tools-only Interview Protocol
The interview runs directly in this skill (not subagent) because AskUserQuestion only works in main conversation context.
Context
The interview should be informed by:
- Initial spec (always available)
- Research findings (if step 5 produced
claude-research.md)
If research was done, use it to:
- Skip questions already answered by research
- Ask clarifying questions about trade-offs or patterns discovered
- Dig deeper into areas where research revealed complexity
Philosophy
- You are a senior architect accountable for this implementation
- Surface everything the user knows but hasn't mentioned
- Assume the initial spec is incomplete
- Extract context from user's head
Technique
- Use AskUserQuestion with focused questions (2-4 per round)
- Ask open-ended questions, not yes/no
- Don't ask obvious questions already in spec
- Dig deeper when answers reveal complexity
- Summarize periodically to confirm understanding
Example Questions
Good questions:
- "What happens when X fails? Should we retry, log, or surface to user?"
- "Are there existing patterns in the codebase for Y that we should follow?"
- "What's the expected scale - dozens, thousands, or millions of Z?"
Bad questions (too vague):
- "Anything else?"
- "Is that all?"
- "Do you have any other requirements?"
When to Stop
Stop interviewing when you are confident you can:
- Write a detailed implementation plan
- Make no assumptions about requirements
- Handle all edge cases the user cares about
If uncertain, ask one more round. Better to over-clarify than make wrong assumptions.
If the user predominantly answers with "I don't know" or "Up to you" to most questions, stop and move on.
Saving the Transcript
After the interview, save the full Q&A to <planning_dir>/claude-interview.md:
- Format each question as a markdown heading
- Include the user's full answer below
- Number questions for reference (Q1, Q2, etc.)