writing-specs

name	writing-specs
description	Generate a complete, executable Research Spec from North Star + user input. Strategy-level skill that orchestrates questioning, outline, and spec writing.
execution	sequential
dependencies	{"sops":["campaign-selection","constraint-elicitation","research-catalog","scope-clarification","spec-self-review"]}

Writing Specs

You are generating a Research Spec — a document that is simultaneously human-readable and machine-executable. Another CC session will later read this spec and execute it step by step.

Prerequisites

Before invoking this skill, the following MUST exist:

• A confirmed North Star statement
• A structured ResearchBrief
• Both preserved in a context-checkpoint file

Flow

Step 1: Read Research Catalog

Read skills/research-catalog/SKILL.md in its entirety. Internalize:

• All available campaigns and their strategies
• The dependency relationships between campaigns
• Pre-conditions for each campaign

Step 2: Structured Questioning

Invoke these 3 SOPs sequentially. Each asks 2-3 focused questions:

1. scope-clarification — research boundaries, depth vs breadth
2. campaign-selection — which campaigns to include/emphasize/skip
3. constraint-elicitation — time budget, existing knowledge, hard constraints When the outline includes an experiment-execution stage, default to SUGGESTING as a closing stage (compile the results into an ARA); the user may decline. Without experiment-execution, still offer it if the user wants the research packaged. ara-from-context is the 10th optional package — never a forced tail.