/silver:clarify

Overview

/silver:clarify implements catalog atomic flow AF-CLARIFY. It merges product framing, option generation, and convergence into a single workflow — the front end of planning before AF-ORIENT, AF-PLAN, or composed workflows like /silver:feature continue.

It does not implement work or write phase plans. It helps compare options, pressure-test assumptions, and lock a recommendation. If the topic is visual or diagram-heavy, it can offer the browser-based visual companion before the deeper questions begin.

When to Use

• "I want to build..." / "I have an idea..." / "Here's my concept..."
• "What's the best approach for..." / "Should we use X or Y?"
• A requirement doc exists, but the decisions are still scattered or unclear
• You want a decision-ready brief before entering SB planning

Workflow Steps

Pre-flight — load preferences

Read the silver-bullet.md §10 workflow preferences and apply stored routing or mode preferences silently.

Step 1 — Frame the problem

Restate the goal in plain language, identify who the user is, and note what "done" looks like. If the prompt is already detailed, compress the brief into a cleaner problem statement.

Step 2 — Explore options

Generate 2 to 4 plausible approaches, including a straightforward option and at least one more ambitious alternative. Keep the tradeoffs explicit.

Step 3 — Pressure-test

Check assumptions, highlight uncertainties, and flag anything that needs research or external validation before implementation starts.

Step 4 — Converge

Pick the best path for the current constraints and capture the rationale in a concise decision brief.

Step 5 — Handoff

Write .planning/CLARIFY.md and hand off to /silver:context and /silver:plan once the brief is clear enough for phase discussion.

Modes

• Interactive - asks follow-up questions when the input is still fuzzy.
• Autonomous - applies sensible defaults, logs decisions, and keeps moving until the brief is decision-ready.
• Analyze - leans harder on context synthesis before asking questions.
• Chain - continues directly into /silver:context and /silver:plan when the handoff is ready.

Output

The main artifact is .planning/CLARIFY.md. It should contain the problem framing, options considered, recommendation, and any follow-up questions that still need SB planning.

Example Invocation

The workflow frames the request, compares a few possible directions, converges on a recommendation, writes .planning/CLARIFY.md, and hands off to /silver:context and /silver:plan.