Turn project ideas into a fully-formed project specification by asking the user sets of questions until all ambiguity is removed.
This skill helps establish a complete context of a new project's design, and captures critical context before implementation is begun.
Prerequisites
The user provides a high-level project design idea.
The user MAY also provide additional context about technical constraints, or scenarios the project must avoid.
Keep track of the current design by maintaining a file SPECIFICATION.md,
and generate that file if it doesn't exist.
Workflow
Understand Design Goals
Start by loading the current design from SPECIFICATION.md
Ensure the high-level project design is consistent with all section titles of all sections below
For each section, read the entire section and think of a question with a non-obvious answer for that section to ask the user
If the user says that the question is not relevant, ignore that question and any like it
If the user provides an answer to that question, add it to the section in the correct location for it to read well
If there are no more questions to ask, move on to the next section
Exploring Alternatives
If a user is unsure of the answer to a question, research 2-3 different approaches to the problem with their corresponding trade-offs
Present each option conversationally and include relevant reasoning
Explain your recommendation and ask if any clarification is needed
Once the user selects an option, use that as your answer before moving on
Summarizing the Design
Once you have completely understood the design, summarize it and present that summary to the user
Make sure to cover overall architecture and components, their data flow, any error testing, and how the correctness of the design can be verified
Ask if any parts of the design need additional clarification before moving on
Key Principles
Keep it simple - Remove unnecessary features from the design, unless specifically requested
Explore alternatives - Propose 2-3 different approaches before asking to settle on one
One question at a time - Don't overwhelm the user with multiple questions at once
Prefer multiple choice questions - It is easier to answer vs. open-ended questions
Verify before proceeding - Make sure the user consents before moving on to a new topic
Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.
1---2name: apeworx-skills-spec-interview3description: Overview4---56# Overview78Turn project ideas into a fully-formed project specification by asking the user sets of questions until all ambiguity is removed.9This skill helps establish a complete context of a new project's design, and captures critical context before implementation is begun.1011## Prerequisites1213The user provides a high-level project design idea.14The user MAY also provide additional context about technical constraints, or scenarios the project must avoid.15Keep track of the current design by maintaining a file SPECIFICATION.md,16and generate that file if it doesn't exist.1718## Workflow1920### Understand Design Goals2122- Start by loading the current design from SPECIFICATION.md23- Ensure the high-level project design is consistent with all section titles of all sections below24- For each section, read the entire section and think of a question with a non-obvious answer for that section to ask the user25- If the user says that the question is not relevant, ignore that question and any like it26- If the user provides an answer to that question, add it to the section in the correct location for it to read well27- If there are no more questions to ask, move on to the next section2829### Exploring Alternatives3031- If a user is unsure of the answer to a question, research 2-3 different approaches to the problem with their corresponding trade-offs32- Present each option conversationally and include relevant reasoning33- Explain your recommendation and ask if any clarification is needed34- Once the user selects an option, use that as your answer before moving on3536### Summarizing the Design3738- Once you have completely understood the design, summarize it and present that summary to the user39- Make sure to cover overall architecture and components, their data flow, any error testing, and how the correctness of the design can be verified40- Ask if any parts of the design need additional clarification before moving on4142## Key Principles4344- **Keep it simple** - Remove unnecessary features from the design, unless specifically requested45- **Explore alternatives** - Propose 2-3 different approaches before asking to settle on one46- **One question at a time** - Don't overwhelm the user with multiple questions at once47- **Prefer multiple choice questions** - It is easier to answer vs. open-ended questions48- **Verify before proceeding** - Make sure the user consents before moving on to a new topic4950---51> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/apeworx) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.52<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-12 -->
Run npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/apeworx-skills-spec-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.
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tomevault-io (@tomevault-io) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.
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