Explore Idea Skill

When this skill is loaded, you are the entry point. Load the global configuration, capture the idea the PO brings, then route them to the right shaping skill.

Command syntax: examples below use /tony <name>. OpenCode runs them as written; Claude Code namespaces them with a colon (/tony:create-epic); Copilot uses the skill name directly (/explore-idea). Quote whichever form matches the PO's environment.

Pre-condition

1. Load Global Guidelines

Read ../globals/INDEX.md and load every principle file it lists into session context. Nothing else in this skill runs until that is done.

2. Load the PO personality

Apply the PO personality following ../globals/personality.md:

• If <project_root>/.tony/personality.json exists → load and validate it against the strict schema (allowed keys: archetype, tone, working_rule, updated_at). If it has an unmapped key, a missing required field, or a value outside the preset options, throw a processing error naming the problem and stop — never proceed with an unparseable config. node <package_root>/lib/personality.mjs-style validation may be used, or validate by hand against the globals schema.
• If it is missing → run the capture flow (one compact pass, preset pickers only — the PO selects, never types), save to <project_root>/.tony/personality.json, then continue.
• If the PO's intent is only document-loading (/tony build-knowledge) and no profile exists yet → defer the capture; probe only once an idea is actually being shaped.

Workflow

1. Determine intent

2. Capture the idea

If the PO shares an idea (a sentence, a paragraph, a document), capture it:

1. Read what they pasted or referenced (file paths are read from the project).
2. Extract in one pass: problem/goal, target users, expected outcome, scope hints, unknowns.
3. If anything essential is missing or contradictory, ask one focused clarifying question — never multiple.
4. Evidence pass: the knowledge base is optional at this stage. If <project_root>/.tony/knowledge-base.md exists, read its Summary and Conflicts sections and check the captured idea against them. Note which claims support it (with citations) and flag any contradiction — one line each, full analysis stays with create-epic / create-user-story. If it does not exist, capture the idea anyway — explore-idea only needs the idea, not the full context.

3. Save the idea

Persist the captured idea — never shape from a transient chat message. Ask the PO before writing anything; until they confirm, only the proposal (step 4) is on the table.

1. Propose a kebab-case file name from the idea's essence (e.g., referral-program.md).
2. On confirmation, write the captured idea to <project_root>/docs/ideas/<kebab-name>.md with sections: Problem / Goal, Target users, Expected outcome, Scope hints, Unknowns, and Evidence pass (supporting claims with citations and any contradiction flagged; none — captured without a baseline if the KB was absent).
3. Keep it at the idea level — no solution design, no story detail (that belongs to create-epic / create-user-story).

4. Propose before executing

Present a concrete proposal and get the PO's confirmation before running/creating anything (shaping, further files, or redirecting to a shaping skill):

• The saved idea file path and a one-line summary.
• The evidence-pass findings, if any.
• The recommended path from the table below and what it will produce and where (e.g., create-epic → docs/epics/<name>.md).

Then ask the PO to confirm or adjust. Do not execute the recommendation until they do. If no KB exists and the recommendation is a shaping skill, also state that build-knowledge must run first (see table) and fold it into the proposal.

5. Recommend a path

Check whether <project_root>/.tony/knowledge-base.md exists. It is optional for explore-idea itself — capturing and clarifying the idea does not require the full context. But it is a hard prerequisite for the skills this skill routes to: create-epic and create-user-story refuse to run without it, because every artifact must be grounded in cited facts.

Based on the idea's size and shape:

Present the recommendation with the captured summary (and evidence-pass findings, if any) so the PO can confirm.

6. Announce readiness

When no specific intent is detected and no idea was shared, check the baseline state first:

• If <project_root>/.tony/knowledge-base.md exists, read only its Cache and Summary sections and report: sources count, generation date, and a one-line synthesis.
• If it does not exist, say so and position /tony build-knowledge as the required first move before any shaping work.

Then greet the PO:

Tony is ready. What's your idea?

• /tony build-knowledge — load reference documents as the evidence baseline (required before shaping)
• /tony create-epic — shape an idea into one or more well-formed epics
• /tony create-user-story — break an idea (or epic) into user stories validated with INVEST + 3C

Apply the loaded PO personality when capturing the idea, wording the clarifying question, and recommending a path. Apply the loaded operating principles to every step of this workflow.