How do I install the Nw Spike skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add nwave-ai/nw-spike-2 in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Nw Spike safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Nw Spike?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Nw Spike free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Nw Spike?

nWave-ai (@nwave-ai) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Nw Spike by nwave-ai — Agent Skill

Name: Nw Spike
Author: nWave-ai

Nw Spike

Runs a timeboxed PROBE to validate one core assumption, then optionally PROMOTES the probe into a walking skeleton committed to the repository. Use when the feature involves a new mechanism, performance requirement, or external integration.

nWave-ai Updated Sep 21, 2026

File contents

Code facts -- resolve structural facts about code through des code-fact (vendor-neutral, bundled adapters: AST then TextSearch). Degrade LOUD. Never ad-hoc grep.

NW-SPIKE

Deprecated wave slot: SPIKE was a canonical wave phase prior to v3.16.0 and is now folded into DESIGN's analysis pass. Retained for backward compatibility.

Authority

A spike is an ephemeral probe, never a durable decision carrier. It produces throwaway code and a findings result; it authors no permanent per-wave ledger. Every lasting fact a spike surfaces belongs to an existing durable owner, not to the spike itself:

Promote -- the probe becomes a walking skeleton (real code, one acceptance test, committed). Its design implication is written directly into docs/product/architecture/brief.md or the relevant ADR by DESIGN, which reads findings.md before starting.
Discard -- findings.md is returned as the result. No permanent decision record is created.
Pivot -- the assumption was wrong; the corrected question returns to DISCUSS or spawns a second probe. Nothing is promoted.

Required Pass

Skip check -- run only if the feature needs a new mechanism, an unverifiable performance requirement, or an integration with unknown behavior. Otherwise skip straight to DESIGN.
Probe -- validate exactly one assumption. Code lives in /tmp/, never in src/. Max 1 hour, no tests/types/error-handling/abstractions, one to two files, timed with time.perf_counter(). Write the binary verdict (WORKS / DOESN'T WORK), timing and edge cases to findings.md.
Promotion gate (interactive) -- present PROMOTE / DISCARD / PIVOT to the user. Do not self-select.
Walking skeleton (only if PROMOTE) -- refactor the probe into a real end-to-end slice: a real user-facing entry point through to a real user-visible output, no mocked layer except a costly external service (fake/contract pattern), exactly one @walking_skeleton @driving_port acceptance test, code under src/, committed as feat({feature-id}): walking skeleton -- {description}. Delete the probe directory from /tmp/ after promotion.

Handoff

Return the verdict and disposition; do not author a wave-decisions.md or any other per-wave ledger. DESIGN reads findings.md (and the walking skeleton, if promoted) before starting and designs the remainder around it. DISTILL later adds scenarios and integration tests on top of an already promoted skeleton rather than writing it from scratch.

SPIKE-RESULT
verdict: WORKS | DOESNT_WORK
disposition: PROMOTE | DISCARD | PIVOT
findings: docs/feature/{feature-id}/spike/findings.md
skeleton: <commit sha + acceptance test path, only if PROMOTE>
propagated-to: <brief.md / ADR path, only if a lasting fact was promoted>

---name: nw-spike-2description: Runs a timeboxed PROBE to validate one core assumption, then optionally PROMOTES the probe into a walking skeleton committed to the repository. Use when the feature involves a new mechanism, performance requirement, or external integration.---> **Code facts** -- resolve structural facts about code through `des code-fact`> (vendor-neutral, bundled adapters: AST then TextSearch). Degrade LOUD. Never> ad-hoc grep.# NW-SPIKE> **Deprecated wave slot**: SPIKE was a canonical wave phase prior to v3.16.0> and is now folded into DESIGN's analysis pass. Retained for backward> compatibility.## AuthorityA spike is an ephemeral probe, never a durable decision carrier. It producesthrowaway code and a findings result; it authors no permanent per-waveledger. Every lasting fact a spike surfaces belongs to an existing durableowner, not to the spike itself:- **Promote** -- the probe becomes a walking skeleton (real code, one acceptance test, committed). Its design implication is written directly into `docs/product/architecture/brief.md` or the relevant ADR by DESIGN, which reads `findings.md` before starting.- **Discard** -- `findings.md` is returned as the result. No permanent decision record is created.- **Pivot** -- the assumption was wrong; the corrected question returns to DISCUSS or spawns a second probe. Nothing is promoted.## Required Pass1. **Skip check** -- run only if the feature needs a new mechanism, an unverifiable performance requirement, or an integration with unknown behavior. Otherwise skip straight to DESIGN.2. **Probe** -- validate exactly one assumption. Code lives in `/tmp/`, never in `src/`. Max 1 hour, no tests/types/error-handling/abstractions, one to two files, timed with `time.perf_counter()`. Write the binary verdict (WORKS / DOESN'T WORK), timing and edge cases to `findings.md`.3. **Promotion gate (interactive)** -- present PROMOTE / DISCARD / PIVOT to the user. Do not self-select.4. **Walking skeleton (only if PROMOTE)** -- refactor the probe into a real end-to-end slice: a real user-facing entry point through to a real user-visible output, no mocked layer except a costly external service (fake/contract pattern), exactly one `@walking_skeleton @driving_port` acceptance test, code under `src/`, committed as `feat({feature-id}): walking skeleton -- {description}`. Delete the probe directory from `/tmp/` after promotion.## HandoffReturn the verdict and disposition; do not author a `wave-decisions.md` orany other per-wave ledger. DESIGN reads `findings.md` (and the walkingskeleton, if promoted) before starting and designs the remainder around it.DISTILL later adds scenarios and integration tests on top of an alreadypromoted skeleton rather than writing it from scratch.```textSPIKE-RESULTverdict: WORKS | DOESNT_WORKdisposition: PROMOTE | DISCARD | PIVOTfindings: docs/feature/{feature-id}/spike/findings.mdskeleton: <commit sha + acceptance test path, only if PROMOTE>propagated-to: <brief.md / ADR path, only if a lasting fact was promoted>```

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