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Use when the goal is vague or vision-level and can't be defined well enough for design questions.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Use at ship time to merge the spec into the living documentation, delete the staging spec and plan, and ask how to finish.
Use when taking over an existing codebase that has no living document. Produces a factual record of what already exists.
Use when all plan tasks are done and green to review, archive planning artifacts, and ask how to finish.
Use for standard or complex new work before coding or planning. Also handles vague goals — clarifies before designing.
Use at session start to learn how Praxis skills are invoked and why triage runs before every task.
Use after design approval for milestone plans with executable acceptance.
Based on SOC occupation classification
| name | discover |
| description | Use when the goal is vague or vision-level and can't be defined well enough for design questions. |
<gate> No design, no code, no spec until "confirmed direction" is filled and user confirms. </gate>
The goal of discover is to turn a vague goal into a problem statement concrete enough for design. Ask one question per turn.
docs/discovery/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md## Goal
<original vague goal>
## Hypotheses
- [ ] <hypothesis A>
- [x] <hypothesis B> → validated: <evidence>
- [~] <hypothesis C> → invalidated: <reason>
## Investigation plan
Contingent steps — update as findings arrive. Not a build plan.
- [x] Phase 1: <what> → <what to decide after>
- [ ] Phase 2: <what> (scope determined by Phase 1)
## Experiments
### YYYY-MM-DD — <experiment name>
what: <what was done>
saw: <what was observed>
conclusion: <what this means>
## Confirmed direction
<fill one of:>
- problem statement: who / what problem / what context / success signal
- knowledge spec: data structures, protocols, or system behavior confirmed
## Ruled out
- <idea> — <why ruled out>
Discovery notes accumulate across sessions. Check existing notes before starting.
spikes/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>/Spike code validates a hypothesis, not a feature.
README.md stating which hypothesis it tests.design → plan → tdd — no direct promotion.<gate>
docs/discovery/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md must exist with "Confirmed direction" filled.
Then choose the exit with the user:
design, referencing the discovery note.docs/discovery/<topic>-spec.md directly. No design, no plan, no archive (that skill is for staging specs only).
</gate>If the user decides not to proceed:
## Abandoned — YYYY-MM-DD
reason: <why>
validated: <what was confirmed>
invalidated: <what was ruled out>
spikes/<topic>/ — learnings are in the note.docs/discovery/ permanently as a record.