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davidondrejdavidondrej/skills/skills/ask-then-build/SKILL.md

ask-then-build

Skill4.3k starsChanged 6 days agoMITView on GitHub

Clarify a feature, change, or refactor through questions, then write a build prompt for another agent. Use for /ask-then-build or requests to ask questions before producing an implementation prompt.

1 other project uses a version of this, 1 of them edited; 1 new project in the last 4 weeks, against 0 the 4 before.

Adopted by

Surging: 1 new project took it in the last 4 weeks, none the 4 weeks before.thin data

Week of Sep 13: 0 new projectsWeek of Sep 20: 0 new projectsWeek of Sep 27: 0 new projectsWeek of Oct 4: 0 new projectsWeek of Oct 11: 1 new projectWeek of Oct 18: 0 new projectsWeek of Oct 25: 0 new projectsWeek of Nov 1: 0 new projects
Sep 2026Oct 2026Nov 2026
New projects taking a version of this file each week, over the 8 weeks our latest run read: only 1 in all, so this is a hint, not a trend.

Most recently taken up by

Who's talking about davidondrej/skills

The biggest 5 of 34 mentions linking to the repository that our crawl found. Each line is their own headline.

See all 34

Talked about on GitHub (34 times).

On GitHub · 34

29 more on GitHub

The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

10 rules. About 0 are common, 10 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.

  • ≈0

    Common · estimate

    Many files like this have a rule of this kind.

  • ≈10

    Distinctive · estimate

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 0

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Distinctive:

    Ask them ONE at a time. For each: the question, top options A-D, your preferred pick with a one-line reason.

    line 13
  2. Distinctive:

    Use this exact layout. Put a blank line between EVERY block.

    line 15
  3. Distinctive:

    Never number questions as "1 of N" unless you truly know N.

    line 33
  4. Distinctive:

    When the user answers, record the decision immediately — update the repo's docs (product requirements, ADR, or README) if the project has …

    line 35
  5. Distinctive:

    If the user overrides an earlier documented decision, update the docs right away and say what was superseded.

    line 37
  6. Distinctive:

    After the last answer, deliver ONE concise paragraph prompt for another agent.

    line 42
  7. Distinctive:

    Read-first files: the authoritative docs (AGENTS.md, requirements, ADRs).

    line 45
  8. Distinctive:

    Never bundle questions. Never write the prompt before all answers are in.

    line 54
  9. Distinctive:

    Never put two options on one line.

    line 55
  10. Distinctive:

    Keep the prompt to a single paragraph — if it needs two, the scope is too big.

    line 57

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Turn a feature idea into a build prompt for another agent, in two phases.

Phase 1 — Questions

  1. Identify the 3-6 most non-obvious open questions about the feature or change: edge cases, where it lives in the UI, failure behavior, scope boundaries, how it interacts with existing rules.

  2. Ask them ONE at a time. For each: the question, top options A-D, your preferred pick with a one-line reason. Then stop and wait. Use this exact layout. Put a blank line between EVERY block. Markdown renderers (bb included) collapse single newlines into one paragraph, so options written back-to-back render as one run-on blob.

    Question title?

    One line of context, if needed.

    A. First option.

    B. Second option.

    C. Third option.

    D. Fourth option.

    My pick: A. One-line reason.

    Never number questions as "1 of N" unless you truly know N. If the count is open, keep it open and keep asking until you have the context you need.

  3. When the user answers, record the decision immediately — update the repo's docs (product requirements, ADR, or README) if the project has them.
  4. If the user overrides an earlier documented decision, update the docs right away and say what was superseded.

Phase 2 — Prompt

After the last answer, deliver ONE concise paragraph prompt for another agent. It must include, in this order:

  1. Read-first files: the authoritative docs (AGENTS.md, requirements, ADRs).
  2. What to build: numbered implementation steps, concrete file-level where useful.
  3. How to validate: build, lint, and a manual check with real data.
  4. Rules: don't commit, report back with files changed.

Style

  • Very concise, plain English, short sentences.
  • Never bundle questions. Never write the prompt before all answers are in.
  • Never put two options on one line. Always a blank line between A, B, C, D and before "My pick".
  • Keep the prompt to a single paragraph — if it needs two, the scope is too big; say so.

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