Rfc Drafter

RFC / Proposal Drafter

Turn a technical idea discussed in conversation into a structured RFC or proposal document.

Core Principle

Capture the idea, structure the argument, let the user refine.

Extract everything from conversation context. The user should only need to review and polish, not re-explain.

Workflow

Step 1: Extract from Conversation

Scan the current conversation for:

• The core idea (what is being proposed)
• Motivation (why this matters, what problem it solves)
• Technical details (architecture, APIs, data flows, components)
• Alternatives discussed (other approaches and why they were rejected or deferred)
• Open questions (unresolved points, things that need further investigation)
• Scope and timeline (if mentioned)

Step 2: Confirm Parameters

Use AskQuestion:

AskQuestion:
  title: "Draft RFC / Proposal"
  questions:
    - id: title
      prompt: "RFC title: '<inferred title>' — looks good?"
      options:
        - "Yes (Recommended)"
        - "No, I'll rephrase"
    - id: audience
      prompt: "Who is the audience?"
      options:
        - "Engineering team (Recommended)"
        - "Wider organisation"
        - "External / open source community"
    - id: format
      prompt: "Output format?"
      options:
        - "Markdown file (Recommended)"
        - "Email-ready (professional prose)"
        - "Display only (copy-paste)"
    - id: depth
      prompt: "Level of detail?"
      options:
        - "Standard (Recommended)"
        - "Lightweight (1-2 pages)"
        - "Comprehensive (full design doc)"

Step 3: Draft the RFC

Use the template matching the requested depth.

Standard Template

# RFC: [Title]

**Author:** [name]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Status:** Draft

## Summary

[One paragraph overview of the proposal. A reader should understand the gist
from this section alone.]

## Motivation

[Why is this change needed? What problem does it solve? What happens if we
do nothing? Pull from the conversation context.]

## Proposal

[Detailed technical description of the proposed solution. Include:
- Architecture overview
- Key components and their responsibilities
- API changes or new interfaces
- Data model changes
- Migration strategy (if applicable)]

## Alternatives Considered

### [Alternative 1 name]
[Brief description and why it was rejected or deferred.]

### [Alternative 2 name]
[Brief description and why it was rejected or deferred.]

## Open Questions

- [ ] [Question 1 that needs further investigation]
- [ ] [Question 2 that needs stakeholder input]

## Implementation Plan

| Phase | Description | Estimate |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| 1     | [First milestone] | [timeframe if known] |
| 2     | [Second milestone] | [timeframe if known] |

## References

- [Any links, docs, or prior art mentioned in conversation]

Lightweight Template

# RFC: [Title]

**Author:** [name] | **Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD] | **Status:** Draft

## Summary
[1-2 sentences]

## Motivation
[1-2 paragraphs]

## Proposal
[Core technical approach in 2-4 paragraphs]

## Alternatives Considered
[Brief list with one-line rationale each]

## Open Questions
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

Comprehensive Template

Extends the Standard template with additional sections:

## Security Considerations
[Authentication, authorisation, data privacy implications]

## Performance Considerations
[Expected load, latency requirements, scalability concerns]

## Observability
[Logging, metrics, alerting, dashboards needed]

## Rollout Plan
[Feature flags, canary deployment, rollback strategy]

## Success Metrics
[How will we know this was successful? KPIs, acceptance criteria]

Email Template

Subject: [RFC] [Title]

Hi [audience],

I'd like to propose [one-sentence summary].

**Why:** [motivation in 2-3 sentences]

**What:** [proposal in 1-2 paragraphs]

**Alternatives considered:** [brief list]

**Open questions:**
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

I've attached/linked the full RFC for detailed review: [link or attachment note]

Looking forward to your feedback.

Best,
[name]

Step 4: Present for Review

Display the full draft and ask:

AskQuestion:
  title: "Review RFC"
  questions:
    - id: approve
      prompt: "Review the RFC above. What would you like to do?"
      options:
        - "Looks good, save it (Recommended)"
        - "Adjust the tone or depth"
        - "I want to edit specific sections"
        - "Display only (I'll copy-paste)"

Step 5: Output

Based on user choice:

• Save: Write to file. Default path: docs/rfcs/YYYY-MM-DD-kebab-title.md. Create the directory if needed.
• Display only: Output the final text for copy-paste.
• Email: Output the email-formatted version for copy-paste.

Report the file path if saved.

Tone Guidance by Audience

Important Notes

• Never fabricate technical details not discussed in conversation. If a section needs information the conversation didn't cover, write [TODO: ...] as a placeholder.
• Date format is ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD).
• The kebab-case filename should match the title (e.g. 2025-06-19-use-event-driven-architecture.md).
• If the user asks for "a proposal" or "a design doc" without saying "RFC", still use this skill — they're the same deliverable.