spikelisted

# Spike — Time-Boxed Throwaway Exploration SPECTER gates everything that ships. A spike is the sanctioned way to explore what you *don't yet know you want to ship* — it prevents both failure modes the gates otherwise create: running full spec ceremony on an unvalidated idea, and quietly bypassing gates "just to try something". ## Contract (non-negotiable) 1. **Time-boxed.** State the box out loud before starting; stop at expiry and write findings even if incomplete. An expired inconclusive spike is a valid result ("needs a bigger investment" is a finding). 2. **Never merged.** Spike code never reaches master, never gets a TAG, never enters review. It is evidence, not product. 3. **The findings note is the only artifact.** Code is disposable; the note survives. 4. **Production tree untouched.** Work in the scratchpad or a discard branch/worktree. ## Tiers | Tier | Box | Where | For | |---|---|---|---| | T1 probe | ≤ 15 min | scratchpad dir, single file | "does this API/library/approach even respond the way we think?" | | T2 spike | 30–60 min | `spike/<name>` branch or worktree (git-worktrees skill) | "which of two approaches holds up?", "can X integrate with Y at all?" | Anything that wants more than T2's box is not a spike — it's a Feature hiding from the gates. Stop and route it: new requirement → PRD Amendment → `/ms.expand`. ## Findings note Write `docs/spikes/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<name>.md`: ```markdown # Spike: <question being answered> **Box**: T1|T2, <minutes