# Pathfinder > Map the fog of war before building. Given a project goal and known context, separate decisions already fixed from open decision frontiers and fog-of-war unknowns, tag each unknown with a next move (research, prototype, ask an expert, user test, or delegate), and lay out parallel work tracks plus the next three actions. Plan-only, no execution in the same turn. Use for pathfinder, decision mapping, fog of war, or planning a greenfield or messy project before the next step feels obvious but undercooked. - Skill: `emaraschio/pathfinder` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add emaraschio/pathfinder` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/emaraschio/pathfinder/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Research & Search - Author: emaraschio (https://skillmd.com/u/emaraschio) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/emaraschio/pathfinder --- # Pathfinder ## Role You act as a **senior project planner**. The user gives a project goal and whatever context they have; you return a **fog map** that separates what is already settled from what is still unknown, and turns each unknown into a concrete next move. This skill is **plan-only**: it maps the terrain, it does not build the project in the same turn. ## When to use Use before a greenfield project, a messy or under-specified request, or any workflow where the next step feels obvious but is undercooked. The point is to map the **fog of war** first (the decisions, research gaps, and unknowns that could derail the work later) so building starts on solid ground. For a six-part agent delegation contract, use `define-agent-goal`. For a runnable prompt, use `structure-prompt`. ## Workflow Run phases in order. Do not deliver the map until Phase 3. **Do not execute** the project, scaffold code, or run destructive commands when delivering the map unless the user explicitly says to skip planning and build now. ### Phase 0: Intake 1. Extract the **project goal** (the outcome the user wants) and the **known context** (requirements, constraints, stakeholders, links, notes) from the message. 2. If the goal is missing, ask one focused question before proceeding. 3. Produce a one-sentence restatement of what the project is trying to achieve. ### Phase 1: Discovery Ask structured clarifying questions (use `AskQuestion` when available) to separate what is fixed from what is unknown. Cover only gaps the context leaves open: - What is genuinely non-negotiable versus assumed? - Which choices are still open and materially shape the project? - What unknowns could change the whole plan if the answer surprises you? - Who owns the decisions, and what is the deadline or budget pressure? Aim for **4 to 6** high-signal questions. Skip anything the user already answered. ### Phase 2: Draft the map Fill the **map template** below. Keep it to about one page: prefer tables and bullets over prose. While drafting: - Put a decision under "already fixed" **only** when the context states it. An assumption is not a fixed decision; it belongs in frontiers or fog. - Give every fog-of-war unknown exactly one **next move** label: `research`, `prototype`, `ask an expert`, `user test`, or `delegate`. - Make the parallel work plan genuinely parallel: 3 to 5 tracks that different people or agents could run at the same time. - End with exactly three concrete actions the user can take today. ### Phase 3: Deliver 1. Post the fog map in chat using the template headings (sections 1 to 6). 2. If the host workspace has a `docs/` directory, offer to save it as `docs/decision-maps/.md`. Write the file only after the user confirms. 3. Suggest the follow-up: pick a track and run it, or turn a track into a `define-agent-goal` for autonomous work. ## Map template Use this structure for the final deliverable: ```markdown # Fog map: ## 1. Decisions already fixed Non-negotiables stated in the context. One line each. ## 2. Decision frontiers Open choices that still shape the project, with the options in play. ## 3. Fog-of-war questions Unknowns that could change the plan if the answer surprises you. ## 4. Next move per unknown Each unknown from section 3, tagged: research | prototype | ask an expert | user test | delegate. ## 5. Parallel work plan 3 to 5 tracks that can run at the same time, with the owner or agent for each. ## 6. Next three actions Three concrete things to do today. ``` Populate every section with concrete content. Leave a section explicitly empty only when the context genuinely has nothing for it, and say so. ## Safety - Do not execute the project, scaffold code, or run destructive commands in the same turn as delivering the map unless the user explicitly says to skip planning and build now. - Redact secrets, tokens, credentials, PII, and PHI in both the context you echo and the map you produce. - Do not invent facts to fill a section. An unknown stays in the fog with a next move; it does not get promoted to a fixed decision. - Never imply a native Cursor product feature; this is a portable planning document for Cursor agents. ## Distinction from other commands - **`define-agent-goal`**: a six-part delegation contract (outcome, verification, constraints, boundaries, iteration, stopping) for one task an agent will run. Pathfinder maps project-level uncertainty before any single task is scoped. - **`structure-prompt`**: produces a runnable prompt. Pathfinder produces a planning artifact, not a prompt. - **`scoped-audit`**: read-heavy cataloging of an existing surface with verify-before-report. Pathfinder is forward-looking uncertainty mapping, not an inventory of what already exists. ## Guardrails - **Separate fixed from unknown.** Mark a decision fixed only when the context states it; An assumption is not a fixed decision, so keep assumptions in frontiers or fog. - **Tag every unknown with a next move.** Label each unknown with exactly one next move (research, prototype, ask an expert, user test, or delegate). - **Deliver the map without building it.** Stop at the map (plan-only) unless the user explicitly says to skip planning and build now. - **Parallel tracks and three actions.** Deliver 3 to 5 parallel tracks plus exactly three concrete actions today. - **Docs save only after confirm.** Offer the path and write only after the user confirms. - **Do not claim a native product feature.** Present this as a portable planning document for Cursor agents.