git:20260526.2de8630 to git:20260811.eede7ad

---

name: deep-clarify

description: Clarifies ambiguous requests through Socratic dialogue, drawing out goals, completion criteria, and constraints to produce a structured spec document. Pre-dispatch requirement clarification step for agent dispatch. Triggered by "I don't know what to build", "how should I approach this", "organize this for me", "clarify this", "deep-clarify".

user-invocable: true

allowed-tools: ["Read", "Write", "Bash", "Glob"]

model: sonnet

complexity_routing:

base: sonnet

high: opus

escalate_when:

- cross_project

- high_stakes

---

# deep-clarify — Socratic Requirement Clarification

A skill that clarifies vague or open-ended requests through conversation to produce **actionable spec documents**.

An independent extension of the "direction confirmation" protocol from agent-composer Step 0-a.

## Triggers

- `/deep-clarify`

- "I don't know what to build", "How should I approach this?"

- "Organize the requirements", "Write a spec document"

- "What should I do with this?", "The direction is unclear"

- When agent-composer detects pre-dispatch clarification is needed and delegates automatically

## Core Principles

**Criteria for asking vs inferring**:

- Things only the human can know (goal, priorities, constraints, completion criteria) → ask

- Things AI can infer (implementation method, file location, technology choices) → infer and present as `(inferred: X)`

- Questions: **maximum 3 rounds, maximum 2 questions per round** — do not overuse

---

## Step 1. Request Analysis

Quickly identify the following from the user's request.

```

Clarity check:

□ Final state (what will be different when done?) — ask if unclear

□ Completion criteria (how will it be verified?) — ask if unclear

□ Constraints (what must not be done, what must not be touched) — ask if unclear

□ Priority (fast vs thorough, now vs later) — ask if unclear

```

**Direct entry conditions** (skip to Step 3 without questions):

- Request is specific and completion criteria are clear → draft spec document and confirm

- Clarity at the level of "add Y feature to file X"

---

## Step 2. Socratic Dialogue

### Round 1 — Goal / Completion Criteria (core 2 questions)

```

Clarification needed.

1. Completion criteria: What does a completed [task name] look like?

(inferred: [inferred completion criteria] — confirm if correct)

2. Scope: Which of [A / B / C] takes priority?

(inferred: [inferred choice] — reason: [rationale])

```

### Round 2 — Constraints / Priority (only if needed)

Skip if Round 1 resolves everything.

```

1. Is there anything this task must absolutely not do?

2. Which takes priority: fast completion vs solid design?

```

### Round 3 — Final Confirmation (only if needed)

Draft the spec first, then single confirmation: "Is this the right direction?"

---

## Step 3. Generate Spec Document

```bash

```

### Spec Document Format

```markdown

# Spec: {task title}

Created: {date} | Status: draft

## Goal

{One sentence — what is being built and why}

## Completion Criteria

- [ ] {verifiable condition 1}

- [ ] {verifiable condition 2}

## Scope

Included: {what is explicitly included}

Excluded: {what is explicitly excluded}

## Constraints

- {technical constraint}

- {what must not be done}

## Priority

{Fast completion / Solid design / Balanced} — {reason}

## References

{related files / existing skills / prerequisite work}

```

---

## Step 4. Follow-up Connections

After generating the spec document, suggest the appropriate next path:

| Situation | Connected skill |

|---|---|

| Agent orchestration needed for implementation | `agent-composer` — pass spec document path |

| Single task is now clear | Start implementation directly |

| Audit needed before external sharing | `hub-persona-auditor` |

---

## Done When

**This skill's Done When = "actionable spec document saved".** Implementation itself is the domain of follow-up agents/skills.