using-exploration-cycle

name	using-exploration-cycle
description	Use when starting any conversation - establishes how to find and follow the business exploration workflow.

If you were dispatched as a subagent (via dispatch.py) to execute a specific task, skip this skill. You are operating with the exploration-cycle-plugin active.

Before responding to ANY user message (including answering general questions or scoping requests), you MUST verify the state of the active exploration session. If a session is in progress, you DO NOT have a choice: you MUST route execution through the active phase of the exploration-workflow.

How to Check Session State

Before generating any response:

1. Check if exploration/exploration-dashboard.md exists.
2. If it DOES exist:
   • Read the dashboard using the Read tool.
   • Check the **Status:** field.
   • If status is Complete, the prior session has ended. You may answer normally or offer to start a new exploration.
   • If status is In Progress or TBD, identify the **Current Phase:**.
   • Immediately yield control to the active phase of the exploration workflow. Always invoke the exploration-workflow skill. Never directly invoke child skills unless authorized by the orchestrator. Do NOT answer the user's question directly in freeform prose.
3. If it DOES NOT exist:
   • If the user's message matches any exploration triggers (e.g. "I want to build...", "Let's explore...", "I have an idea...", "start discovery"), you must bootstrap the session.
   • Invoke the exploration-workflow skill to initiate Phase 0 intake.

State Authority

The SQLite state database and programmatic phase artifacts are the absolute state authority. The markdown dashboard is a read-only projection of the database. Do not rely on conversational chat history to assume a phase is complete or that a gate has been passed.

Active Verification & Review during Waits

When executing the workflow or waiting for sub-agent execution / task completions:

• Proactively read and review the artifacts produced in earlier phases (such as the discovery plans, visual layouts, and prototype READMEs) to ensure consistency.
• Validate that the current phase's work aligns with the requirements and constraints established in earlier phases.
• Do not remain idle; use any wait time to verify file existences, scan for unresolved placeholders, and check that status mappings are accurate.