domain-model

name	domain-model
description	Actively build and sharpen a project's domain model - challenge terms against the glossary, stress-test boundaries with scenarios, cross-reference against the code, and record the glossary (CONTEXT.md) and decisions (ADRs) the moment they crystallise. Use when you are changing the domain model itself, pinning down a ubiquitous language, or recording an architectural decision.
disable-model-invocation	true
metadata	{"source":"https://github.com/mattpocock/skills"}

Domain modelling

Actively build and sharpen the project's domain model as you design. This is the active discipline - challenging terms, inventing edge-case scenarios, and writing the glossary and decisions down the moment they crystallise. Merely reading CONTEXT.md for vocabulary is not this skill; that is a one-line habit any skill can do. This skill is for when you are changing the model, not just consuming it.

File structure

Most repos have a single context:

/
├── CONTEXT.md
├── docs/
│   └── adr/
│       ├── 0001-event-sourced-orders.md
│       └── 0002-postgres-for-write-model.md
└── src/

If a CONTEXT-MAP.md exists at the root, the repo has multiple contexts. The map points to where each one lives:

/
├── CONTEXT-MAP.md
├── docs/
│   └── adr/                          ← system-wide decisions
├── src/
│   ├── ordering/
│   │   ├── CONTEXT.md
│   │   └── docs/adr/                 ← context-specific decisions
│   └── billing/
│       ├── CONTEXT.md
│       └── docs/adr/

Create files lazily - only when you have something to write. If no CONTEXT.md exists, create one when the first term is resolved. If no docs/adr/ exists, create it when the first ADR is needed.

During the session

Challenge against the glossary

When the user uses a term that conflicts with the existing language in CONTEXT.md, call it out immediately. "Your glossary defines 'cancellation' as X, but you seem to mean Y - which is it?"

Sharpen fuzzy language

When the user uses vague or overloaded terms, propose a precise canonical term. "You're saying 'account' - do you mean the Customer or the User? Those are different things."

Discuss concrete scenarios

When domain relationships are being discussed, stress-test them with specific scenarios. Invent scenarios that probe edge cases and force the user to be precise about the boundaries between concepts.

Cross-reference with code

When the user states how something works, check whether the code agrees. If you find a contradiction, surface it: "Your code cancels entire Orders, but you just said partial cancellation is possible - which is right?"

Update CONTEXT.md inline

When a term is resolved, update CONTEXT.md right there. Don't batch these up - capture them as they happen. Use the format in CONTEXT-FORMAT.md.

CONTEXT.md should be totally devoid of implementation details. Do not treat CONTEXT.md as a spec, a scratch pad, or a repository for implementation decisions. It is a glossary and nothing else.

Offer ADRs sparingly

Only offer to create an ADR when all three are true:

1. Hard to reverse - the cost of changing your mind later is meaningful
2. Surprising without context - a future reader will wonder "why did they do it this way?"
3. The result of a real trade-off - there were genuine alternatives and you picked one for specific reasons

If any of the three is missing, skip the ADR. Use the format in ADR-FORMAT.md.