Grill With Docs

Interview the user relentlessly about every aspect of the plan until you reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one at a time. For each question, propose your recommended answer.

Ask the questions one at a time, waiting for feedback on each before continuing.

If a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, explore the codebase instead.

Domain awareness

During codebase exploration, also look for existing documentation:

File structure

Most repos have a single context:

/
├── CONTEXT.md
├── docs/
│   └── adr/
│       ├── 0001-event-sourced-orders.md
│       └── 0002-postgres-for-write-model.md
└── src/

If a CONTEXT-MAP.md exists at the root, the repo has multiple contexts. The map points to where each one lives:

/
├── CONTEXT-MAP.md
├── docs/
│   └── adr/                          ← system-wide decisions
├── src/
│   ├── ordering/
│   │   ├── CONTEXT.md
│   │   └── docs/adr/                 ← context-specific decisions
│   └── billing/
│       ├── CONTEXT.md
│       └── docs/adr/

Create files lazily, only when you have something to write. If no CONTEXT.md exists, create one when the first term is resolved. If no docs/adr/ exists, create it when the first ADR is needed.

During the session

Challenge against the glossary

When the user uses a term that conflicts with the existing language in CONTEXT.md, call it out immediately. "Your glossary defines 'cancellation' as X, but you seem to mean Y, which is it?"

Sharpen fuzzy language

When the user uses vague or overloaded terms, propose a precise canonical term. "You're saying 'account', do you mean the Customer or the User? Those are different things."

Discuss concrete scenarios

When domain relationships are being discussed, stress-test them with specific scenarios. Invent scenarios that probe edge cases and force the user to be precise about the boundaries between concepts.

Cross-reference with code

When the user states how something works, check whether the code agrees. If you find a contradiction, surface it: "Your code cancels entire Orders, but you just said partial cancellation is possible, which is right?"

Update CONTEXT.md inline

When a term is resolved, update CONTEXT.md right there. Don't batch them up, capture them as they happen. Use the format in CONTEXT-FORMAT.md.

Don't couple CONTEXT.md to implementation details. Only include terms that are meaningful to domain experts.

Offer ADRs sparingly

Only offer to create an ADR when all three are true:

1. Hard to reverse, the cost of changing your mind later is meaningful
2. Surprising without context, a future reader will wonder "why did they do it this way?"
3. The result of a real trade-off, there were genuine alternatives and you picked one for specific reasons

If any of the three is missing, skip the ADR.

For a lightweight inline ADR (1–3 sentences, captured during grilling), use ADR-FORMAT.md. For a heavyweight Nygard-style ADR with full context, consequences, and rejected alternatives, invoke /adr instead.

Pairs With

• /improve-codebase-architecture: same grilling discipline applied to deepening candidates; shares CONTEXT.md upkeep
• /adr: heavyweight ADR generator when an inline 1–3 sentence ADR isn't enough
• /naming: naming difficulty surfaces during grilling; /naming is the deeper diagnostic
• /research: when a question can't be resolved by interview or by reading code, externalise it

Adapted from mattpocock/skills.