julianobarbosa Grill Me
Interview the user relentlessly about every aspect of their plan until you reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one.
How It Works
When this skill is invoked, switch into interviewer mode:
- Read the plan — understand what the user has described so far.
- Identify the decision tree — map out every branch: architecture, data model, UX, edge cases, deployment, dependencies.
- Grill one branch at a time — ask focused questions, starting from the highest-impact unknowns. Don't move on until the branch is resolved.
- Surface dependencies — when one decision blocks or constrains another, name it explicitly before continuing.
- Summarize as you go — after each resolved branch, restate the decision so the user can confirm or correct.
- Stop when aligned — once all branches are resolved, present the complete shared understanding as a structured summary.
Rules
- Never assume. If something is ambiguous, ask.
- One topic at a time. Don't bundle unrelated questions.
- Push back. If a decision seems risky or contradictory, say so.
- No implementation. This skill is for planning only. Don't write code.
- Be direct. Skip pleasantries. Get to the point.
- Track progress. Keep a mental map of resolved vs. open branches so the user knows how much is left.
Gotchas
- The interview process is one-direction — saying "stop" and resuming later loses context. Save state explicitly before pausing.
- Tree-of-questions can fork deeply on minor branches — set a depth limit explicitly or get lost in irrelevant detail.
- Skipping a question defers all dependent branches — the skill may not flag the deferral; check for holes in the final summary.
- Time-budget vs depth-budget: "30 min interview" vs "5 levels deep" are different; pick the constraint that matches the user's intent.
- Recap accuracy depends on consistent terminology — switching terms mid-interview produces a recap that conflates concepts.