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
used-by	de-anthropocentric-research-engine

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

Step 3: Pipeline Outline

Synthesize the North Star, ResearchBrief, and user answers into a 5-10 line outline:

Stage 1: [campaign] ([strategies]) — [topic/focus]
Stage 2: [campaign] ([strategies]) — [topic/focus]
...
Stage N: experiment-execution (experiment-design) — [topic]

Present this outline to the user. Wait for confirmation. User may adjust stages, reorder, add, or remove.

Step 4: Write Full Spec

Expand the confirmed outline into a complete Research Spec. Follow this schema exactly:

Spec Header

# Research Spec: <Topic>

> Generated: YYYY-MM-DD
> North Star: <one sentence>
> Scope: <N> stages, estimated <M> sessions
> Source: de-anthropocentric-research-engine

Global Sections

• Global Context Protocol (context-init/checkpoint rules)
• Global Execution Rules (±10% deviation, backtrack confirmation)
• Global Backtrack Conditions

Per-Stage Structure

For EACH stage, write ALL of these fields:

• Objective: What this stage accomplishes
• Expected Input: What context is available from prior stages
• Focus Areas: Specific aspects to emphasize
• Recommended Combination: campaign → strategy-A, strategy-B
• Completion Criteria: Quantified threshold (numeric or objectively verifiable)
• Backtrack Condition: if [condition], → Stage N (requires user confirmation)
• Execution Steps: Checkbox items (context-init, each strategy, checkpoints)

Granularity Rules

• Name specific strategies (not tactics/SOPs — those are CC's choice at execution time)
• Describe what topic/aspect each strategy addresses
• Specify what prior context is available and how to use it
• Quantify ALL completion criteria (no vague "sufficient" or "adequate")
• Focus Areas tell CC what to prioritize within the campaign's scope

Step 5: Spec Self-Review

Invoke spec-self-review SOP. This is MANDATORY and cannot be skipped.

Step 6: User Review

Present the completed spec to the user for review. Wait for approval or change requests. If changes requested, revise and re-run self-review.

Output

Save the spec to: docs/de-anthropocentric/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-spec.md

Inform the user: "Spec complete. To execute, invoke executing-specs with the path to this spec file."