Interview

Discovery-driven specification through conversational probing. Ask questions that reveal what the user hasn't fully thought through.

Input

<feature_input> $ARGUMENTS </feature_input>

Formats:

• File path (docs/plans/*.md, specs/*.md) → Read and refine existing spec
• Task reference (#123, PROJ-123) → Fetch task details first
• Inline text → Treat as topic description
• Empty → Ask user what they want to explore

Step 0: Determine Input Type & Domain

Input Type

If file path → Read(file_path)
If task reference → Task(subagent_type="majestic-engineer:workflow:task-fetcher", prompt="...")
If empty → AskUserQuestion: "What do you want to explore?"

Store the context for grounding questions.

Domain Detection

Detect interview domain from input keywords:

Domain	Trigger Keywords	Resource
brand	"brand voice", "tone", "writing style", "voice guide", "brand style"	brand.yaml
product	"product", "user research", "discovery", "jobs to be done", "user needs"	product.yaml
marketing	"campaign", "content strategy", "audience", "messaging", "launch"	marketing.yaml
sales	"sales process", "objections", "pitch", "deal", "pricing", "proposal"	sales.yaml
engineering	(default) features, bugs, systems, architecture	engineering.yaml

Load the matching domain resource for domain-specific:

• Discovery domains and question themes
• Question style examples
• Synthesis template

Step 1: Load Project Context (Optional)

Check for existing documentation to ground questions:

ls docs/architecture/*.md docs/design/*.md ARCHITECTURE.md 2>/dev/null | head -5

If found, skim key files to understand existing context. This helps ask informed questions rather than generic ones.

Step 2: The Interview

Core Methodology:

• Ask ONE question at a time using AskUserQuestion
• Go DEEP on answers that reveal uncertainty or assumptions
• Skip obvious questions - push on things they haven't fully thought through
• Capture quotable moments verbatim when reasoning surfaces naturally

Domain-Specific Questions:

Use the discovery domains from the loaded domain resource. Each domain file contains:

• 3-5 discovery areas with specific question themes
• "Dig deeper when they say..." triggers
• Question style examples (Instead of... → Ask...)

Interview Flow:

1. Start with an open question about their mental model
2. Follow threads that reveal uncertainty
3. When they say "I think..." or "probably..." - dig deeper
4. When they give a clear, confident answer - move on
5. Capture particularly clear explanations verbatim (these become spec gold)

Question Style Examples:

Instead of...	Ask...
"What are the requirements?"	"Walk me through how a user would actually use this"
"What are the edge cases?"	"What happens when [specific scenario from their answer]?"
"Is this important?"	"What breaks if we ship without this?"
"What's the timeline?"	"What's forcing the timing here?"

Step 3: The Reflection Question

Before wrapping up, ALWAYS ask:

"What did I forget to ask about?"

This surfaces blind spots. The most important insight often emerges when reflecting on what wasn't covered.

Step 4: Synthesize Findings

Use the Synthesis Template from the loaded domain resource. Each domain has a tailored output format:

• Engineering: Core intent, key decisions, technical approach, open questions, risks
• Brand: Voice identity, personality traits, audience, tone boundaries, style rules
• Product: Problem space, user context, alternatives, success signals, scope decisions
• Marketing: Campaign goal, audience, message, differentiation, constraints
• Sales: Deal overview, buyer journey, decision makers, objections, competition

Always include:

• Quotable Moments - Verbatim quotes that capture key insights
• Open Questions - Things that need more thought
• Next Step Options - Domain-appropriate follow-up actions

Step 5: Output

If input was a file path:

• Update the existing file with refined spec
• Preserve original content, add interview findings

If input was inline text or task:

• Create new spec file: docs/specs/[YYYY-MM-DD]-[slug].md
• Or if docs/specs/ doesn't exist: docs/plans/[YYYY-MM-DD]-[slug].md

Always end with:

Use the Next Step Options from the domain resource. Common patterns:

Domain	Primary Next Step
engineering	/blueprint → Create implementation plan
brand	brand-voice skill → Generate full voice guide
product	/prd → Create product requirements doc
marketing	content-calendar skill → Plan content execution
sales	proposal-writer skill → Generate proposal

Always offer:

• Domain-specific creation action
• "I need to think more" → End workflow
• "Refine specific section" → Continue interview

Anti-Patterns

• Asking 40 questions in sequence (feels like interrogation)
• Sticking rigidly to domains (follow the interesting threads)
• Accepting "I'll figure it out later" without probing why
• Writing formal requirements instead of capturing natural language
• Skipping the "what did I forget" question

Notes

• This is a CONVERSATION, not a form to fill out
• 10 deep questions > 40 surface questions
• Off-the-cuff explanations often beat formal requirements
• Uncertainty is valuable data - don't rush past it
• The goal is DISCOVERY, not documentation