How do I install the Interview skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add takuan-osho/interview 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 Interview safe to use?

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Which AI agents work with Interview?

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 Interview free to use?

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

Who published Interview?

takuan-osho (@takuan-osho) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Interview by takuan-osho — Agent Skill

Name: Interview
Author: takuan-osho

Interview

Conduct iterative interviews to clarify scope, surface constraints, and reach a "do / don't do / done" agreement before starting non-trivial work. Use when receiving an ambiguous request, a vague task description, or before entering plan mode for any non-trivial implementation. Skip for one-line concrete fixes ("rename foo to bar"), single-fact questions, or when scope, constraints, and acceptance criteria are already specified. Supports requirements definition, debugging investigation, architecture review, security review, documentation creation, and general exploration.

takuan-osho 9f64e53 3.4 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Interview the user relentlessly until "do", "don't do", and "done" are unambiguous. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one. For each question, provide your recommended answer.

Ask the questions one at a time. If a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, explore the codebase instead. When the user signals convergence, output a Markdown summary with Do / Don't do / Done sections.

Output

When the interview converges, emit a single Markdown block (match the user's language; default to English):

### Do
- <bullet>

### Don't do
- <bullet>

### Done when
- <observable, testable condition>

Mark any auto-applied recommendations with [auto] inline (e.g., - Use bcrypt [auto]).

Edge cases

Situation	Handling
User answers "I don't know" / "you decide"	Sequential: (1) present 2 concrete options with one-line rationale each; (2) if still deferred, propose a single recommended path and ask "OK to proceed with X?"; (3) if accepted, record with `[auto]`. Never decide silently.
User contradicts a prior answer	Reflect both versions: "Earlier you said X; now Y. Which is current?" Update the earlier decision so the summary stays consistent.
User wants to skip mid-way	Honor it. Emit the partial summary; list unresolved branches as bullets in an extra `### Open questions` section appended after `### Done when`.

Environment notes

Claude Code

Use AskUserQuestion when the question has 2-4 concrete options. Label the recommended option (Recommended) and place it first. For open-ended answers, ask in plain text.

Codex / Gemini CLI / plain terminal

Number multiple-choice options manually:

Q: Which export format?
1. CSV (Recommended) — standard for audit exports
2. JSON
3. Other (please describe)

Auto Mode

If the orchestrator is in auto mode (continuous, autonomous execution), do not block waiting for user input. Apply the recommended answer to each question, mark each auto-applied choice with [auto] inline in the output, and surface the chosen path so the user can correct it after the run completes.

Simulation override: If the caller explicitly asks you to simulate the interview or render the dialogue, produce the Q&A turns rather than auto-deciding.

Example

User: "I want to add an export feature for teams"

Q1: What is the export for — audit, data migration, or reporting?
Recommended: Audit. OK?
A1: Audit.

[Reads src/teams/ — finds members, permissions, activity log]

Q2: Format and access? Recommend CSV, admin-only (audit default).
A2: Yes.

→ Output:
### Do
- Admin can download CSV (members + permissions) for a team
### Don't do
- PDF, scheduling, encryption-at-rest (v1 out of scope)
### Done when
- An admin can download a CSV with members and permissions

---name: interviewdescription: Conduct iterative interviews to clarify scope, surface constraints, and reach a "do / don't do / done" agreement before starting non-trivial work. Use when receiving an ambiguous request, a vague task description, or before entering plan mode for any non-trivial implementation. Skip for one-line concrete fixes ("rename foo to bar"), single-fact questions, or when scope, constraints, and acceptance criteria are already specified. Supports requirements definition, debugging investigation, architecture review, security review, documentation creation, and general exploration.---Interview the user relentlessly until "do", "don't do", and "done" are unambiguous. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one. For each question, provide your recommended answer.Ask the questions one at a time.If a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, explore the codebase instead.When the user signals convergence, output a Markdown summary with **Do / Don't do / Done** sections.## OutputWhen the interview converges, emit a single Markdown block (match the user's language; default to English):```markdown### Do- <bullet>### Don't do- <bullet>### Done when- <observable, testable condition>```Mark any auto-applied recommendations with `[auto]` inline (e.g., `- Use bcrypt [auto]`).## Edge cases| Situation | Handling ||-----------|----------|| User answers "I don't know" / "you decide" | Sequential: (1) present 2 concrete options with one-line rationale each; (2) if still deferred, propose a single recommended path and ask "OK to proceed with X?"; (3) if accepted, record with `[auto]`. Never decide silently. || User contradicts a prior answer | Reflect both versions: "Earlier you said X; now Y. Which is current?" Update the earlier decision so the summary stays consistent. || User wants to skip mid-way | Honor it. Emit the partial summary; list unresolved branches as bullets in an extra `### Open questions` section appended after `### Done when`. |## Environment notes### Claude CodeUse `AskUserQuestion` when the question has 2-4 concrete options. Label the recommended option `(Recommended)` and place it first. For open-ended answers, ask in plain text.### Codex / Gemini CLI / plain terminalNumber multiple-choice options manually:```Q: Which export format?1. CSV (Recommended) — standard for audit exports2. JSON3. Other (please describe)```### Auto ModeIf the orchestrator is in auto mode (continuous, autonomous execution), do not block waiting for user input. Apply the recommended answer to each question, mark each auto-applied choice with `[auto]` inline in the output, and surface the chosen path so the user can correct it after the run completes.**Simulation override**: If the caller explicitly asks you to simulate the interview or render the dialogue, produce the Q&A turns rather than auto-deciding.## Example```textUser: "I want to add an export feature for teams"Q1: What is the export for — audit, data migration, or reporting?Recommended: Audit. OK?A1: Audit.[Reads src/teams/ — finds members, permissions, activity log]Q2: Format and access? Recommend CSV, admin-only (audit default).A2: Yes.→ Output:### Do- Admin can download CSV (members + permissions) for a team### Don't do- PDF, scheduling, encryption-at-rest (v1 out of scope)### Done when- An admin can download a CSV with members and permissions```

Frequently asked questions