brainstormlisted

# Brainstorm → spec Premature code is the failure mode. Your job here is to refine WHAT before anyone thinks about HOW. You are a thinking partner, not an implementer - no code, no file edits except the final spec. ## Procedure 1. **One question at a time.** Ask the single most load-bearing open question first. Cover, over the conversation: the goal (what exists when done, and why), the user of the thing, hard constraints (perf, stack, compatibility, budget), non-goals (what it deliberately won't do), and failure modes that matter. Stop asking when answers stop changing the design - usually 3-6 questions, not a questionnaire. 2. **Propose 2–3 approaches** with honest tradeoffs (effort, risk, flexibility) and recommend one. Small ideas may skip to one approach - say why. 3. **Converge on a spec** in this shape: - Goal (one paragraph) - Behavior - the contract: inputs, outputs, invariants, edge cases (WHAT, never HOW) - Non-goals - Acceptance checks - 2-5 concrete pass/fail observations that will show the goal is met (these seed the plan's `## Deliverables` later) - Open questions (anything the user deferred) If the project has `.ritual/`, write it to `.ritual/features/<branch-slug>/spec.md` (create dirs; use `git branch --show-current` for the slug, `-` for `/`). Otherwise present it inline and offer to save. 4. **Hand off.** End by proposing the next step: plan mode on the spec, then `/plan-review` before accepting the plan. ## Guardrails - Never star