| name | sw:shape |
| description | Design Path-focused interventions -- environment tweaks, habit building, and herd rallying. Reads the diagnosis and produces a plan to make the right behavior easy and the wrong behavior hard. Use after /sw:diagnose, or for focused revision of Path interventions. |
| argument-hint | [optional: focus area -- environment, habits, or herd] |
<shape_context> #$ARGUMENTS </shape_context>
Shape the Path
Design interventions for the environment. The Path must make the right behavior the default, anchor it in habits, and make it socially visible.
When to Use
- After
/sw:diagnose when you want to focus on Path interventions specifically
- Revising or deepening Path interventions after an
/sw:intervene pass
- When the diagnosis ranks Path as the primary sticking point
- "The tools fight the change", "There's no process for this", "Nobody else is doing it"
Before Starting
Check for diagnosis
Read docs/switch/current-diagnosis.md. Hard redirect if missing (see references/shared-enforcement-prompts.md).
Check Path ranking
Read the sticking point section. If Path is "not a major factor," warn (see references/shared-enforcement-prompts.md -- Sticking Point Mismatch). Do not block.
Check for prior Path interventions
Search docs/switch/interventions/ for files with type: intervention-path. Surface relevant ones.
Check for missing dimensions
If Rider and Elephant intervention files don't exist, note this and recommend /sw:intervene for full coverage.
Accept context
If arguments specify a focus area, jump to that step. Otherwise, work through all three.
The Sequence
Step 1: Tweak the Environment
"How can you change the environment so the right behavior is the default and the wrong behavior requires effort? What are the current environmental cues that support the old behavior?"
What you're looking for:
- Specific environmental obstacles (tools, layouts, defaults, processes, approval gates)
- Specific changes to each obstacle (not "improve the process")
- The default behavior the environment creates (the path of least resistance)
- How the tweak changes the default
Enforcement triggers: See references/enforcement-prompts.md Step 1.
Step 2: Build Habits
"What routines, triggers, and checklists can you install to make the new behavior automatic? The goal is to move it from 'conscious choice' to 'just what we do.'"
What you're looking for:
- Action triggers: "When [situation], then [behavior]" -- specific cues attached to the desired behavior
- Checklists or visible reminders at the point of action
- Routines that embed the new behavior into existing rhythms
- How to start the habit (first 2 weeks are critical)
Enforcement triggers: See references/enforcement-prompts.md Step 2.
Step 3: Rally the Herd
"How can you make the change visible and social? People look to others to decide what's normal. Who are the visible early adopters, and how can you amplify their behavior?"
What you're looking for:
- Specific early adopters or champions (named people or teams)
- How to make their behavior visible (not just announce it -- show it in action)
- Social proof mechanisms (dashboards, shout-outs, peer demos)
- How to create positive peer pressure without coercion
Enforcement triggers: See references/enforcement-prompts.md Step 3.
Assembling the Path Intervention Plan
After all 3 steps:
- Read the template from
references/path-intervention-template.md
- Fill in all sections
- Check alignment with diagnosis: does each intervention address a specific Path problem identified in the diagnosis?
- Present for review
"Here's your Path intervention plan. Does the smallest viable tweak feel achievable? Is the anchor habit specific enough?"
Saving
- Write to
docs/switch/interventions/path-{slug}-{date}.md
- Set frontmatter: type, tags, diagnosis reference, diagnosis date, status (designed), confidence (ask user), created date, source
After Saving
Use AskUserQuestion:
Question: "Path intervention plan saved. What next?"
Options:
- Run
/sw:direct -- Design Rider interventions (clarity and critical moves).
- Run
/sw:motivate -- Design Elephant interventions (feelings and identity).
- Run
/sw:compound -- Save what you learned.
- Revise the diagnosis -- Run
/sw:diagnose if the interventions revealed gaps.
- Done for now.
Important Rules
- Change defaults, not just options. If the right behavior still requires extra effort, the environment isn't shaped.
- One anchor habit. Install one habit before stacking others.
- Herd effects, not mandates. Visibility and social proof, not rules and requirements.
- Name specific people and processes. "Improve the workflow" is not a Path intervention. "Remove the approval step in [tool]" is.
Pipeline Mode
When invoked with disable-model-invocation context:
- Skip all AskUserQuestion prompts
- Use diagnosis Path assessment as input
- Make reasonable assumptions, flag them in output
- Write output file without waiting for confirmation
