How do I install the Pocock Grill Me skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add zap-coding-agent/pocock-grill-me 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 Pocock Grill Me safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Pocock Grill Me?

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 Pocock Grill Me free to use?

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

Who published Pocock Grill Me?

zap-coding-agent (@zap-coding-agent) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Pocock Grill Me by zap-coding-agent

Name: Pocock Grill Me
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (3 reviews)
Author: zap-coding-agent

Pocock Grill Me

Use when the user wants to stress-test a plan or design before writing code — applies Matt Pocock's discipline of resolving every design branch before touching the keyboard. Triggers on "grill me", "stress-test this", or when a plan has unresolved forks that will become bugs.

File contents

Pocock — Grill Me

"The cost of a bad decision discovered in code is 10× the cost of the same decision discovered in a question." — Matt Pocock

Why This Exists

Pocock's engineering discipline: never write code against an underspecified design. Developers habitually start coding before the design is clear, making implicit choices at every fork — choices that accumulate into an architecture nobody intended. Grilling the design first surfaces those forks explicitly, resolves them deliberately, and gives you a clear picture before the first line is written.

The session is not interrogation — it's collaborative design. Every question comes with a recommended answer. The goal is a shared understanding, not catching the user out.

The Process

Interview me relentlessly about every aspect of this plan until we reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one.

For each question:

Ask one question only — no batching
Provide your recommended answer with brief reasoning
Wait for my response
If my answer opens a new branch, follow it before moving on
If a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, explore it instead of asking

What to Look For

Underspecified inputs: "user submits a form" — which user? what validation? what if they're not logged in?
Missing error paths: what happens when the external API is down? when the DB write fails halfway?
Implicit sequencing: does step A need to complete before step B can start?
Ownership ambiguity: who owns this data? who can mutate it?
Terminology mismatch: are "account" and "user" the same thing or different?
Scope creep signals: "and then we could also..." — flag as a separate decision

When It's Done

The session is complete when:

Every major decision branch has a resolved answer
Error paths are explicit
Terminology is pinned
You could hand the notes to a second developer and they'd build the same thing

REQUIRED COMPANION: grill-with-docs — extends this session with domain glossary and ADR cross-referencing. pocock-typescript — Pocock's broader TypeScript design philosophy.

---name: pocock-grill-medescription: Use when the user wants to stress-test a plan or design before writing code — applies Matt Pocock's discipline of resolving every design branch before touching the keyboard. Triggers on "grill me", "stress-test this", or when a plan has unresolved forks that will become bugs.---# Pocock — Grill Me> "The cost of a bad decision discovered in code is 10× the cost of the same decision discovered in a question." — Matt Pocock## Why This ExistsPocock's engineering discipline: **never write code against an underspecified design.** Developers habitually start coding before the design is clear, making implicit choices at every fork — choices that accumulate into an architecture nobody intended. Grilling the design first surfaces those forks explicitly, resolves them deliberately, and gives you a clear picture before the first line is written.The session is not interrogation — it's collaborative design. Every question comes with a recommended answer. The goal is a shared understanding, not catching the user out.## The ProcessInterview me relentlessly about every aspect of this plan until we reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one.For each question:1. Ask one question only — no batching2. Provide your recommended answer with brief reasoning3. Wait for my response4. If my answer opens a new branch, follow it before moving on5. If a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, explore it instead of asking## What to Look For- **Underspecified inputs**: "user submits a form" — which user? what validation? what if they're not logged in?- **Missing error paths**: what happens when the external API is down? when the DB write fails halfway?- **Implicit sequencing**: does step A need to complete before step B can start?- **Ownership ambiguity**: who owns this data? who can mutate it?- **Terminology mismatch**: are "account" and "user" the same thing or different?- **Scope creep signals**: "and then we could also..." — flag as a separate decision## When It's DoneThe session is complete when:- Every major decision branch has a resolved answer- Error paths are explicit- Terminology is pinned- You could hand the notes to a second developer and they'd build the same thing**REQUIRED COMPANION:** grill-with-docs — extends this session with domain glossary and ADR cross-referencing. pocock-typescript — Pocock's broader TypeScript design philosophy.

Frequently asked questions