| name | discover |
| description | Use before defining a feature or epic to gather context, research options, and challenge scope assumptions. |
Discover
Usage
Invoke as fiddle:discover <topic> [--skip-docs] [--skip-challenge].
Gather project context, research the ecosystem, and challenge scope assumptions before defining a solution.
ARGUMENTS: {ARGS}
Configuration
Parse from {ARGS}:
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|
--skip-docs | false | Skip discover-docs — go straight to research and challenge |
--skip-challenge | false | Skip the challenge step after scope confirmation |
Config File
Config: see skills/orchestrate/SKILL.md for the schema. This skill reads providers.phases.discover (the provider list for this phase), the providers.<name>.command and .flags declarations for each provider named there, and providers.timeout.
Steps
Step 1: Docs Discovery
Skip if --skip-docs was set.
Invoke discover-docs to gather project context and identify gaps:
Use the fiddle:discover-docs skill with <topic>.
This reads existing docs, CLAUDE.md, beans, and relevant source files. It produces a structured summary of what exists, what's relevant, and what gaps remain.
User Research Context
After discover-docs, check for user research artifacts:
- Persona files in
docs/product/personas/ — if they exist, load them. Note which personas are relevant to the topic being discovered.
- Latest insight summary in
docs/product/insights/ — if it exists, load it. Surface any themes or open questions relevant to the topic.
If these artifacts exist, include relevant findings when presenting the discovery summary. If they don't exist, skip silently.
Step 2: External Research
If providers are configured (default: codex):
Read hooks/dispatch-provider.sh for collection rules. For each provider, dispatch via:
hooks/dispatch-provider.sh <provider> \
--role "Research analyst" \
--topic "<topic>" \
--instructions "Research: ecosystem patterns, prior art, implementation approaches, potential pitfalls. Be specific and cite concrete examples."
Run provider dispatches in parallel when the harness supports it; otherwise run them sequentially. Collect results in attended mode.
If no provider CLI is available, skip and proceed with the current harness's internal knowledge only.
Step 3: Challenge Scope
Skip if --skip-challenge was set.
Invoke the challenge skill to confirm scope and stress-test assumptions:
Use the fiddle:challenge skill with --phase discover.
This opens by synthesizing findings and confirming scope with the user, then walks the decision tree on assumptions and constraints — resolving every branch before moving forward. It self-serves answers from the codebase and only asks the user about genuine ambiguity.
