hot-start

name	hot-start
description	Minimal crystallization strategy for users who already have a specific research topic or problem (e.g., "I want to improve CoT faithfulness in LLMs") and need structuring into a formal North Star. Heavily simplifies or skips exploration tactics, focusing on obstacle analysis, goal decomposition, and synthesis. Use when the user's first message reveals a specific, actionable research direction.
dependencies	{"tactics":["actor-profiling","direction-narrowing","goal-decomposition","landscape-reconnaissance","north-star-synthesis","obstacle-analysis"]}

Hot Start Strategy

The user already knows their direction. Your job is to structure it, not explore alternatives.

Questioning Protocol

All SOPs in this strategy follow these rules:

• One question at a time — never overwhelm with multiple questions
• Prefer multiple choice when possible — easier to answer
• Always allow "unsure" / "TBD" as legitimate answers
• Always ask WHY — not just "what do you want" but "why do you want it"
• After user answers: confirm understanding before continuing
• If user's answer reveals new information: immediately follow up
• If user declines to answer (privacy): accept, note that downstream work becomes broader/more iterative

Available Tactics

Tactic	Purpose
actor-profiling	Understand who the user is
landscape-reconnaissance	Broad, shallow field exploration
direction-narrowing	Focus within chosen field(s)
obstacle-analysis	Identify and mitigate barriers
goal-decomposition	KAOS-style AND/OR goal structuring
north-star-synthesis	Converge into North Star + ResearchBrief

Default Flow (reference only)

actor-profiling (heavily simplified) → landscape-reconnaissance (skipped or minimal)
→ direction-narrowing (heavily simplified) → obstacle-analysis (simplified)
→ goal-decomposition → north-star-synthesis

This is a reference, not a mandate. The user already knows their direction. landscape-reconnaissance and direction-narrowing may only need a few searches for context — or may be skipped entirely if the user's topic is already well-defined.

Simplification Guidance

• actor-profiling: Focus only on resources and constraints relevant to the stated topic. Skip broad background exploration.
• landscape-reconnaissance: Usually skippable. Only invoke if you need context about the field to properly structure the user's goal.
• direction-narrowing: Usually skippable. The user has already narrowed. Only invoke if their stated topic is still too broad for a single North Star.
• obstacle-analysis: Focus on the specific obstacles to their stated direction, not hypothetical alternatives.

Iteration Points

• From obstacle-analysis: may return to landscape-reconnaissance, direction-narrowing, or obstacle-analysis itself
• From goal-decomposition: may return to landscape-reconnaissance, direction-narrowing, obstacle-analysis, or goal-decomposition itself

How to Use This Strategy

You are the general. This strategy gives you:

1. A default flow as starting reference
2. Available tactics with their purposes
3. Simplification guidance for the hot-start context
4. Iteration points where backtracking makes sense

What you decide:

• Whether to execute a tactic fully or partially
• Whether to skip a tactic entirely
• Whether to invoke individual SOPs directly (bypassing tactic framing)
• When to iterate and where to return to
• When enough information exists to move forward

The only non-negotiable: the process ends with north-star-synthesis producing a North Star + ResearchBrief that the user confirms.

Available Tactics

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

Tactic	When to use
actor-profiling	Understand who the user is — background, resources, constraints, and deep motivations. Produces an ActorProfile that informs all downstream decisions. Use this tactic at the start of any crystallization process to build a model of the user's capabilities, limitations, and intent.
direction-narrowing	Focus within the user's chosen field(s). Identify specific sub-directions through deep paper and web research, then present ranked candidates. Use after landscape-reconnaissance has identified fields of interest.
goal-decomposition	Structure the user's chosen direction into a formal goal tree using KAOS-style AND/OR decomposition. Validate feasibility against ActorProfile and ObstacleReport. Use after obstacle-analysis confirms the direction is viable.
landscape-reconnaissance	Broad, shallow exploration of candidate research fields. Understand what's out there before narrowing. Use when the user needs to discover which fields are available to them — especially in cold-start and warm-start scenarios.
north-star-synthesis	Converge all accumulated context into a crystallized North Star statement and structured ResearchBrief. Performs self-review before presenting to user. Use as the final tactic in any start mode — this is where everything comes together.
obstacle-analysis	Identify what blocks the user from pursuing their chosen direction, assess severity, propose mitigations with search-validated evidence, and get user acceptance. Use after direction-narrowing has identified a specific direction.