| name | ferrox-spike |
| description | You want to find out whether something will work at all. Throwaway experiment, not a build |
| argument-hint | [idea to validate] [--quick] [--text] [--wrap-up] or [frontier] |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write","Edit","Bash","Grep","Glob","AskUserQuestion","WebSearch","WebFetch","mcp__context7__resolve-library-id","mcp__context7__query-docs"] |
Spike an idea through experiential exploration — build focused experiments to feel the pieces
of a future app, validate feasibility, and produce verified knowledge for the real build.
Spikes live in `.planning/spikes/` and integrate with Ferrox commit patterns, state tracking,
and handoff workflows.
Two modes:
- Idea mode (default) — describe an idea to spike
- Frontier mode (no argument or "frontier") — analyzes existing spike landscape and proposes integration and frontier spikes
Does not require prior new-project setup — auto-creates .planning/spikes/ if needed.
<execution_context>
@/.claude/ferrox-core/workflows/spike.md
@/.claude/ferrox-core/workflows/spike-wrap-up.md
@~/.claude/ferrox-core/references/ui-brand.md
</execution_context>
<runtime_note>
Copilot (VS Code): Use vscode_askquestions wherever this workflow calls AskUserQuestion.
</runtime_note>
Idea: $ARGUMENTS
Available flags:
--quick — Skip decomposition/alignment, jump straight to building. Use when you already know what to spike.--text — Use plain-text numbered lists instead of AskUserQuestion (for non-Claude runtimes).--wrap-up — Package spike findings into a persistent project skill for future build conversations. Runs the spike-wrap-up workflow.
Parse the first token of $ARGUMENTS:
- If it is `--wrap-up`: strip the flag, execute the spike-wrap-up workflow
- Otherwise: pass all of $ARGUMENTS as the idea to the spike workflow end-to-end.
Preserve all workflow gates (prior spike check, decomposition, research, risk ordering, observability assessment, verification, MANIFEST updates, commit patterns).
