Explore and design

Choose the work requested and load only its reference. A request for a later stage can start there when its inputs are established; do not replay earlier stages as ceremony.

When the request crosses stages, load the next reference as that stage becomes relevant. Exploration can remain conversational. Do not create project documents solely because discussion has matured. Document creation or revision requires sdd-manage to coordinate the user's request and a current sdd-orient handoff identifying a usable Git worktree, applicable instructions, target paths, and unresolved dirty state. This skill does not perform orientation or authorize a different workflow.

Use the sdd-conventions modularity reference when defining or reviewing boundaries, and its design heuristics when assessing a chosen approach or comparing options. Keep these checks separate from the document-specific procedures below. Observe project instructions and existing contracts; do not overwrite unowned changes. If required project evidence conflicts, resolve the conflict before mutation.

PROJECT.md owns the concise project brief, ARCHITECTURE.md owns high-level design, and DECOMPOSITION.md owns detailed logical component boundaries. Both architecture and decomposition may have focused children. Scoped feature documents express a proposed architectural delta where necessary. These documents inform SPEC; they neither replace its behavioral contracts nor authorize implementation, planning, layout authoring, or task execution.

Document boundaries

Support required modularity, extensibility, scalability, decoupling, and testability through the accepted design. Tie variation and load decisions to actual requirements and credible needs; these qualities do not require realizing every anticipated capability in the first increment.

Use the relevant architecture or decomposition reference for read-only design review. Incorporation of accepted feature design into main PROJECT, ARCHITECTURE, or DECOMPOSITION belongs to sdd-integrate-feature.

At completion, state what was explored or changed, the decisions established, unresolved material questions, and which documents were inspected or updated. Report design as design, never as implemented functionality.