87 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
87 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
name: interview-style-doc-building
|
|
description: "Build structured strategy documents by asking one question at a time and patching the file."
|
|
category: productivity
|
|
risk: critical
|
|
source: community
|
|
source_repo: davidondrej/skills
|
|
source_type: community
|
|
date_added: "2026-07-07"
|
|
author: davidondrej
|
|
tags: [documentation, interview, planning]
|
|
tools: [claude, codex]
|
|
license: "MIT"
|
|
license_source: "https://github.com/davidondrej/skills/blob/main/LICENSE"
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Interview-Style Doc Building
|
|
|
|
The user's preferred mode for creating durable strategic docs. AI does NOT propose content — AI asks one question, the user answers, AI patches the file, AI asks the next question. The file IS the conversation's output, updated incrementally.
|
|
|
|
## When to Use
|
|
|
|
- Building a new SSOT file (life priorities, life vision, principles, frameworks, ranked lists).
|
|
- Filling out a structured doc the user explicitly wants to author themselves.
|
|
- Quarterly/annual reviews where the user's words go into the file.
|
|
|
|
**NOT for:** day planning (use `day-plan`), task triage (`organize-tasks`), or anything where AI proposes content first.
|
|
|
|
## The Loop
|
|
|
|
1. **Create the file** with a skeleton (header, sections, "to be filled in" placeholders). Single `write_file` for the new file. After this, NEVER overwrite — only `patch`.
|
|
2. **Ask ONE question.** Concise. Specific. Single-faceted. Open-ended where possible.
|
|
3. **Wait for the answer.** Don't ask the next question yet.
|
|
4. **Patch the file** with the user's answer in the correct section.
|
|
5. **Re-ask** — next question, or follow-up if the answer was incomplete.
|
|
6. Repeat until the file is complete.
|
|
|
|
## Hard Rules
|
|
|
|
- **One question at a time.** Never dump multiple questions in a single message. The user has flagged this.
|
|
- **Patch, don't overwrite.** After the initial skeleton, use `patch` for every update. Never `write_file` to an existing doc.
|
|
- **Update the file BEFORE asking the next question.** Order: receive answer → patch file → ask next question. Not the reverse.
|
|
- **Lists from the user are UNORDERED SETS.** When the user lists items in response to "which X should we cover?" or "what are the Ys?", that is a SET, not a ranking. Never infer rank, priority, or sequence from the order they typed them. If you need ordering, ask explicitly: "Which of these is #1?"
|
|
- **Ask dynamics, not names.** When the user references a person, don't ask "who is X?" — ask about the role/dynamic.
|
|
- **No snark, no attitude, no filler.** Concise questions, concise acknowledgments.
|
|
- **No speculative additions.** Don't invent sections, edge cases, or "anything else?" prompts unless the user asks.
|
|
|
|
## Question Design
|
|
|
|
- **Domain-discovery, not confirmation.** "What wins against everything else?" — not "Is Business #1?"
|
|
- **Surface new reality.** Each question should pull out info AI doesn't already have.
|
|
- **Engine-move framing where applicable.** "What's the thing that, if true, makes the rest obvious?"
|
|
- **Concrete over abstract.** "What's #2 — the domain that wins against everything except #1?" beats "Tell me about your second priority."
|
|
|
|
## File Patching Pattern
|
|
|
|
After each answer:
|
|
1. Read the relevant section (if not already in context).
|
|
2. `patch` with `old_string` = placeholder or previous entry, `new_string` = updated content with the user's words preserved.
|
|
3. Confirm the diff. Move on.
|
|
|
|
For ranked lists, append one rank at a time:
|
|
```
|
|
1. **Business** — Q2 #1 goal: ...
|
|
2. **Health** — get below 81.0 kg, sleep 9h/day, ...
|
|
```
|
|
Each rank gets patched in as the user confirms it.
|
|
|
|
## Common Pitfalls
|
|
|
|
- **Assuming order from a set.** The user lists "A, B, C, D" → AI writes "1. A, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D" → the user flags it. ALWAYS confirm rank explicitly.
|
|
- **Asking too many questions at once.** Even bundling 2 violates the rule.
|
|
- **Overwriting the file** instead of patching specific sections — destroys prior content.
|
|
- **Adding AI-generated content** to fill out sections. Sections stay empty until the user provides the content.
|
|
- **Skipping the file update** between Q&A pairs — the doc falls out of sync.
|
|
|
|
## Pairing with Other Skills
|
|
|
|
- `day-plan` — different pattern (task triage), not interview-style.
|
|
- `organize-tasks` — Todoist-specific.
|
|
- `memory-management` — separate from this; persona/preferences go to memory.
|
|
|
|
## Limitations
|
|
|
|
- Adapted from `davidondrej/skills`; verify local paths, tools, credentials, and agent features before acting.
|
|
- For commands, remote access, scheduling, browser automation, or file-changing workflows, get explicit user approval and confirm the target environment first.
|