Design Discussion

Understand $ARGUMENTS, relate it to existing governance, and draft only the artifacts the discussion justifies.

Discovery

govctl status
govctl search <topic>
govctl rfc list
govctl adr list

Read relevant artifacts with show; add --history only when prior content matters. Use govctl <resource> --help for current syntax.

Hard Stops

• Do not write code or create Work Items.
• Do not perform lifecycle or destructive operations (accept, reject, finalize, advance, bump, deprecate, supersede, delete); they belong to spec or gov.
• Do not issue raw VCS commands; use commit.
• RFCs own obligations, ADRs own design rationale, and Work Items own execution scope. Do not use one to fill gaps in another.
• Ask when requirements conflict, a breaking consequence is unacknowledged, or evidence cannot resolve a material ambiguity.

Classify The Outcome

Not every discussion needs an artifact.

Explore And Draft

Start from constraints in existing RFCs and ADRs, then compare plausible options. Ask only questions whose answers change the design. Use decision-analysis for high-risk trade-offs.

When drafting:

• follow rfc-writer for Clauses and adr-writer for decisions, with alternatives before the conclusion;
• use root govctl clause commands and [[artifact-id]] references;
• leave out implementation details that are not an external contract; and
• separate choices that must be settled now from those coding can settle better, and leave the latter out of RFC and ADR drafts.

Run govctl check after edits and the matching reviewer (rfc-reviewer, adr-reviewer) before calling a draft ready. Resolve critical findings first.

Done When

The final response covers:

• the problem, constraints, options, and recommendation;
• drafts created or changed, with their status;
• open questions, risks, and validation and review results; and
• the handoff: keep discussing, spec for clarifications, gov for behavior-changing amendments, or commit.

Leave artifacts in draft or proposed state until the user authorizes a transition.