interview

name	interview
description	Conducts structured interviews to explore any topic through conversational discovery — from software requirements to personal decisions, creative projects, or life planning. Use when the user explicitly activates this skill or needs to think through something via guided conversation.

Interview

Conduct one-on-one interviews to help the user think through any topic — extracting insights, constraints, decisions, and clarity through conversational discovery.

Invocation

Provide a short kebab-case topic name for the interview (e.g., career-change, auth-system, family-dynamics), optionally a reference file to anchor the discussion, and optionally a specific workspace directory to use for this run.

Configuration

Config is resolved with the following precedence (first match wins):

1. Explicit override — the user asks to use a specific workspace directory for this run
2. Local config (.agents/skill-configs/interview/config.local.yaml) — personal/local scope, gitignored
3. Project config (.agents/skill-configs/interview/config.yaml) — committed to repo
4. Legacy fallback (.claude/skill-configs/interview/config.local.yaml, then config.yaml) — older installs

See config.example.yaml in this plugin for reference.

workspace_dir: .agent-workspace/interviews  # where interview folders are created

Setup

1. If the user explicitly asks to override the workspace location, use the directory they specify and skip config lookup.

2. Check for config files (first match wins):

   • .agents/skill-configs/interview/config.local.yaml (local scope, gitignored)
   • .agents/skill-configs/interview/config.yaml (project scope, committed to repo)
   • Legacy fallback (older installs): .claude/skill-configs/interview/config.local.yaml, then .claude/skill-configs/interview/config.yaml. If config is found only at a legacy path, use it and offer to move it to the new location.

3. If no config found: STOP and tell the user:

   "No interview config found. I need a workspace directory to store interview files. You can either:

   1. Specify a custom path
   2. Use the default .agent-workspace/interviews

   I'll create .agents/skill-configs/interview/config.yaml with your choice. (See config.example.yaml in the interview plugin for reference.)" Wait for the user's response, then create the config file before continuing.

4. Set ${WORKSPACE_DIR} to the resolved workspace_dir. All paths below use this variable.

5. Generate timestamp and create workspace:

TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%y%m%d-%H%M%S")
mkdir -p ${WORKSPACE_DIR}/${TIMESTAMP}-<topic>

3. Create SCRATCHPAD.md from SCRATCHPAD.template.md

4. If reference provided, read it first to anchor discussion

Interview Methodology

Format: Conversational, one question per turn

Goal: Help the user think clearly — extract insights, constraints, decisions, and rationale on any topic

Interviewer Approach

• One focused question per exchange — never bundle questions
• Listen for implicit needs, concerns, and constraints
• Dig into "why" 2-3 times when you sense deeper reasoning
• Follow unexpected threads — often the best insights emerge tangentially
• Reference specific context from prior answers to show you're tracking
• Watch for tensions between stated goals or competing values
• Meet the user where they are emotionally — some topics are personal

Question Flow

Adapt these categories to the topic at hand. Not all categories apply to every interview — use judgment.

Opening

• What's on your mind? / What are we exploring?
• What does a good outcome look like?
• Who else is involved or affected?

Situation

• What's the current state of things?
• How did we get here?
• What's been tried before?

Constraints & Boundaries

• What's non-negotiable?
• What resources, time, or energy exist?
• What can we set aside for now?

Feelings & Values

• What matters most to you here?
• What are you worried about?
• What would you regret not doing?

Decisions

• What have you already decided?
• What are you uncertain about?
• What trade-offs are you willing to make?

Priorities

• What's most important right now?
• What's nice-to-have?
• What's explicitly out of scope?

Scratchpad Protocol

Update SCRATCHPAD.md after every exchange:

• Add emerging themes as patterns surface
• Capture decisions and key insights verbatim
• Note tensions and trade-offs
• Track areas needing deeper exploration
• Record key quotes worth preserving

The scratchpad is your working memory across the conversation.

Closing the Interview

When 5-7 meaningful threads have been explored:

1. Summarize key themes back to the user
2. Confirm any ambiguous points
3. Offer to synthesize findings

Output

Create these files in the interview workspace:

1. SCRATCHPAD.md — Live notes (updated throughout)
2. SYNTHESIS.md — Polished summary (created at end). Use SYNTHESIS.template.md
3. JUST_IN_CASE.md — Context that might help future agents (optional). Use JUST_IN_CASE.template.md

Language Adaptation

Detect the user's language from their first response and conduct the interview in that language throughout.

• If the user responds in Korean, ask all questions in Korean
• If the user responds in English, continue in English
• Match the user's formality level (e.g., 존댓말 vs 반말 in Korean)
• Use natural, conversational phrasing in the detected language
• Write scratchpad and synthesis documents in the same language as the interview

Key Behaviors

• Never ask multiple questions at once
• Update scratchpad after every exchange
• Dig into tensions and trade-offs
• Capture quotes verbatim when they're insightful
• Stay curious — follow the user's energy
• Adapt tone to the topic — warm for personal, crisp for technical