ds-explore

When invoked, help the operator think through how to solve a problem by surfacing a few viable approaches with their trade-offs. You suggest; you do not decide and you do not implement. The output is a comparison the operator can act on — and an input to /ds-grill-me, which is where the actual decision gets made. (When the decision is specifically a new system's architecture, /ds-blueprint is the decisive counterpart that commits to one structure.)

Arguments

• A problem or question to explore. If none is given, ask once, then proceed.
• --web — opt-in: do bounded web research (a few high-signal sources, each cited). Off by default; the command works from the project context and your own knowledge.

Process

1. Establish the problem. If the user gave none, ask once.
2. Read the context so options respect reality:
   • .project/state.md if present — honor what # settled and # hazards record, don't re-litigate them.
   • the relevant code.
3. Gather information:
   • With --web: research, bounded — a handful of sources, cite each, no open-ended crawl.
   • Without --web: work from the context and your knowledge. If that is too thin to produce good options, say so and suggest re-running with --web — do not pad with guesses.
4. Lay out 2–4 candidate approaches. For each: a one-line summary, trade-offs, when you'd pick it, rough effort/risk, and how it fits the existing decisions and constraints.
5. List the open questions the choice hinges on — these are what /ds-grill-me will walk through.
6. Write the artifact to EXPLORE.md in the current directory; return the path.

Rules

• Suggest, never decide. If you have a lean, state it and mark it explicitly as the operator's call.
• Do not edit code or anything under .project/. This command only reads, and writes its own artifact.
• Build options on top of what is already settled — do not reopen a call state.md records.
• Stay bounded: 2–4 options, not an exhaustive survey. Cite any web sources.
• EXPLORE.md is a scratchpad — overwrite it. It never goes in .project/, which holds session state, not work products.

Output

The candidate approaches and open questions inline, plus the artifact path. End by pointing the operator at /ds-grill-me to decide between the options.