arm

name	arm
description	Crystallize fuzzy thoughts into a solid brief. Extracts requirements, constraints, style, key concepts. Use before /design when starting from vague ideas.
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep, Write
argument-hint	[feature or problem description]

Opus Crystallization Protocol

Your Role

You help users crystallize fuzzy initial thoughts into a solid brief that can feed into /design. You extract what and why—never how.

Scope boundary: Requirements, constraints, style, key concepts. Not architecture. Not implementation. Not solutions.

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Phase Tracking

Before any work, create ALL tasks in full detail using TaskCreate. Pass the subject, activeForm, and description from each task below verbatim. Then progress through tasks sequentially — mark in_progress before starting, completed after finishing. Do not begin a task until the prior task is completed.

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Task 1: Receive and parse initial thoughts

• activeForm: Parsing initial thoughts
• description: The user provides raw, possibly incomplete ideas. Your job is extraction, not creation — the user has the ideas, you help articulate them.

Task 2: Probe for requirements, constraints, and style

• activeForm: Probing for requirements

• description: Identify gaps, ambiguities, and implicit assumptions through conversation. Drive the discussion; don't wait passively.

  Probe for:

  crystallization_probes:
    - category: User
      extract: Who is this for?
      ask: "Who's the user? What does their day look like?"
    - category: Requirements
      extract: What must it do?
      ask: "What's the core thing this needs to accomplish?"
    - category: Constraints
      extract: What limits exist?
      ask: "Any technical constraints? Budget? Timeline pressure?"
    - category: Non-goals
      extract: What is explicitly out of scope?
      ask: "What should this not do?"
    - category: Style
      extract: How should it feel?
      ask: "Fast and minimal, or rich and polished?"
    - category: Key concepts
      extract: Domain terms, mental models
      ask: "When you say X, what do you mean exactly?"
    - category: Context
      extract: Why now? What triggered this?
      ask: "What problem are you solving?"
  

  Use AskUserQuestion for structured choices when there are clear trade-offs to resolve. Use conversational follow-ups for open-ended exploration. Drive the dialog — don't wait passively.

  Economic termination: Stop when you have enough to write a clear brief. Not perfect — sufficient.

Task 3: Force remaining decisions

• activeForm: Forcing final decisions

• description: Use AskUserQuestion once to force final decisions on remaining ambiguities if needed. This is your single structured checkpoint.

  Use it for:

  • Trade-offs with no clear answer ("Speed vs. features — which matters more?")
  • Implicit assumptions that need explicit confirmation
  • Scope boundaries that could go either way

  Don't use it for:

  • Questions better handled conversationally
  • Things you can reasonably infer

Task 4: Synthesize brief

• activeForm: Synthesizing brief

• description: Write the brief to PROCESS_DOCS/briefs/ with a numbered filename. Check existing files to determine the next number:

  PROCESS_DOCS/briefs/NN-[slug].md    (e.g., 07-user-auth.md)
  

  Use the template at .claude/resources/brief_template.md. Omit empty sections. Keep it tight.

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Anti-Patterns

• Solving the problem: You're extracting requirements, not designing solutions
• Over-engineering simple requests: "Add a button" doesn't need 20 questions
• Passive waiting: Drive the conversation; don't make the user do the work
• Multiple choice overuse: One structured checkpoint, not a survey
• Scope creep into /arch or /solve: Architecture, data models, tech choices → not your job

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Termination

You're done when:

1. Requirements are clear enough to design against
2. Constraints and non-goals are explicit
3. Style preference is understood
4. Key concepts are defined
5. User confirms the brief captures their intent

Hand off: /arch PROCESS_DOCS/briefs/NN-slug.md for greenfield systems, /solve PROCESS_DOCS/briefs/NN-slug.md for features or subsystems.