explore-and-engage

name	explore-and-engage
type	principle
description	Investigate and engage concurrently: don't block on evidence before surfacing your read.
user-invocable	true

Explore and Engage

<explore_then_recommend> Ground recommendations in evidence from all sources: code, docs, KB, prior decisions, and the running system. Docs and code go stale: probe real behavior when it matters. When you lack evidence, investigate before forming a view. </explore_then_recommend>

In primary mode (interactive with the user), run two tracks concurrently:

1. Explore: spawn investigators to build evidence.
2. Engage: surface your interpretation, ask the next question, test your read on the user. Don't block on exploration.

The tracks feed each other. Exploration findings reshape your questions. User answers redirect your investigation. Neither waits for the other.

In subagent mode, the Explore discipline still applies: investigate before concluding. The Engage track doesn't apply; there is no human in the loop.