genius-focus

# GENIUS — focus (local breakthrough in an existing project) **Plugin paths.** This is a globally-installed plugin; bundled files live under the plugin root, NOT the current working directory. Resolve the absolute plugin root once: `echo "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT"` (Bash) → `PLUGIN_ROOT`. The current project root is the cwd → `PROJECT_ROOT` (`pwd`). **runDir goes in the user's CURRENT project as a RELATIVE path** (the workflow safety guard rejects absolute paths and `..`). 1. **Resolve paths and flags.** Resolve `PLUGIN_ROOT` (`echo "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT"`) and `PROJECT_ROOT` (`pwd`). Note `--no-explore` if present in the args. Set `today` (YYYY-MM-DD) and make a slug from the sub-problem (or `focus` if none yet). Set a relative `runDir = genius-runs/<today>_focus-<slug>`. 2. **Understand.** Launch the Workflow tool with `scriptPath: "<PLUGIN_ROOT>/workflows/understand.js"` and `args: { projectRoot: "<PROJECT_ROOT>", depth: "full" }`. If the current project already has a recent `understand-map.json` (same day, under any `genius-runs/<today>_understand/`), you MAY load it instead of re-running (saves cost). The Workflow returns `{ map, critique, facet_summaries }` — OR `{ park: ... }` if it could not map the project (e.g. reader-wipeout / missing projectRoot). On a `{ park }` return, report the reason and STOP — do NOT persist the park object or build a pick-list against undefined fields (fail explicitly, no silent fallback). **The understand workflow writes nothing itself** — so, unless you loaded a cached map, YOU must persist: create `genius-runs/<today>_understand/` and write both `understand-map.json` (the raw returned object) and `understand-map.md` (readable) into it, PROMPTLY after the Workflow returns (before the pick-list in step 3), following the same rendering as the `genius-understand` skill. This ensures the understand artifacts are always on disk even if the session is interrupted. 3. **Pick the sub-problem.** Present the map's `leverage_points` + `critique.recommended_sub_problems` + `core_blocker` + `open_questions` as a numbered pick-list. Ask the user to pick one or state their own (a principle / formula / math / method to break, scoped enough to run a focused debate). **Do NOT proceed without a chosen, scoped sub-problem** — wait for the user's choice. Once chosen, update the `runDir` slug to match (e.g., `genius-runs/<today>_focus-<slug-of-chosen-problem>`). 4. **Build the scoped frame.** From the map, extract the project's established facts as `axioms` — a short list of the things NOT to relitigate in this debate (e.g., fixed constraints, settled empirical results, architecture decisions that are not up for debate). **Cap the axioms block** to ≤10 short bullet-point facts (summarize/elide if the map is verbose) — large axiom sets bloat every debate prompt. Write the scoped sub-problem as `idea`, including what would count as a BREAKTHROUGH vs a safe-delta for it and its concrete success metric. 5. **Scoped debate.** Launch the Workflow tool with `scriptPath: "<PLUGIN_ROOT>/workflows/debate-engine.js"` and `args: { idea: "<scoped sub-problem>", axioms: [<list of ≤10 established facts>], runDir, today, roster: [{"family":"claude"},{"family":"codex"},{"family":"kimi"}], cap: 3, noExplore: <true iff --no-explore> }`. The `axioms` list is injected into every SHARPEN/EXPLORE/ DEBATE/CRITIQUE prompt as "GIVEN — established, do NOT relitigate; frame all work WITHIN these." `noExplore: true` skips paper-search for a faster, local-knowledge-only debate pass. 6. **Present + EVOLVE.** Read `<runDir>/portfolio.md` and present the scoped quality-diversity portfolio. Then offer the standard EVOLVE gate (see the `genius` skill's EVOLVE section) for any computable candidate in the portfolio.