| name | godmode-brainstorm |
| description | Design-first workflow for new features, components, or architecture decisions. Use before writing any code — get explicit approval on a design first. |
Brainstorm
Hard gate: Do NOT write any code, scaffold any structure, or invoke any implementation
skill until you have presented a design and the user has explicitly approved it.
Process
Step 1: Explore context
Before asking anything, read:
- The relevant
CLAUDE.md for the project
- The crate's
Cargo.toml and entry points
- Any existing analogous code
Step 2: Ask one clarifying question at a time
Never dump a list of questions. One question → user answers → next question.
Prefer multiple-choice over open-ended where possible.
Step 3: Propose 2-3 approaches
For each approach:
- Name it
- Describe it in 2-3 sentences
- State the key trade-off vs. the alternatives
Step 4: Present design sections iteratively
Break the design into sections. Present one section → get feedback → refine → next section.
Do not present the entire design at once.
Step 5: Write a design document
Once approved, write to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature>.md. Include:
- Goal
- Architecture (crates affected, new traits/types, data flow)
- Tech decisions made and why
- What is explicitly out of scope
Step 6: Write an implementation plan
The only permitted next step after brainstorming is writing an implementation plan.
Design Principles
- Hexagonal architecture: external deps behind a trait (port), implementations in adapters.
- YAGNI: remove anything not needed for the current requirement.
- Rust idioms:
Result/Option over panics, impl Trait over Box<dyn Trait> where
lifetimes allow, #[derive] over manual impls.
- One question at a time: overwhelming the user with 5 questions at once is a failure mode.
Rust Design Questions
- Which crate owns this? Existing crate or new one?
- Does this introduce a new external dependency? Can it be behind a feature flag?
- Tested with in-memory fakes or integration tests?
- Does this change the public API surface? Semver implications?
