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General-purpose interview skill to figure out what user actually needs. Upstream of everything—chains into personality-builder, brainstorming, debugging, or any creative/building work.
Use when completing work in a worktree or ending a session - writes a structured memory transfer record so the next agent can continue without context loss; prevents duplicate work and cold-start ramp-up
Use when starting work on a project or entering a worktree - reads handoff records and active agent state to synthesize a briefing; prevents cold-start ramp-up and duplicate work
Use when updating agent coordination skills from external repositories - extracts architectural patterns from source repos and proposes skill updates with provenance tracking; prevents cargo culting and stale patterns
Use during parallel agent work to write coordination signals - structured journal entries for claims, decisions, problems, and completions; prevents merge conflicts and duplicate work between concurrent agents
Build AI personalities from fictional characters using archetype extraction methodology. Transforms roleplay characters into universally useful behavioral profiles.
Use when starting a session with personality enabled - injects persona context while protecting code and technical content
| name | discovery |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| description | General-purpose interview skill to figure out what user actually needs. Upstream of everything—chains into personality-builder, brainstorming, debugging, or any creative/building work. |
| triggers | ["I don't know what I want","help me figure out","I'm not sure","what should I","discovery"] |
Purpose: Figure out what the user actually needs before building anything.
This skill is UPSTREAM of everything. It chains into personality-builder, brainstorming, systematic-debugging, or any other skill once clarity is achieved.
Skip this skill if: User has clear, specific requirements and knows exactly what they need.
This skill COMBINES with active personality—it does NOT override it.
1. Detect active personality
→ Check $CLAUDE_INSTANCE env var
→ Read personality config (instance or global)
→ Load personality profile
2. Skill provides: QUESTIONS and PROCESS
3. Personality provides: VOICE and ENERGY
4. Output: Clear understanding + recommended next skill
Example - Discovery as Mordecai:
"Alright, let me figure out what you actually need here.
Cut the crap—what's not working right now?
...
Okay. I'm hearing [X]. But here's what I think you're REALLY saying: [Y].
Am I wrong?"
Example - Discovery as Donut:
"Ah, another supplicant arrives with... vague desires.
How quaint. Describe what troubles you, peasant.
...
I see. You THINK you want [X]. But clearly, the actual need is [Y].
You're welcome for the clarity."
Example - Discovery without personality:
"Let me help you clarify what you're looking for.
What's the problem you're trying to solve?
...
Based on what you've described, it sounds like you need [Y].
Does that match what you're thinking?"
People arrive with different levels of clarity:
| Entry Type | Example | What They Actually Need |
|---|---|---|
| Problem they can define | "The AI is boring" | Discovery: what's boring? What's the opposite? |
| Right problem, poor definition | "I need something more fun" | Clarify: fun how? Energy? Humor? Irreverence? |
| Wrong problem, correct definition | "I need a coding assistant" | Dig deeper: do you need HELP or a COLLABORATOR? |
| Joy of creation | "I just want to make something" | Explore: what sparks you? What lives in your head? |
| Evolved understanding | "Donut worked, now I want utility" | Build on success: what worked? What's missing? |
| Stuck but can't articulate | "Something's not working" | Diagnose: what changed? What feels wrong? |
Ask these in your active personality's voice:
"What brought you here today?"
"Describe what's not working right now"
"If this worked perfectly, what would that feel like?"
"Do you have something specific in mind, or just a feeling?"
"What's the REAL problem?"
After gathering information, REFLECT BACK:
"Okay. Here's what I'm hearing:
You said [X], but I think what you actually mean is [Y].
The real problem isn't [surface issue]—it's [deeper issue].
Am I wrong?"
This gives the user a chance to correct you BEFORE you chain into action.
Once discovery is complete, recommend the appropriate next skill:
| Discovery finds... | Chains to... | Invoke with... |
|---|---|---|
| "You want a personality" | personality-builder | Skill tool → personality-builder |
| "You want a feature" | brainstorming | Skill tool → superpowers:brainstorming |
| "You're stuck on a bug" | systematic-debugging | Skill tool → superpowers:systematic-debugging |
| "You want to explore code" | Explore agent | Task tool → subagent_type: Explore |
| "You need a plan" | writing-plans | Skill tool → superpowers:writing-plans |
| "You want to build something" | brainstorming → plan | Chain skills |
Announce the chain:
"Alright. Based on what we figured out, you need [X].
I'm going to invoke [skill] to handle this.
[invoke skill]"
If you catch yourself thinking:
| Thought | Reality |
|---|---|
| "They said what they want, let's build" | Did they? Or did they say what they THINK they want? |
| "This is obvious" | Obvious to whom? Check your assumptions. |
| "Skip discovery, it's simple" | Simple requests hide complex needs. Ask anyway. |
| "They'll figure it out" | They came to YOU. Help them figure it out. |
| "I know what they mean" | Reflect it back. Let them confirm. |
After discovery, provide:
## Discovery Complete
**What you said**: [their original request]
**What you actually need**: [the real underlying need]
**Entry type**: [problem/joy/evolution/stuck/etc.]
**Recommended next step**: [skill to invoke]
[If personality active: deliver this in personality voice]
---
Invoking [skill]...
Before chaining to next skill:
What he said: "The AI is boring"
Discovery found:
Chained to: personality-builder → built Princess Donut
What he said: "I could use this pattern for something practical"
Discovery found:
Chained to: personality-builder → built Mordecai
What he said: TBD
Discovery will find: TBD through this process
Will chain to: personality-builder
Discovery ensures you build the right thing before you build the thing right.