Shape concept

Use this skill after concept intake or when accepted product intent must change deliberately.

Start

• Read docs/intake/concept-intake.md.
• Read every existing file in docs/concept/.
• Require intake status Ready for concept shaping for initial shaping.
• Require an explicit product-change request for re-shaping.
• Treat placeholder files as scaffolding.
• Treat accepted concept files as product authority.
• Treat intake as historical input during re-shaping.
• Return to concept intake when the intake is materially incomplete.

Document shape

• Choose the smallest useful concept document set.
• Give each concept file one ownership boundary.
• Keep docs/concept/README.md as the concept index.
• Use status Shaping during initial drafting.
• Use status Re-shaping during deliberate revision.
• Avoid a fixed document taxonomy.
• Avoid one file per minor topic.
• Avoid duplicating a decision across files.

Drafting

• Synthesise the intake by meaning.
• Separate settled intent from assumptions.
• Separate evidence-backed findings from product judgements.
• Separate explicit exclusions from open questions.
• Cite factual claims with links or local sources.
• Mark unsupported product judgements as hypotheses.
• Preserve compatible human additions.
• Preserve unresolved non-blocking questions.
• Keep each discussion round focused on one tension.
• Ask for one material product decision at a time.
• Conduct research only when the user requests it.
• Fold approved research into the relevant concept file.
• Avoid detached research dumps.

Boundaries

• Write only within docs/concept/.
• Update intake status only when the stage changes.
• Avoid choosing frameworks during concept shaping.
• Avoid choosing schemas during concept shaping.
• Avoid choosing deployment topology during concept shaping.
• Avoid turning open product questions into implementation discretion.
• Stop before implementation planning.
• Stop before product implementation.

Completion

• Require a coherent problem definition.
• Require a coherent audience definition.
• Require a coherent desired outcome.
• Require coherent primary journeys.
• Require explicit scope boundaries.
• Require explicit non-negotiables.
• Require explicit exclusions.
• Require material domain rules.
• Require material contradictions to be resolved.
• Allow implementation-level unknowns to remain open.
• Ask the user to accept the shaped concept.
• Set concept status to Ready for operational planning after initial acceptance.
• Set concept status to Ready for operational re-planning after re-shaping acceptance.
• Set intake status to Concept shaped after initial acceptance.
• Return a one-screen handoff summary.