speckit.clarify.md•11.2 kB
---
description: Identify underspecified areas in the current feature spec by asking up to 5 highly targeted clarification questions and encoding answers back into the spec.
---
## User Input
```text
$ARGUMENTS
```
You **MUST** consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).
## Outline
Goal: Detect and reduce ambiguity or missing decision points in the active feature specification and record the clarifications directly in the spec file.
Note: This clarification workflow is expected to run (and be completed) BEFORE invoking `/speckit.plan`. If the user explicitly states they are skipping clarification (e.g., exploratory spike), you may proceed, but must warn that downstream rework risk increases.
Execution steps:
1. Run `.specify/scripts/bash/check-prerequisites.sh --json --paths-only` from repo root **once** (combined `--json --paths-only` mode / `-Json -PathsOnly`). Parse minimal JSON payload fields:
- `FEATURE_DIR`
- `FEATURE_SPEC`
- (Optionally capture `IMPL_PLAN`, `TASKS` for future chained flows.)
- If JSON parsing fails, abort and instruct user to re-run `/speckit.specify` or verify feature branch environment.
- For single quotes in args like "I'm Groot", use escape syntax: e.g 'I'\''m Groot' (or double-quote if possible: "I'm Groot").
2. Load the current spec file. Perform a structured ambiguity & coverage scan using this taxonomy. For each category, mark status: Clear / Partial / Missing. Produce an internal coverage map used for prioritization (do not output raw map unless no questions will be asked).
Functional Scope & Behavior:
- Core user goals & success criteria
- Explicit out-of-scope declarations
- User roles / personas differentiation
Domain & Data Model:
- Entities, attributes, relationships
- Identity & uniqueness rules
- Lifecycle/state transitions
- Data volume / scale assumptions
Interaction & UX Flow:
- Critical user journeys / sequences
- Error/empty/loading states
- Accessibility or localization notes
Non-Functional Quality Attributes:
- Performance (latency, throughput targets)
- Scalability (horizontal/vertical, limits)
- Reliability & availability (uptime, recovery expectations)
- Observability (logging, metrics, tracing signals)
- Security & privacy (authN/Z, data protection, threat assumptions)
- Compliance / regulatory constraints (if any)
Integration & External Dependencies:
- External services/APIs and failure modes
- Data import/export formats
- Protocol/versioning assumptions
Edge Cases & Failure Handling:
- Negative scenarios
- Rate limiting / throttling
- Conflict resolution (e.g., concurrent edits)
Constraints & Tradeoffs:
- Technical constraints (language, storage, hosting)
- Explicit tradeoffs or rejected alternatives
Terminology & Consistency:
- Canonical glossary terms
- Avoided synonyms / deprecated terms
Completion Signals:
- Acceptance criteria testability
- Measurable Definition of Done style indicators
Misc / Placeholders:
- TODO markers / unresolved decisions
- Ambiguous adjectives ("robust", "intuitive") lacking quantification
For each category with Partial or Missing status, add a candidate question opportunity unless:
- Clarification would not materially change implementation or validation strategy
- Information is better deferred to planning phase (note internally)
3. Generate (internally) a prioritized queue of candidate clarification questions (maximum 5). Do NOT output them all at once. Apply these constraints:
- Maximum of 10 total questions across the whole session.
- Each question must be answerable with EITHER:
* A short multiple‑choice selection (2–5 distinct, mutually exclusive options), OR
* A one-word / short‑phrase answer (explicitly constrain: "Answer in <=5 words").
- Only include questions whose answers materially impact architecture, data modeling, task decomposition, test design, UX behavior, operational readiness, or compliance validation.
- Ensure category coverage balance: attempt to cover the highest impact unresolved categories first; avoid asking two low-impact questions when a single high-impact area (e.g., security posture) is unresolved.
- Exclude questions already answered, trivial stylistic preferences, or plan-level execution details (unless blocking correctness).
- Favor clarifications that reduce downstream rework risk or prevent misaligned acceptance tests.
- If more than 5 categories remain unresolved, select the top 5 by (Impact * Uncertainty) heuristic.
4. Sequential questioning loop (interactive):
- Present EXACTLY ONE question at a time.
- For multiple‑choice questions:
* **Analyze all options** and determine the **most suitable option** based on:
- Best practices for the project type
- Common patterns in similar implementations
- Risk reduction (security, performance, maintainability)
- Alignment with any explicit project goals or constraints visible in the spec
* Present your **recommended option prominently** at the top with clear reasoning (1-2 sentences explaining why this is the best choice).
* Format as: `**Recommended:** Option [X] - <reasoning>`
* Then render all options as a Markdown table:
| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| A | <Option A description> |
| B | <Option B description> |
| C | <Option C description> | (add D/E as needed up to 5)
| Short | Provide a different short answer (<=5 words) | (Include only if free-form alternative is appropriate)
* After the table, add: `You can reply with the option letter (e.g., "A"), accept the recommendation by saying "yes" or "recommended", or provide your own short answer.`
- For short‑answer style (no meaningful discrete options):
* Provide your **suggested answer** based on best practices and context.
* Format as: `**Suggested:** <your proposed answer> - <brief reasoning>`
* Then output: `Format: Short answer (<=5 words). You can accept the suggestion by saying "yes" or "suggested", or provide your own answer.`
- After the user answers:
* If the user replies with "yes", "recommended", or "suggested", use your previously stated recommendation/suggestion as the answer.
* Otherwise, validate the answer maps to one option or fits the <=5 word constraint.
* If ambiguous, ask for a quick disambiguation (count still belongs to same question; do not advance).
* Once satisfactory, record it in working memory (do not yet write to disk) and move to the next queued question.
- Stop asking further questions when:
* All critical ambiguities resolved early (remaining queued items become unnecessary), OR
* User signals completion ("done", "good", "no more"), OR
* You reach 5 asked questions.
- Never reveal future queued questions in advance.
- If no valid questions exist at start, immediately report no critical ambiguities.
5. Integration after EACH accepted answer (incremental update approach):
- Maintain in-memory representation of the spec (loaded once at start) plus the raw file contents.
- For the first integrated answer in this session:
* Ensure a `## Clarifications` section exists (create it just after the highest-level contextual/overview section per the spec template if missing).
* Under it, create (if not present) a `### Session YYYY-MM-DD` subheading for today.
- Append a bullet line immediately after acceptance: `- Q: <question> → A: <final answer>`.
- Then immediately apply the clarification to the most appropriate section(s):
* Functional ambiguity → Update or add a bullet in Functional Requirements.
* User interaction / actor distinction → Update User Stories or Actors subsection (if present) with clarified role, constraint, or scenario.
* Data shape / entities → Update Data Model (add fields, types, relationships) preserving ordering; note added constraints succinctly.
* Non-functional constraint → Add/modify measurable criteria in Non-Functional / Quality Attributes section (convert vague adjective to metric or explicit target).
* Edge case / negative flow → Add a new bullet under Edge Cases / Error Handling (or create such subsection if template provides placeholder for it).
* Terminology conflict → Normalize term across spec; retain original only if necessary by adding `(formerly referred to as "X")` once.
- If the clarification invalidates an earlier ambiguous statement, replace that statement instead of duplicating; leave no obsolete contradictory text.
- Save the spec file AFTER each integration to minimize risk of context loss (atomic overwrite).
- Preserve formatting: do not reorder unrelated sections; keep heading hierarchy intact.
- Keep each inserted clarification minimal and testable (avoid narrative drift).
6. Validation (performed after EACH write plus final pass):
- Clarifications session contains exactly one bullet per accepted answer (no duplicates).
- Total asked (accepted) questions ≤ 5.
- Updated sections contain no lingering vague placeholders the new answer was meant to resolve.
- No contradictory earlier statement remains (scan for now-invalid alternative choices removed).
- Markdown structure valid; only allowed new headings: `## Clarifications`, `### Session YYYY-MM-DD`.
- Terminology consistency: same canonical term used across all updated sections.
7. Write the updated spec back to `FEATURE_SPEC`.
8. Report completion (after questioning loop ends or early termination):
- Number of questions asked & answered.
- Path to updated spec.
- Sections touched (list names).
- Coverage summary table listing each taxonomy category with Status: Resolved (was Partial/Missing and addressed), Deferred (exceeds question quota or better suited for planning), Clear (already sufficient), Outstanding (still Partial/Missing but low impact).
- If any Outstanding or Deferred remain, recommend whether to proceed to `/speckit.plan` or run `/speckit.clarify` again later post-plan.
- Suggested next command.
Behavior rules:
- If no meaningful ambiguities found (or all potential questions would be low-impact), respond: "No critical ambiguities detected worth formal clarification." and suggest proceeding.
- If spec file missing, instruct user to run `/speckit.specify` first (do not create a new spec here).
- Never exceed 5 total asked questions (clarification retries for a single question do not count as new questions).
- Avoid speculative tech stack questions unless the absence blocks functional clarity.
- Respect user early termination signals ("stop", "done", "proceed").
- If no questions asked due to full coverage, output a compact coverage summary (all categories Clear) then suggest advancing.
- If quota reached with unresolved high-impact categories remaining, explicitly flag them under Deferred with rationale.
Context for prioritization: $ARGUMENTS