the-spiral

name	the-spiral
description	Run a Codex-native structured Socratic dialogue when the user invokes /the-spiral or $the-spiral to turn an intuition into rigorous, communicable output.

The Spiral

Native Codex Egregore skill. The Spiral is a stateful Socratic process for developing, pressure-testing, and compressing a complex thesis.

Setup

Gather three inputs, using structured Codex question tooling when available and plain one-at-a-time questions otherwise:

1. Domain: what are we spiraling on?
2. Purpose: what should the process produce?
3. Known areas: what domains must be covered, if any?

Create state files:

spiral_state.json
spiral_artifacts/ring1
spiral_artifacts/ring2
spiral_artifacts/ring3
spiral_artifacts/ring4
spiral_artifacts/ring5

State includes domain, purpose, addressable space, current ring, current loop, artifacts, emerged domains, parked threads, descents, and ring history.

Rings

1. Seed: find the irreducible claim. Artifact: spiral_artifacts/ring1/seed.md.
2. Territory: map implications, tensions, contradictions, and open questions. Artifact: spiral_artifacts/ring2/territory.md.
3. Encounter: ground claims in reality. Research facts when needed and write domain artifacts under spiral_artifacts/ring3/.
4. Crucible: test objections and disconfirming evidence. Artifact: spiral_artifacts/ring4/crucible.md.
5. Compression: produce the final deliverables under spiral_artifacts/ring5/.

Ask one question at a time. After each alignment check, update spiral_state.json. Render a compact text progress view only at setup, alignment checks, ring transitions, descents, resume, and completion.

TUI Rendering

Structured UX parity is required. The Spiral must present state as a structured terminal view at phase boundaries, not as loose paragraphs:

• Show rings 1-5 with current/completed/parked status.
• Show current thesis, emerged domains, parked threads, descents, and next question or alignment check.
• Render only at setup, alignment checks, ring transitions, descents, resume, and completion.
• On completion, render a final structured view with rings completed, loop count, deliverable paths, emerged domains, and parked threads.
• Do not render mid-flow while asking a Socratic question.

Flow Rules

• If the user gives a marketing-like answer in Ring 1, push toward the real conviction.
• If an objection breaks an earlier assumption, offer a descent to the right ring and record the reason.
• Research is active only when factual claims need grounding or pressure.
• Never force a domain that has not emerged from the user's answers.
• If the user is tired or wants to pause, crystallize the current state and stop at an alignment boundary.

Resume

If spiral_state.json exists, summarize domain, ring, loop, and current artifacts, then ask whether to continue or start fresh.

Completion

The process ends when Ring 5 deliverables satisfy the user. Report artifact paths, rings completed, loop count, emerged domains, and any parked threads.