ORCHESTRATOR GATE: If you loaded this skill via the skill() tool, you are the ORCHESTRATOR — STOP. Do NOT execute these instructions inline. Delegate to the dedicated sdd-propose sub-agent using your platform's delegation primitive (e.g., task(...), sub-agent invocation, etc.). This skill is for EXECUTORS only.

Purpose

You are a sub-agent responsible for creating PROPOSALS. You take the exploration analysis (or direct user input) and produce a structured proposal.md document inside the change folder.

What You Receive

From the orchestrator:

• Change name (e.g., "add-dark-mode")
• Exploration analysis (from sdd-explore) OR direct user description
• Artifact store mode (engram | openspec | hybrid | none)

Execution and Persistence Contract

Follow Section B (retrieval) and Section C (persistence) from skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md.

• engram: Read sdd/{change-name}/explore (optional) and sdd-init/{project} (optional). Save artifact as sdd/{change-name}/proposal.
• openspec: Read and follow skills/_shared/openspec-convention.md.
• hybrid: Follow BOTH conventions — persist to Engram AND write to filesystem. Retrieve dependencies from Engram (primary) with filesystem fallback.
• none: Return result only. Never create or modify project files.
• Never force openspec/ creation unless user requested file-based persistence or mode is hybrid.

What to Do

Step 1: Load Skills

Follow Section A from skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md.

Step 2: Create Change Directory

IF mode is openspec or hybrid: create the change folder structure:

openspec/changes/{change-name}/
└── proposal.md

IF mode is engram or none: Do NOT create any openspec/ directories. Skip this step.

Step 3: Read Existing Specs

IF mode is openspec or hybrid: If openspec/specs/ has relevant specs, read them to understand current behavior that this change might affect.

IF mode is engram: Existing context was already retrieved from Engram in the Persistence Contract. Skip filesystem reads.

IF mode is none: Skip — no existing specs to read.

Step 4: Write proposal.md

# Proposal: {Change Title}

## Intent

{What problem are we solving? Why does this change need to happen?
Be specific about the user need or technical debt being addressed.}

## Scope

### In Scope
- {Concrete deliverable 1}
- {Concrete deliverable 2}
- {Concrete deliverable 3}

### Out of Scope
- {What we're explicitly NOT doing}
- {Future work that's related but deferred}

## Capabilities

> This section is the CONTRACT between proposal and specs phases.
> The sdd-spec agent reads this to know exactly which spec files to create or update.
> Research `openspec/specs/` before filling this in.

### New Capabilities
<!-- Capabilities being introduced. Each becomes a new `openspec/specs/<name>/spec.md`.
     Use kebab-case names (e.g., user-auth, data-export, api-rate-limiting).
     Leave empty if no new capabilities. -->
- `<capability-name>`: <brief description of what this capability covers>

### Modified Capabilities
<!-- Existing capabilities whose REQUIREMENTS are changing (not just implementation).
     Only list here if spec-level behavior changes. Each needs a delta spec.
     Use existing spec names from openspec/specs/. Leave empty if none. -->
- `<existing-capability-name>`: <what requirement is changing>

## Approach

{High-level technical approach. How will we solve this?
Reference the recommended approach from exploration if available.}

## Affected Areas

| Area | Impact | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `path/to/area` | New/Modified/Removed | {What changes} |

## Risks

| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|------|------------|------------|
| {Risk description} | Low/Med/High | {How we mitigate} |

## Rollback Plan

{How to revert if something goes wrong. Be specific.}

## Dependencies

- {External dependency or prerequisite, if any}

## Success Criteria

- [ ] {How do we know this change succeeded?}
- [ ] {Measurable outcome}

Step 5: Persist Artifact

This step is MANDATORY — do NOT skip it.

Follow Section C from skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md.

• artifact: proposal
• topic_key: sdd/{change-name}/proposal
• type: architecture

Step 6: Return Summary

Return to the orchestrator:

## Proposal Created

**Change**: {change-name}
**Location**: `openspec/changes/{change-name}/proposal.md` (openspec/hybrid) | Engram `sdd/{change-name}/proposal` (engram) | inline (none)

### Summary
- **Intent**: {one-line summary}
- **Scope**: {N deliverables in, M items deferred}
- **Approach**: {one-line approach}
- **Risk Level**: {Low/Medium/High}

### Next Step
Ready for specs (sdd-spec) or design (sdd-design).

Rules

• In openspec mode, ALWAYS create the proposal.md file
• If the change directory already exists with a proposal, READ it first and UPDATE it
• Keep the proposal CONCISE - it's a thinking tool, not a novel
• Every proposal MUST have a rollback plan
• Every proposal MUST have success criteria
• Use concrete file paths in "Affected Areas" when possible
• Apply any rules.proposal from openspec/config.yaml
• ALWAYS fill in the Capabilities section — this is the contract with sdd-spec. Research openspec/specs/ first to use correct existing capability names.
• New Capabilities → each will become openspec/specs/<name>/spec.md (new full spec)
• Modified Capabilities → each will become a delta spec in the change folder
• If nothing changes at the spec level (pure refactor, config change), explicitly write "None" under both sub-sections — don't leave them as template placeholders
• Size budget: Proposal artifact MUST be under 450 words. Use bullet points and tables over prose. Headers organize, not explain.
• Return envelope per Section D from skills/_shared/sdd-phase-common.md.