New Feature Discovery

Objective

Conduct a comprehensive interview to fully understand and document a new feature using collaborative brainstorming, then create a formal specification.

Guidelines

• Invoke design-exploration skill first for discovery and exploration
• Use AskUserQuestion tool for ALL clarifications - provides interactive options for user to choose from
• Never assume behavior: if any behavior is unclear/ambiguous (UX flow, edge cases, error handling, states), you MUST ask the user to define expected behavior (preferred via AskUserQuestion).
• Ask non-obvious and thought-provoking questions
• Actively challenge assumptions; do not be a yes-boy. Grill.
• Offer alternatives, shortcuts, and "go deeper" paths
• Continue until the feature is fully understood
• Document everything in the specification file

Workflow

Mobile-app Skill Gate (MANDATORY when feature touches mobile-app/)

Trigger: If the feature will create or modify any code under mobile-app/ (new screens/components, animations, lists, navigation, Expo APIs).

MANDATORY steps (do BEFORE writing recommendations/implementation details in the discovery/spec):

• Read the skill docs:
  • .claude/skills/react-native-expo-mobile/SKILL.md
  • .claude/skills/react-native-expo-mobile/AGENTS.md
• Explicitly state in the discovery/spec that the skill was read and will be applied in implementation.
• Extract the relevant rules for this feature area (minimum: Core Rendering; plus Animation/List Performance/React Compiler/UI as applicable) and record them under a short section like: "Skill Compliance: react-native-expo-mobile".

Step 1: Codebase Exploration

Launch 1-3 parallel Explore agents (with Sonnet) based on feature complexity. Use Task tool in single message.

Agents:

1. Code & patterns in backend/
2. Data models, schemas, APIs (if 2+ agents)
3. Docs, ADRs, tests (if 3 agents)

Synthesize findings, then proceed to design exploration.

Step 2: External Research (If Needed)

When you need current information, best practices, or technical research:

• Quick lookups: Use Exa MCP tools (get_code_context_exa, web_search_exa) directly
• In-depth research: Spawn comprehensive-researcher subagent via Task tool for complex topics requiring multiple sources and cross-verification

Topics to research:

• Industry best practices for the feature type
• Competitor implementations and patterns
• API/library capabilities and limitations
• Security considerations and compliance requirements

Step 3: Design Exploration Phase

Invoke the design-exploration skill with gathered context:

• Ask questions to refine the idea (batch related questions)
• Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
• Present design incrementally (200-300 word sections) for validation

Step 4: "Grill Me" Challenge Round

After initial design exploration, run a structured challenge:

• Identify assumptions and question each one
• Suggest 2-3 alternative approaches (including a "lean/shortcut" path), if applicable and worth it
• Flag potential risks, hidden costs, or complexity traps
• Recommend where to cut scope vs where to deepen investment

Step 5: Deep-Dive Questions

After design exploration, ask additional non-obvious questions if needed:

Technical Implementation:

• Edge cases and failure scenarios
• Performance implications at scale
• Integration points with existing systems
• Security and privacy implications

UI/UX:

• User mental models and expectations
• Error states and recovery flows
• Accessibility considerations

Business & Product:

• Success metrics and how to measure them
• MVP vs future scope boundaries
• Potential abuse scenarios

Tradeoffs:

• Complexity vs flexibility
• Development speed vs technical debt
• Short-term wins vs long-term maintainability

Step 6: Specification Writing

After design exploration and interview completion:

1. Read template: Read docs/product-docs/templates/discovery-template.md to load the structure
2. Create task directory: tasks/task-YYYY-MM-DD-[feature-name]/
3. Write specification following the template structure
   • Output file: discovery-[feature-name].md
4. Present summary to user for confirmation

If design exploration reveals the feature is not viable: Document the reasons in a brief discovery-[feature-name]-rejected.md with rationale, and stop here.

Step 7: Codex Validation

After discovery document is created, invoke /codex-cli skill for cross-AI validation.

Verification focus: Discovery document review as senior product analyst

• Completeness, consistency, clarity, feasibility, scope definition
• No conflicts with existing codebase architecture and patterns
• No critical gaps or missing considerations

Process feedback: Update discovery if needed, add "Cross-AI Validation: PASSED" when approved.

If validation fails: Present the issues to the user via AskUserQuestion with options: "Revise discovery doc", "Override and proceed", "Abandon feature".

Output

tasks/task-YYYY-MM-DD-[feature-name]/discovery-[feature-name].md