Ask
Purpose
Gather the information needed to proceed with a task through structured, focused dialogue.
This skill is for asking only. Do not plan, implement, or produce any artifacts.
Scope Gate (Required Before Starting)
Use this skill only when:
- The task is underspecified — key requirements, constraints, or decisions are missing
- User input is required — the task cannot proceed without answers from the user
- No assumptions are safe — guessing would risk wasted effort or wrong direction
If the task is clear enough to act on, use brainstorm, write-plan, or quick-implement instead.
Workflow
Step 1: Gather Project Context
Load project context per the shared Context Loading Protocol. Only gather what is relevant to the current task. Skip if no docs exist.
Step 2: Identify Information Gaps
Determine exactly what is missing before a task can proceed:
- Objective and user value
- Scope boundaries and non-goals
- Constraints (technical, UX, performance, timeline)
- Success criteria
- Key decisions with multiple valid options
Step 3: Ask Questions (One at a Time)
Ask targeted questions sequentially to close each gap.
Rules:
- Ask exactly one question per message
- Prefer multiple-choice options when practical (2–4 choices)
- Use open-ended questions only when no reasonable options exist
- Do not ask questions already answered by project documentation
- Do not ask about implementation details prematurely
- Do not bundle multiple questions into one message
Step 4: Confirm and Hand Off
Once all gaps are closed:
- Summarize the collected answers concisely
- Confirm with the user that the summary is correct
- Recommend the appropriate next skill based on complexity:
- Simple, clear task → quick-implement - Complex or risky task → write-plan - Ambiguous, high-risk, or exploratory → brainstorm
Rules
- Do not write code or modify any files
- Do not produce plans, designs, or implementation artifacts
- Do not make assumptions; ask instead
- Keep questions short and focused
- Apply YAGNI: only ask what is strictly necessary to proceed
- Feeds into:
brainstorm,write-plan,quick-implement