| name | Clarify |
| description | Find and close holes in the master spec before the North Star — resolve ambiguity markers, run a coverage scan, ask high-impact questions, and optionally simulate usage scenarios. |
| argument-hint | <feature-name> [--markers-only|--scan-only|--simulate] |
Clarify — Close the Holes
A post-spec review that finds and closes gaps before the North Star. Gate: the specify phase must be accepted (else "Accept the spec first").
Inputs
.genesis/project-state.md (mode)
.genesis/features/<feature>/spec.md (required), design.md (required)
brainstorm-log.md (optional), the constitution
approvals/master.json (verify specify accepted)
dependencies.json for this feature and its peers (cross-feature coverage check)
Process
- Resolve markers. Scan the spec for
NEEDS_CLARIFICATION markers; resolve each one at a time (question → impact → suggested answer), updating the spec and removing the marker. (--markers-only stops here.)
- Coverage scan across 11 categories, rating each Clear / Partial / Missing: Functional Scope · Domain/Data Model · Interaction/UX · Non-Functional Quality · Integration/Dependencies · Edge Cases · Constraints/Tradeoffs · Terminology · Completion Signals · Assumptions · Cross-Feature Dependencies. (
--scan-only reports and stops.)
- Ask at most 5 targeted questions per run, prioritized by impact, focused on Partial/Missing categories, each with a recommended answer.
- Apply answers one at a time — update the spec immediately after each (refine requirements, add edge cases to FRs, document assumptions, strengthen/add ACs, remove resolved open questions).
- (
--simulate) Run 5–10 usage scenarios against the spec text — for each, trace FRs/ACs and mark PASS (spec handles it) or GAP (it doesn't). Gaps become new questions or amendments.
- Re-run constitution compliance if scope changed (halt on violations).
- Present a before/after coverage summary table (+ simulation table if used). Commit; update
project-state.md.
Mode differences
Each category is mode-aware: greenfield checks completeness of new capability; brownfield checks new-vs-modified classification, preservation of existing behavior, and scope-boundary explicitness; lowfield checks pipeline-stage and artifact-schema completeness and measurable per-stage gates. Simulation likewise differs — greenfield = standard usage; brownfield = migration paths and backward compatibility; lowfield = pipeline at scale (50+ units), mid-stream entry, stage skipping.
Output
- Updated
.genesis/features/<feature>/spec.md (resolved markers, tightened FRs/ACs, documented assumptions) and a coverage summary in the skill output.
Next step
Run /genesis-northstar.
Natural language triggers
- "clarify the spec"
- "find holes in the spec"
- "simulate the spec"