elaborate

Interrogate a draft design through one-question-at-a-time interviews to resolve open decisions and ambiguities.

Updated Feb 12, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/kieranpotts/skills --skill elaborate-kieranpotts
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: elaborate
Source: https://github.com/kieranpotts/skills/tree/main/skills/elaborate
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/kieranpotts/skills --skill elaborate-kieranpotts

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Draft designs often carry unresolved trade-offs, ambiguous terms, and unstated assumptions that surface only after implementation begins, causing costly rework. This Skill stress-tests a draft design through a structured interview, resolving every open decision before the design is decomposed into implementation steps. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Guided design interrogation: Walks the draft's open decisions in dependency order, asking one question at a time with a recommended answer so the user can confirm or push back quickly. - Glossary and decision capture: Pins down fuzzy terms into the project glossary and writes decision records only for choices that are hard to reverse, surprising, or real trade-offs. - Code cross-referencing: Checks claims in the draft against the actual code, surfacing contradictions between stated design and implemented behavior. - Use Case: After drafting an architecture change for an order cancellation flow, run this Skill to pin down what "cancellation" means, verify it against the existing cancelOrder() code, and record the refund behavior decision before planning begins. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to interrogate this design and grill you on the draft before it is broken into implementation steps.

Frequently Asked Questions about elaborate

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I stress-test a draft design before implementation?▼

Run an elaboration session that walks the draft's open decisions in dependency order, asking one question at a time with a recommended answer. Each resolution is captured inline in the glossary, decision store, and the draft itself.

When should I elaborate a design versus plan or implement it?▼

Elaborate after a draft design exists but before it is decomposed into implementation increments. Running it earlier wastes the interview on a design with no position; running it later means re-deciding work already broken down.

Can this skill run unattended or fully autonomously?▼

No, it is interactive by design. It asks one question at a time and waits for each answer, so it is unsuitable for away-from-keyboard runs; if the user is away it pauses and leaves a note.

Does design elaboration modify application code?▼

No, application code, configuration, and tests must remain unchanged. The only writes allowed are to the project glossary, the decision store, and the draft design document itself.

What happens if the draft design is too unfinished to elaborate?▼

If several consecutive questions reveal the design has not actually decided anything, the session stops and reports that the draft needs reworking from scratch. Elaboration cannot rescue a draft with no spine.