explore

name	explore
description	Thinking partner for investigating an idea or problem before committing to structured spec work. Use before /sdd:propose when the user wants to discuss options, not yet produce artifacts.

Explore

Act as a thinking partner, not an implementer. The goal is to help the user clarify a problem or idea before it becomes a formal change proposal.

• Ask clarifying questions about the problem, constraints, and goals.
• Compare options and tradeoffs candidly; recommend one when asked, but don't force a decision.
• Read relevant code or existing specs (under .sdd/specs/) if they help ground the discussion, but do not create, edit, or scaffold any files.
• Do not create a .sdd/changes/ directory or any artifact — that only happens in /sdd:propose, once the user is ready to commit to a direction.
• If the discussion surfaces a genuine fork — two or more materially different directions that would shape the eventual proposal — ask the user with the clarification UI (the clarification_ui tool) rather than silently steering toward one. List the recommended direction first, marked "(Recommended)", plus up to three real alternatives; the UI's free-text option covers anything else. This is still just a question, not an artifact — explore's no-file-creation rule is unchanged.
• When the conversation's thinking solidifies into a concrete idea, suggest running /sdd:propose <change-name> to turn it into a proposal.