grill-with-docs

name	grill-with-docs
description	Relentless goal/design interview that sharpens framing and writes durable docs (brainstorm artifact, ADRs, glossary) as decisions crystallize. Use when refining a flywheel goal, pressure-testing scope, or "grill with docs".

grill-with-docs

CURSOR PORT: Use AskQuestion (not AskQuestion). Same option sets; free-text via Other when the host supports it.

Adversarial goal framing for the flywheel. Interview hard. Write docs as you go. Exit with artifacts the planner already knows how to consume.

When to use

• Goal is ambiguous, contested, or architectural
• Domain language is fuzzy and will leak into beads
• You need durable ADRs so later cycles do not re-litigate the same choice
• Flywheel Step 0e / "Set a goal" offered Grill (with docs) and the operator picked it

When NOT to use

• Concrete bugfix / one-file chore (use Light Phase 0.5 or skip framing)
• Operator already has a detailed multi-paragraph goal (≤300 chars is not required — if scope + constraints + success criteria are already explicit, skip)
• You need a full product design spec with mockups → use /brainstorming instead
• You need competing scored idea lists → use /idea-wizard or /flywheel-duel

Hard gates

1. No plan / beads / code / implementation skills until the Goal Card is approved.
2. Every operator decision uses AskQuestion (2–4 labeled options). Free-text walls of questions are bugs. The "Other" field absorbs custom answers.
3. One load-bearing decision per turn. Do not batch five unrelated choices into one question.
4. Do not invent a full implementation plan. That is Step 5 (flywheel_plan). Grill ends at framing + docs.

Inputs

Expect these from the caller (orchestrator / start skill):

Input	Source	Required
RAW_GOAL	USER_INPUT or "Set a goal" Other field	yes
CWD	project root	yes
GOAL_SLUG	slugify(raw goal) — lowercase, hyphens, strip non-alphanumerics, max 80	derive if missing
TODAY	YYYY-MM-DD	derive if missing

Process

0. Resume check

Before interviewing, look for prior framing:

ls docs/brainstorms/${GOAL_SLUG}-*.md 2>/dev/null | tail -1
ls docs/adr/*${GOAL_SLUG}* 2>/dev/null | head
test -f CONTEXT.md && echo has-context || test -f docs/glossary.md && echo has-glossary || true

If a brainstorm for this slug exists and contains ## Framing synthesis and ## Scope floor and ## Ambition ceiling:

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "Found prior grill/brainstorm at <path>. How to proceed?",
  header: "Resume",
  options: [
    { label: "Reuse as-is (Recommended)", description: "Skip interview; re-emit enriched goal from the existing artifact" },
    { label: "Grill deltas only", description: "Load prior answers; only re-open contested or missing decisions" },
    { label: "Start fresh", description: "Ignore prior artifact and run a full grill" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

• Reuse as-is → jump to Step 6 (handoff) using the existing file.
• Grill deltas only → load prior answers into working memory; only ask questions whose prior answers are missing or marked contested.
• Start fresh → continue from Step 1.

1. Context skim (silent)

Read, without dumping raw output to the user:

1. AGENTS.md / README.md (if present) — project constraints
2. CONTEXT.md or docs/glossary.md (if present) — domain terms
3. Recent docs/adr/*.md (top 5 by mtime) — settled decisions to avoid re-litigating
4. git log --oneline -10 — hot paths

If the raw goal spans multiple independent subsystems, stop and decompose first:

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "This goal looks multi-subsystem. Grill which slice first?",
  header: "Decompose",
  options: [
    { label: "Slice A first", description: "<name the first independent subsystem>" },
    { label: "Slice B first", description: "<name the second>" },
    { label: "Keep as one cycle", description: "Accept the wide scope (risky — only if truly inseparable)" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

Narrow RAW_GOAL to the chosen slice before continuing.

2. Relentless interview (AskQuestion loop)

Run 4–8 rounds. Stop early when answers stop changing scope (see Step 3).

Prefer this question bank order. Skip any question already answered by prior artifacts or by RAW_GOAL itself.

Q1 — Problem (why now)

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "What problem does '<RAW_GOAL>' solve that is painful *right now*?",
  header: "Problem",
  options: [
    { label: "Broken / failing path", description: "Something that should work does not" },
    { label: "Missing capability", description: "Users cannot do X at all today" },
    { label: "Friction / cost", description: "Works but is slow, error-prone, or expensive" },
    { label: "Strategic bet", description: "Not painful yet; we want the option" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

Record as answer id problem-now.

Q2 — Scope floor (smallest shippable)

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "What is the SMALLEST version that is still worth shipping this cycle?",
  header: "Floor",
  options: [
    { label: "Core-only slice", description: "Load-bearing primitive only; skip every nice-to-have" },
    { label: "Happy-path MVP", description: "80% case end-to-end; defer edges and polish" },
    { label: "Time-boxed prototype", description: "Whatever lands in one cycle; throwaway OK" },
    { label: "Other (describe)", description: "Specify the floor in Other" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

Record as scope-floor (also feeds Phase 0.5 "Smallest version").

Q3 — Ambition ceiling (10x / not-this-cycle)

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "What is the 10x version we are *not* building this cycle?",
  header: "Ceiling",
  options: [
    { label: "Breadth expansion", description: "Same pattern across every related surface" },
    { label: "Depth expansion", description: "One surface, radically smarter / automated" },
    { label: "Platform play", description: "Reusable infrastructure others build on" },
    { label: "Other (describe)", description: "Specify the ceiling in Other" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

Record as ambition-ceiling.

Q4 — Non-goals

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "What must we explicitly NOT do this cycle?",
  header: "Non-goals",
  options: [
    { label: "No UI / UX changes", description: "Backend or tooling only" },
    { label: "No schema / data migration", description: "Keep storage shape stable" },
    { label: "No new dependencies", description: "Use what is already in-tree" },
    { label: "Other (describe)", description: "Name the non-goal in Other" }
  ],
  multiSelect: true
}])

Record each as non-goal-* / exclude-* / avoid-* so synthesizeGoal buckets them correctly.

Q5 — Success criteria (must be falsifiable)

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "How will we know this goal *failed*?",
  header: "Success",
  options: [
    { label: "Tests / CI gate", description: "Named suite must stay green / reach coverage X" },
    { label: "User-visible behavior", description: "A concrete path a human can exercise" },
    { label: "Metric threshold", description: "Latency, error rate, or cost bound" },
    { label: "Other (describe)", description: "Write a falsifiable criterion in Other" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

Record as success-criteria. Reject vague answers like "it feels better" — re-ask once with a stricter prompt if needed.

Q6 — Constraints that kill options

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "Which hard constraint would kill otherwise-good designs?",
  header: "Constraints",
  options: [
    { label: "Compatibility", description: "Must not break existing callers / checkpoints / schemas" },
    { label: "Security / privacy", description: "AuthZ, secrets, or data-handling constraints" },
    { label: "Performance budget", description: "Latency, memory, or CPU ceiling" },
    { label: "Other (describe)", description: "Name the killer constraint in Other" }
  ],
  multiSelect: true
}])

Record as constraint-*.

Q7 — Irreversible decision (ADR candidate)

Only ask when the interview surfaced a real fork:

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "We chose <A> over <B> because <reason>. Record as an ADR?",
  header: "ADR",
  options: [
    { label: "Yes, write ADR (Recommended)", description: "Load-bearing; future explorers should not re-suggest B casually" },
    { label: "No — preference only", description: "Reversible or time-local; skip ADR" },
    { label: "Revisit the choice", description: "I am not sure — re-open the fork" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

If Yes, write docs/adr/YYYY-MM-DD-<short-slug>.md immediately (Step 5a). If Revisit, re-ask the fork with sharper options.

Q8 — What would make this the wrong goal?

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "What evidence would prove we framed the *wrong goal*?",
  header: "Kill criteria",
  options: [
    { label: "Users want a different job", description: "Underlying job-to-be-done is elsewhere" },
    { label: "Already solved in-tree", description: "Existing path covers it; we should pick it up, not rebuild" },
    { label: "Wrong layer", description: "Should be docs / process / config, not code" },
    { label: "None — framing is solid", description: "Proceed; no kill signal known" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

If the operator picks anything other than "None", either reframe RAW_GOAL or abort back to the start menu with an explicit note.

3. Stop rule

Stop the interview when any of:

1. 8 questions asked, or
2. Last 2 answers did not change scope floor / non-goals / success criteria, or
3. Operator says framing is solid on Q8

Then present the Goal Card (Step 4).

4. Goal Card approval

Synthesize a short Goal Card in chat (not a file yet):

## Goal Card
- **Goal:** <one sentence>
- **Floor:** <smallest shippable>
- **Ceiling (deferred):** <10x not-this-cycle>
- **Non-goals:** <bullets>
- **Success:** <falsifiable criterion>
- **Constraints:** <bullets>
- **ADRs this cycle:** <paths or "none">

AskQuestion(questions: [{
  question: "Goal Card ready. Approve framing?",
  header: "Approve",
  options: [
    { label: "Approve (Recommended)", description: "Write brainstorm (+ ADRs/glossary) and hand off to flywheel_select" },
    { label: "Tweak floor/ceiling", description: "Re-open Q2/Q3 only" },
    { label: "Tweak non-goals / success", description: "Re-open Q4/Q5 only" },
    { label: "Abort", description: "Discard; return to caller without writing artifacts" }
  ],
  multiSelect: false
}])

Loop until Approve or Abort. On Abort, return { status: "aborted" } to the caller — do not write files.

5. Write durable docs

5a. ADR(s) — only load-bearing

For each approved ADR candidate, write:

docs/adr/YYYY-MM-DD-<short-slug>.md

# ADR: <title>

**Date:** <YYYY-MM-DD>
**Status:** accepted
**Goal slug:** <GOAL_SLUG>

## Context
<what forced the decision>

## Decision
<what we chose>

## Alternatives considered
- <B> — rejected because <reason>

## Consequences
- <positive>
- <negative / follow-ups>

Skip ADRs for ephemeral "not now" preferences.

5b. Glossary — only new terms

If the interview named a domain concept not in CONTEXT.md (preferred) or docs/glossary.md:

• Create the file lazily if missing
• Append a one-line definition under a ## Terms heading
• Do not rewrite existing entries without operator approval

5c. Brainstorm artifact (required)

Write with the Write tool (not bash heredoc):

docs/brainstorms/<GOAL_SLUG>-<TODAY>.md

Required shape (planner + Phase 0.5 skip both depend on these headings):

# Brainstorm — <goal title>

**Date:** <YYYY-MM-DD>
**Goal slug:** <GOAL_SLUG>
**Source:** grill-with-docs (skills/grill-with-docs)

## Framing synthesis

<2–4 sentences: what we are building, what we are NOT building, ambition ceiling deferred.>

## Scope floor

- **Selected:** <label>
- **Detail:** <description + Other text>

## Ambition ceiling

- **Selected:** <label>
- **Detail:** <description + Other text>

## Adjacent asks

- **Selected:** <label or "Nothing adjacent">
- **Detail:** <detail or n/a>

## Non-goals

- <bullet>

## Success criteria

- <falsifiable criterion>

## Constraints

- <bullet>

## ADRs

- <path> — <one-line decision>
- (none)

## Glossary updates

- <term>: <definition>
- (none)

## User answers

### problem-now
- **Selected:** <label>
- **Detail:** <…>

### scope-floor
…

## Planner instructions

Planner agents: read this file FIRST. Anchor the plan's scope to the Scope floor.
Reserve Ambition ceiling as a "future direction" appendix, not a v1 requirement.
Honor Non-goals and Constraints literally. Treat ADRs as settled unless the plan
explicitly reopens one with new evidence.

Also keep a ## Smallest version (scope floor) / ## 10x version (ambition ceiling) / ## Adjacent asks (scope creep radar) mirror block if you want byte-for-byte Phase 0.5 compatibility — optional when the headings above are present.

6. Handoff to flywheel

Build an enriched goal string. Prefer the pure helper if the MCP server is available:

// ids MUST use the bucket keywords from goal-refinement.ts:
// scope|target|layer → Scope
// constraint → Constraints
// non-goal|exclude|avoid|value no-|avoid- → Non-Goals
// success|criteria|quality|test → Success Criteria
// else → Implementation Notes
import { synthesizeGoal } from 'mcp-server/src/goal-refinement.ts'; // conceptual
const enrichedGoal = synthesizeGoal(RAW_GOAL, answers);

If you cannot import the helper, format the same markdown sections by hand:

## Goal
<one-sentence goal>

## Scope
- <floor>

## Constraints
- …

## Non-Goals
- …

## Success Criteria
- …

## Implementation Notes
- **problem-now**: …
- **ambition-ceiling**: …
- **brainstorm**: docs/brainstorms/<slug>-<date>.md
- **adrs**: <paths or none>

Then:

1. Call flywheel_select({ cwd, goal: enrichedGoal }) only if the caller asked you to (start skill does this itself after the skill returns — see integration contract below).
2. Print a one-line summary:

Grill complete → brainstorm=docs/brainstorms/<slug>-<date>.md adrs=<N> glossary=<N> status=approved

3. Return control to the caller. Do not call flywheel_plan or create beads.

Integration contract (for skills/start / _ceremony.md / _discover.md)

When the Cursor start ceremony or discover phase invokes this skill:

Caller responsibility	This skill responsibility
Capture RAW_GOAL	Interview + docs
Invoke skill / follow this body	Write brainstorm (+ optional ADRs/glossary)
Call flywheel_select after approve	Provide enriched goal text in the completion summary
Load _planning.md Step 4.5 / 5	Phase 0.5 skip when brainstorm has required headings
Never double-interview	Stop after Goal Card approval

Completion summary MUST include:

GRILL_STATUS=approved|aborted
GRILL_BRAINSTORM=docs/brainstorms/<slug>-<date>.md   # if approved
GRILL_ENRICHED_GOAL=<<EOF
…markdown…
EOF

Anti-patterns

Don't	Do
Freeform multi-question essays	AskQuestion one decision at a time
Write ADRs for "not this week"	ADR only when future agents would re-suggest the rejected option
Produce docs/plans/* here	Hand off; planner owns plans
Re-run Phase 0.5 after a full grill	Skip 0.5 when brainstorm has floor + ceiling + framing
Chain brainstorm + grill + 0.5	One framing path per goal
Inline-paste huge repo dumps into questions	Skim silently; ask about decisions

Done when

• Goal Card approved (or explicit abort)
• docs/brainstorms/<slug>-<date>.md written with required headings (if approved)
• Load-bearing ADRs written (if any)
• Glossary updated only for new terms (if any)
• Completion summary includes GRILL_STATUS + enriched goal
• No plan/bead/code side effects