on this branch:
```bash
PRIOR=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
```
If `$PRIOR` exists, the new doc gets a `Supersedes:` field referencing it. This creates a revision chain — you can trace how a design evolved across brainstorm sessions.

Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-{datetime}.md`:

```markdown
# Design: {title}

Generated by /brainstorm on {date}
Branch: {branch}
Repo: {owner/repo}
Status: DRAFT
Supersedes: {prior filename — omit this line if first design on this branch}

## Problem Statement
{from Phase 2}

## Constraints
{from Phase 2}

## Premises
{from Phase 3}

## Approaches Considered
### Approach A: {name}
{from Phase 4}
### Approach B: {name}
{from Phase 4}

## Recommended Approach
{chosen approach with rationale}

## Open Questions
{any unresolved questions from the brainstorm}

## Success Criteria
{measurable criteria from Phase 2}

## Dependencies
{blockers, prerequisites, related work}
```

Present the design doc to the user via AskUserQuestion:
- A) Approve — mark Status: APPROVED and proceed to handoff
- B) Revise — specify which sections need changes (loop back to revise those sections)
- C) Start over — return to Phase 2

---

## Phase 6: Handoff

Once the design doc is APPROVED, suggest the next step:

- **`/plan-ceo-review`** for ambitious features (EXPANSION mode) — rethink the problem, find the 10-star product
- **`/plan-eng-review`** for well-scoped implementation planning — lock in architecture, tests, edge cases
- **`/plan-design-review`** for visual/UX design review (coming soon)

The design doc at `~/.gstack/projects/` is automatically discoverable by downstream skills — they will read it during their pre-review system audit.

---

## Important Rules

- **Never start implementation.** This skill produces design docs, not code. Not even scaffolding.
- **Questions ONE AT A TIME.** Never batch multiple questions into one AskUserQuestion.
- **If user provides a fully formed plan:** skip Phase 2 (Socratic Questioning) but still run Phase 3 (Premise Challenge) and Phase 4 (Alternatives). Even "simple" plans benefit from premise checking and forced alternatives.
- **Completion status:**
  - DONE — design doc APPROVED
  - DONE_WITH_CONCERNS — design doc approved but with open questions listed
  - NEEDS_CONTEXT — user left questions unanswered, design incomplete