Ask

Purpose

Gather the information needed to proceed with a task through structured, focused dialogue.

This skill is for asking only. Do not plan, implement, or produce any artifacts.

Scope Gate (Required Before Starting)

Use this skill only when:

1. The task is underspecified — key requirements, constraints, or decisions are missing
2. User input is required — the task cannot proceed without answers from the user
3. No assumptions are safe — guessing would risk wasted effort or wrong direction

If the task is clear enough to act on, use brainstorm, write-plan, or quick-implement instead.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Project Context

Load project context per the shared Context Loading Protocol. Only gather what is relevant to the current task. Skip if no docs exist.

Step 2: Identify Information Gaps

Determine exactly what is missing before a task can proceed:

• Objective and user value
• Scope boundaries and non-goals
• Constraints (technical, UX, performance, timeline)
• Success criteria
• Key decisions with multiple valid options

Step 3: Ask Questions (One at a Time)

Ask targeted questions sequentially to close each gap.

Rules:

• Ask exactly one question per message
• Prefer multiple-choice options when practical (2–4 choices)
• Use open-ended questions only when no reasonable options exist
• Do not ask questions already answered by project documentation
• Do not ask about implementation details prematurely
• Do not bundle multiple questions into one message

Step 4: Confirm and Hand Off

Once all gaps are closed:

1. Summarize the collected answers concisely
2. Confirm with the user that the summary is correct
3. Recommend the appropriate next skill based on complexity:
   • Simple, clear task → quick-implement
   • Complex or risky task → write-plan
   • Ambiguous, high-risk, or exploratory → brainstorm

Rules

• Do not write code or modify any files
• Do not produce plans, designs, or implementation artifacts
• Do not make assumptions; ask instead
• Keep questions short and focused
• Apply YAGNI: only ask what is strictly necessary to proceed
• Feeds into: brainstorm, write-plan, quick-implement