| name | shaping:refine |
| description | Use when an artefact is clear but has open decisions to work through. Convergent, decision-driven shaping for Designs, Plans, Tasks, Reports, Research, Presentations, Printables, Mockups.
|
Shaping: Refine
Works through open decisions one at a time until the artefact meets its type's shaping bar.
Prerequisites
If you don't have an artefact path and transcript path from the parent skill or brainstorm, read and follow shaping/assess first to set up the session.
Set the Agenda
Review the artefact's open questions or decision table. Skip what's already resolved. Inventory what remains. For resumptions, the artefact is the source of truth — not old transcripts.
Convergent Shaping Loop
- Each question references decisions:
Q3 [D2, D4]
- Follow the shared Q&A rules in
shaping/assess
- After each answer: update the artefact via
brain_edit, update the decision table, record the turn in the transcript
- Show progress after every turn: "3 of 5 decisions resolved"
- Only the user closes decisions. Present conclusions, confirm before marking resolved.
Completing Shaping
- Don't assume done. When questions are resolved, enter completion review — don't declare shaped.
- Agent self-review (silent). Before presenting gaps, do a quick pass: fix placeholder text, internal contradictions, vague language, scope drift. Just fix them — don't present mechanical errors as gaps.
- Review against the bar from the type's
## Shaping section: internal consistency, completeness, clarity, links/provenance.
- Present gaps to the user: "Review found X potential gaps: [list]. Do any of these need more shaping?" Only flagged gaps become new questions. Do not resume shaping without confirmation.
- When review passes: Confirm with the user before changing status — "Set status to
ready?" Set status via brain_edit. Signal: "Fully shaped — [artefact] is ready."
Red Flags
- Asking multiple questions in one turn
- Closing a decision without user confirmation
- Inventing your own completion criteria instead of reading the type's bar
- Declaring "fully shaped" without running the completion review
- Changing status without explicit user approval
- Presenting strawman alternatives where one option is obviously better
- Jumping to solutions before framing the problem being decided