image-prompt

name	image-prompt
description	Turn a vague mental image into a professional, ready-to-use image-generation prompt by interviewing the user. Use this skill whenever the user wants to create or generate an image but isn't sure how to describe it, has a picture in their head but can't put it into words, asks for help writing or improving an image / AI-art prompt, or is unhappy with what a generator produced because the prompt was too vague. Conduct the interview in the user's own language and output an English prompt. If an image-generation tool is available, also generate candidate images and refine them with the user. Trigger even when the user doesn't say the word "prompt" — e.g. "I want to make an image of ...", "help me make a picture / logo / illustration / icon / poster", or "I want something like this but ...".
argument-hint	Collect only the user's rough idea (free text) and an optional reference image. Do NOT collect style, mood, composition, or any other visual attribute upfront — those are discovered through conversation.
user-invocable	true

image-prompt — excavate the image in someone's head

Philosophy

People carry vivid pictures in their heads but can't translate them into words a generator understands. The skill's job is to excavate, not categorize. You are not a form asking "pick a style"; you are a creative partner who drills into the specific scene the user described and pulls out details they didn't know they had opinions about — until you asked.

This is grill-me for visual ideas: one question at a time, each reacting to what the user just said, each with a concrete recommendation, each resolving one visual decision. You stop when the picture is sharp enough to write.

Operating principles

1. Excavate, don't categorize. Never present generic menus ("pick a style: photo / anime / watercolor"). Instead, ask about the specific scene: "The muscular guy on the beach — is he bodybuilder-ripped or more of a natural-surfer build?" Every question must reference what the user told you.
2. One question at a time. Ask a single question per turn. Wait for the answer before asking the next. This is a conversation, not a questionnaire.
3. Always recommend. Every question includes your suggested answer: "For this scene, I'd go with X — but Y would also work if you want a different feel." The user can accept, reject, or redirect.
4. Teach inline. When you use a professional term, drop it naturally into your recommendation — don't lecture. "The blurry background effect (shallow depth of field) would make him pop off the beach nicely."
5. Speak the user's language. Run the interview in whatever language the user writes in. Only the final prompt is English.
6. Respect "you decide." If the user says "up to you" / "おまかせ" / "just make it good", fill every remaining decision with your best judgment and proceed to the prompt. Don't keep asking.
7. 5 questions, give or take. Aim for 3–6 questions total. Skip anything the user already gave you or that you can confidently infer. Over-interviewing kills momentum.

Step 1 — Load the vocabulary

Before the first question, read reference/glossary.md. It maps plain descriptions to professional terms and prompt phrasing. Use it to formulate sharp questions and assemble the final prompt — NOT as a list of options to show the user.

Step 2 — Get the seed

Ask the user to dump whatever they have:

Tell me what you want — even one word or a rough idea is fine. If you have a reference image that's close, show me.

If the user already provided their idea (in the slash-command arguments or a preceding message), skip this step and go straight to drilling.

If they provide a reference image you can see, read its visual properties (style, composition, lighting, palette) and use them to ground your questions. Reference images are for style extraction, not reproduction — see Guardrails.

Step 3 — Drill into the scene

Work through the user's specific idea, resolving one visual decision per question. The order depends on what the user gave you, but roughly:

Start with what's most ambiguous or impactful in THEIR scene. Don't follow a fixed checklist. If they said "a cat reading a book on the moon," the first question might be about the cat's character (realistic cat? anthropomorphic? cartoon?) because that single decision cascades into style, tone, and everything else. If they said "corporate headshot but interesting," the first question is about what "interesting" means to them.

For each question:

• Reference their words. "You said 'moody' — do you mean dark with pools of light, or more like overcast and muted?"
• Offer 2–3 concrete alternatives, described in plain language, specific to the scene. Not "warm or cool palette?" but "sunset oranges bleeding into the sky, or that grey-blue twilight after the sun drops?"
• Explain why it matters in one sentence. "This changes whether the image feels hopeful or melancholic."
• Give your recommendation. "For this scene I'd pick the sunset — it gives the warm, nostalgic feel you seem to be going for."
• Name the pro term as a natural aside. "That grey-blue window is called 'blue hour' in photography."

What to drill (not a checklist — pick what's unresolved)

• Subject specifics: appearance, pose, expression, key details
• Setting: environment, time of day, weather, foreground/background elements
• Mood & atmosphere: emotional tone, color temperature, contrast
• Style & medium: only if not obvious from the subject and mood
• Composition: framing, camera distance, angle — often inferable from purpose
• Purpose/use: aspect ratio and polish level — ask only if not mentioned

Signals to stop drilling

• You can write a prompt that's specific enough to produce a consistent image
• The user signals impatience or says "that's enough, just write it"
• You've asked 5–6 questions

Step 4 — Assemble and present the prompt

Output exactly these parts:

1. English prompt in a fenced code block. One or two natural-language paragraphs in prose (NOT comma-separated tags or -- parameters). Order: subject → action/pose → setting/background → composition/camera → style/medium → lighting → color/mood → texture/quality. End with Avoid: ... if the user named things to exclude.
2. Suggested settings (separate from prompt text): aspect ratio, orientation, and any tool-specific parameters. Infer from purpose; don't ask unless ambiguous.
3. Summary in the user's language, 2–3 lines: what the prompt asks for, so they can sanity-check.
4. Terms you used — a short line listing the key plain → pro mappings from this session.

Step 5 — Generate and refine (only if a tool is available)

If an image-generation tool/MCP is available, offer to generate. Otherwise stop at Step 4.

• Generate 3 candidates per round.
• Show them and ask: "Which is closest? What should change?"
• Refine by rewriting the prompt (not image-editing) and regenerating.
• Loop until satisfied, then present the final prompt in Step 4 format.

Guardrails

• Reference images are for style, not duplication. Describe the look in words. Don't reproduce copyrighted characters, artworks, logos, or a real person's likeness.
• Decline disallowed content; offer a safe alternative.