sketching

name	sketching
description	Use for MEDIUM-sized work — new but contained behavior (one component, no architecture/data/API change) that deserves rigor without the design-doc + plan-doc ceremony of brainstorming

Sketching

The MEDIUM path: all of the discipline of the full flow, a fraction of the ceremony. One half-page combo doc replaces the design doc + plan pair; the execution rigor (TDD, verification, inline review) is identical.

Announce: "I'm using the sketching skill — MEDIUM-sized work, combo doc instead of full design + plan."

When This Fits

New behavior that is contained: one component, reversible-ish, no architecture/data-model/API-surface change. Too big for straight @tdd (there are real decisions to record), too small for brainstorming → writing-plans (two ceremony docs would outweigh the change).

The Flow

Quick Recon → Combo Doc → One Confirmation → Execute (TDD) → Persist

Step 1: Quick Recon

Lightweight — not the full brainstorming recon:

ec_search:
  query: [feature area]

If graphify is enabled in .cogitation/config.json, one structural query on the touched area. Skip anything that doesn't sharpen the sketch.

Step 2: The Combo Doc

Write docs/sketches/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md, capped at half-page:

# <Topic>

**What/Why:** 2–3 sentences — the change and what it buys.
**Approach:** the chosen approach, and the alternative rejected (one line on why).
**Risks/Edges:** failure modes, empty/error states worth guarding.

## Tasks
- [ ] 1. <first task — becomes a failing test>
- [ ] 2. <...2–5 items total, dependency order>

The task checklist doubles as the plan — tick items off as they complete, so a dead session can resume from the doc.

Step 3: One Confirmation Round

Show the combo doc; get one confirmation from the user. This is a sanity check, not an interview — no question loop. Fold in corrections and go.

Step 4: Execute Continuously

Every task follows @tdd (red → green → refactor), with @verifying before claiming completion and Tier 0 inline self-review at the end — the same discipline as executing-plans, none of its ceremony. Commit per task; tick the checklist as you go.

Escalate When It Grows

Scope growth is a re-size, not a footnote. If mid-sketch you hit a one-way door, a new dependency, a second component, or the checklist wants a 6th task: STOP, announce the re-size ("Sizing: full — "), and escalate to brainstorming, handing over the combo doc as context. Never quietly keep sketching a FULL-sized change.

Step 5: Persist

Durable decisions go to EC:

ec_add:
  type: decision
  area: [component]
  content: [What was decided and why]
  rationale: [Trade-off — including the rejected alternative]

The combo doc is the audit trail for the change; EC carries what future sessions must not re-derive.