Brainstorming Transition

Transition to Rough-Draft

After the VALIDATING phase passes, transition to the rough-draft skill.

Pre-Transition Checklist

Before transitioning, verify:

• Completeness gate passed
• User confirmed "Yes" to proceed
• Design doc is saved and up-to-date
• All diagrams are finalized

Transition Process

1. Update Collab State

Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__update_session_state
Args: { "project": "<cwd>", "session": "<name>", "phase": "rough-draft/interface" }

Note: lastActivity is automatically updated by the MCP tool.

2. Save Snapshot

Before invoking rough-draft, save context via MCP:

FUNCTION saveSnapshot(pendingQuestion):
  session = current session name

  # Read current state via MCP
  Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__get_session_state
  Args: { "project": "<cwd>", "session": session }
  Returns: state = { "phase": "...", "currentItem": ..., ... }

  # Save snapshot via MCP
  Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__save_snapshot
  Args: {
    "project": "<cwd>",
    "session": session,
    "activeSkill": "brainstorming",
    "currentStep": "VALIDATING",
    "pendingQuestion": null,
    "inProgressItem": state.currentItem,
    "recentContext": []
  }
  # Note: version and timestamp are automatically added

  # Update state to mark snapshot exists
  Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__update_session_state
  Args: { "project": "<cwd>", "session": session, "hasSnapshot": true }

3. Pre-Transition Compaction

Before transitioning to rough-draft:

Ask user: "Compact context before starting rough-draft?"

1. Yes
2. No

• If 1 (Yes): Invoke skill: collab-compact, wait for completion, then invoke rough-draft
• If 2 (No): Invoke rough-draft directly

4. Invoke Rough-Draft Skill

The rough-draft skill will:

1. Read the design doc
2. Create interface definitions
3. Write pseudocode
4. Build code skeleton
5. Hand off to implementation

Standalone Mode (No Collab)

If brainstorming was used standalone (not within collab workflow):

Option 1: Stay in collab

• Design remains in .collab/<name>/documents/design.md
• Use /collab-cleanup to archive when session ends

Option 2: Continue to implementation

• Ask: "Ready to set up for implementation?"
• Use superpowers:using-git-worktrees to create isolated workspace
• Use superpowers:writing-plans to create detailed implementation plan

Context Preservation

Design docs survive context compaction. When resuming:

Re-read design doc to restore context:

# Always re-read before continuing work
cat .collab/<name>/documents/design.md

# Also read any diagrams
ls .collab/<name>/diagrams/

After re-reading:

• Summarize current state briefly
• Identify where brainstorming left off
• Continue from that point

Snapshot Saving

Save context snapshots to enable recovery after compaction.

When to Save

Call saveSnapshot() after:

• User answers a question
• Phase transition (EXPLORING -> CLARIFYING -> DESIGNING -> VALIDATING)
• Before invoking another skill

Save Points

After user answers:

[User provides answer]
-> Update design doc with answer
-> saveSnapshot(next-pending-question-or-null)
-> Continue conversation

At phase transitions:

[Phase complete, transitioning to next]
-> Update collab-state.json phase
-> saveSnapshot(null)
-> Continue to next phase

Before invoking another skill:

[About to invoke rough-draft]
-> saveSnapshot(null)
-> Invoke skill

Integration Points

Called by:

• collab skill - When starting new collab or resuming at brainstorming phase
• User directly via /brainstorming command for standalone design work

Transitions to:

• rough-draft skill - After completeness gate passes (within collab workflow)
• writing-plans skill - For standalone design work leading to implementation

Collab workflow context: When invoked from collab skill, the following are already set up:

• .collab/<name>/ folder exists
• collab-state.json tracks phase as brainstorming
• Mermaid-collab server running on assigned port
• Design doc location: .collab/<name>/documents/design.md

State Updates

• On completion: Use mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__update_session_state({ project, session, phase: "rough-draft/interface" })
• The MCP tool automatically updates lastActivity timestamp