start

name	start
description	First-Run Proof Path - one command that scans your UI code and returns one concrete first fix. Leaf command, no STATE.md writes, no pipeline entry. Writes .design/START-REPORT.md and exits.
argument-hint	[--budget <fast|balanced|thorough>] [--skip-interview] [--dismiss-nudge]
tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, Write, Task
disable-model-invocation	true

Get Design Done - {{command_prefix}}start

Role: the canonical 0→1 proof path. A new user runs {{command_prefix}}start, answers five short questions, and receives .design/START-REPORT.md with three concrete findings in the user's own code, one best_first_proof selected by a deterministic rubric, and a single next command to run.

Non-goals: do NOT write/mutate .design/STATE.md, enter the pipeline state machine, modify source code, auto-install MCPs or run {{command_prefix}}connections, or capture before/after screenshots (that belongs to the full pipeline).

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When to use

• First time opening a repo with the get-design-done plugin installed.
• The user wants a single proof-of-value pass without committing to the pipeline.

When NOT to use

• .design/STATE.md already exists - route to {{command_prefix}}progress instead.
• User asked for a full audit - route to {{command_prefix}}scan.
• User asked to fix a specific file - route to {{command_prefix}}fast.

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Arguments

Flag	Effect
--budget fast	90-second wall-clock cap on the findings scan. Skips thorough detectors.
--budget balanced (default)	3-minute wall-clock cap. All detectors, bounded file walk.
--budget thorough	5-minute wall-clock cap. Used only when the user opts in.
--skip-interview	Skip the 5-question interview; use sane defaults (pain=unspecified, area=detected, budget=balanced, framework=detected, figma=skip).
--dismiss-nudge	Touch ~/.claude/gdd-nudge-dismissed and exit. Does not run the scan.

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Workflow

Six steps, all documented in ./start-procedure.md. Companion file ./reference/start-interview.md holds the 5-question copy + defaults + validation.

Step	What it does	Where to look
0	Dismiss-only shortcut (if --dismiss-nudge)	start-procedure.md#step-0-dismiss-only-shortcut
1	Detect UI root via scripts/lib/detect-ui-root.cjs (early-exit on backend-only or kind: null)	start-procedure.md#step-1-detect-ui-root
2	Run 5-question interview (or use --skip-interview defaults); write .design/.start-context.json (NOT STATE.md)	start-procedure.md#step-2-run-the-5-question-interview + start-interview.md
3	Invoke scripts/lib/start-findings-engine.cjs → up to 3 findings (F1..F3) + bestFirstProofId	start-procedure.md#step-3-scan-findings
4	Spawn design-start-writer Task → emit .design/START-REPORT.md (7 H2 sections + JSON block, no STATE.md write)	start-procedure.md#step-4-spawn-the-writer
5	Print one-line handoff with suggested command (fallback: {{command_prefix}}brief if bestFirstProofId is null); emit ## START COMPLETE	start-procedure.md#step-5-print-the-handoff

Failure handling: every error path exits with ## START COMPLETE plus a one-line pointer. Do not half-write files - if the writer fails, keep .design/.start-context.json and tell the user they can rerun. Do not delete .design/ unless it was empty before the run.

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Do Not

• Do not write or mutate .design/STATE.md.
• Do not modify source code.
• Do not auto-install MCPs or write to .design/config.json.
• Do not take more than the budgeted wall-clock - let the engine truncate findings rather than hang.
• Do not invent findings - the findings engine output is the sole source of truth.

START COMPLETE