grill

name	grill
description	Deep alignment session before coding. Use when starting a non-trivial feature, when requirements are ambiguous, before refactoring, or when the user's request could be interpreted multiple ways. Surfaces assumptions, presents tradeoffs, and produces a verified implementation plan.
argument-hint	[task description or feature name]

Deep Alignment Session

"No-one knows exactly what they want." — The Pragmatic Programmer

Philosophy

Most AI coding failures trace to one root cause: building the wrong thing. This skill prevents that by forcing explicit reasoning before any code is written. It turns vague requests into verified plans with clear success criteria.

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

Grill Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Restate the request
- [ ] Step 2: Surface assumptions
- [ ] Step 3: Challenge the plan
- [ ] Step 4: Define success criteria
- [ ] Step 5: Produce implementation plan

Step 1: Restate the request

Write a one-paragraph summary of what you understand the user wants. This forces processing rather than pattern-matching on keywords. If you can't write it clearly, you don't understand it.

Step 2: Surface assumptions

List every assumption. Mark each:

• Safe — Clearly implied by context
• Risky — Could be wrong, needs confirmation
• Unknown — No basis, must ask

For each Risky/Unknown: state the question and ask the user.

Step 3: Challenge the plan

Before implementing the user's stated approach:

1. Propose alternatives — At least one different approach with pros/cons
2. Identify the simplest path — Apply Simplicity First
3. Push back if needed — If the approach leads to unnecessary complexity, say so

Step 4: Define success criteria

Transform the task into objectively verifiable goals:

• Bad: "Make it work" / "Improve performance"
• Good: "Given input X, output Y is produced" / "API responds in under 200ms at p99"

Step 5: Produce implementation plan

## Grill Summary

### Understanding
[One-paragraph restatement]

### Assumptions
- [Safe] ...
- [Risky] ... → User confirmed: ...
- [Unknown] ... → User answered: ...

### Decision
[What was decided, and why]

### Alternatives Considered
1. [Approach] — [pros/cons]

### Success Criteria
- [ ] [criterion 1]
- [ ] [criterion 2]

### Implementation Plan
1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]

Anti-Patterns

• Rubber-stamping — Repeating the request back without thinking
• Scope expansion — Adding features the user didn't ask for
• Analysis paralysis — 20 minutes grilling on a 5-minute task
• Silent assumptions — Guessing instead of asking

Integration

• After /grill → use /to-prd to formalize, /to-issues to break into issues
• During /grill → reference CONTEXT.md for shared language
• After /grill → update CONTEXT.md with new terms