loop-intake

name	loop-intake
description	Clarify an ambiguous goal or work item BEFORE the loop acts on it. Runs at the front of a run when the assigned task is underspecified. Ask one question at a time, push for exact values, and escalate instead of guessing.
user_invocable	true

Loop Intake - Clarify Before You Act

Autonomous loops waste attempts (and budget) when they guess at a vague goal. This skill runs FIRST, before triage or any action skill, whenever the item the loop is about to work on is not specific enough to verify "done".

When to run

Run intake when the goal or work item is missing any of:

• a single, testable definition of done
• the exact scope (which repo / branch / paths / tickets)
• concrete values a fix would depend on (error text, thresholds, versions)

If the goal is already specific and verifiable, skip intake and proceed.

How to clarify (one question at a time)

1. Read the current state file and the item (issue, PR, request) in full. Do NOT re-ask anything already answered there.
2. Ask the SINGLE most decision-blocking question. Wait for the answer.
3. Push for an exact value. "It should be fast" becomes "What p95 latency, in ms?". "Add a limit" becomes "How many per minute?". Re-ask once if the answer is still vague.
4. Stop as soon as the goal is verifiable. Do not interrogate for its own sake.

Ask in behavior terms, not implementation: what the system must do, what the user sees, which values matter. Not: which function, table, or endpoint.

When an answer stays vague

Do not guess. Record it and move on:

• Write the gap as an open question in the state file: - [ ] OQ: <question>.
• Mark the item needs-human (escalate per the loop's handoff rule).
• If NO blocking question can be resolved, escalate the whole item and stop. Acting on a guess burns attempts the circuit breaker should not have to catch.

Output

Append a short, sharpened goal to the state file (or the item):

Goal (clarified): <one testable sentence>
Done when: <verifiable condition>
Open questions: <N> (needs-human) - <list>

Hand back to triage or the action skill only if "Done when" is now verifiable.

Interaction with other skills

• Runs BEFORE loop-triage / issue-triage and any action skill.
• Feeds loop-verifier: the "Done when" line becomes the verifier's check.
• Pairs with loop-guard (circuit breaker): intake prevents wasted attempts on a goal that was never well defined; the breaker catches the ones that slip through.
• Respects loop-constraints: never ask for, or act on, denylisted scope.

Default behavior

Report-only in week one: propose the clarified goal and open questions, but let a human confirm before the loop acts on the sharpened goal.