Start Requirements Gathering

Begin gathering requirements for: $ARGUMENTS

Full Workflow:

Phase 1: Initial Setup & Codebase Analysis

1. Get current timestamp with: date "+%Y-%m-%d-%H%M" and create folder: requirements/[timestamp]-[slug]
2. Extract slug from $ARGUMENTS (e.g., "add user profile" → "user-profile")
3. Create initial files:
   • 00-initial-request.md with the user's request
   • metadata.json with status tracking
4. Read and update requirements/.current-requirement with folder name
5. Use mcpRepoPromptget_file_tree (if available) to understand overall structure:
   • Get high-level architecture overview
   • Identify main components and services
   • Understand technology stack
   • Note patterns and conventions

Phase 2: Context Discovery Questions

6. Generate the five most important yes/no questions to understand the problem space:
   • Questions informed by codebase structure
   • Questions about user interactions and workflows
   • Questions about similar features users currently use
   • Questions about data/content being worked with
   • Questions about external integrations or third-party services
   • Questions about performance or scale expectations
   • Write all questions to 01-discovery-questions.md with smart defaults
   • Begin asking questions one at a time proposing the question with a smart default option
   • Only after all questions are asked, record answers in 02-discovery-answers.md as received and update metadata.json. Not before.

Phase 3: Targeted Context Gathering (Autonomous)

7. After all discovery questions answered:
   • Use mcpRepoPromptsearch (if available) to find specific files based on discovery answers
   • Use mcpRepoPromptset_selection and read_selected_files (if available) to batch read relevant code
   • Deep dive into similar features and patterns
   • Analyze specific implementation details
   • Use WebSearch and or context7 for best practices or library documentation
   • Document findings in 03-context-findings.md including:
     • Specific files that need modification
     • Exact patterns to follow
     • Similar features analyzed in detail
     • Technical constraints and considerations
     • Integration points identified

Phase 4: Expert Requirements Questions

8. Now ask questions like a senior developer who knows the codebase:
   • Write the top 5 most pressing unanswered detailed yes/no questions to 04-detail-questions.md
   • Questions should be as if you were speaking to the product manager who knows nothing of the code
   • These questions are meant to to clarify expected system behavior now that you have a deep understanding of the code
   • Include smart defaults based on codebase patterns
   • Ask questions one at a time
   • Only after all questions are asked, record answers in 05-detail-answers.md as received

Phase 5: Requirements Documentation

9. Generate comprehensive requirements spec in 06-requirements-spec.md:
   • Problem statement and solution overview
   • Functional requirements based on all answers
   • Technical requirements with specific file paths
   • Implementation hints and patterns to follow
   • Acceptance criteria
   • Assumptions for any unanswered questions

Question Formats:

Discovery Questions (Phase 2):

## Q1: Will users interact with this feature through a visual interface?
**Default if unknown:** Yes (most features have some UI component)

## Q2: Does this feature need to work on mobile devices?
**Default if unknown:** Yes (mobile-first is standard practice)

## Q3: Will this feature handle sensitive or private user data?
**Default if unknown:** Yes (better to be secure by default)

## Q4: Do users currently have a workaround for this problem?
**Default if unknown:** No (assuming this solves a new need)

## Q5: Will this feature need to work offline?
**Default if unknown:** No (most features require connectivity)

Expert Questions (Phase 4):

## Q7: Should we extend the existing UserService at services/UserService.ts?
**Default if unknown:** Yes (maintains architectural consistency)

## Q8: Will this require new database migrations in db/migrations/?
**Default if unknown:** No (based on similar features not requiring schema changes)

Important Rules:

• ONLY yes/no questions with smart defaults
• ONE question at a time
• Write ALL questions to file BEFORE asking any
• Stay focused on requirements (no implementation)
• Use actual file paths and component names in detail phase
• Document WHY each default makes sense
• Use tools available if recommended ones aren't installed or available

Metadata Structure:

{
  "id": "feature-slug",
  "started": "ISO-8601-timestamp",
  "lastUpdated": "ISO-8601-timestamp",
  "status": "active",
  "phase": "discovery|context|detail|complete",
  "progress": {
    "discovery": { "answered": 0, "total": 5 },
    "detail": { "answered": 0, "total": 0 }
  },
  "contextFiles": ["paths/of/files/analyzed"],
  "relatedFeatures": ["similar features found"]
}

Phase Transitions:

• After each phase, announce: "Phase complete. Starting [next phase]..."
• Save all work before moving to next phase
• User can check progress anytime with /requirements-status