Vague: Requirement Clarification

Transform vague or ambiguous requirements into precise, actionable specifications through hypothesis-driven questioning. ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion tool — never ask clarifying questions in plain text.

When to Use

• Ambiguous feature requests (“add a login feature”)
• Incomplete bug reports (“the export is broken”)
• Underspecified tasks (“make the app faster”)

For strategy/planning blind spot analysis, use the unknown skill. For content-vs-form reframing, use the metamedium skill.

Core Principle: Hypotheses as Options

Present plausible interpretations as options instead of asking open questions. Each option is a testable hypothesis about what the user actually means.

BAD:  "What kind of login do you want?"           ← open question, high cognitive load
GOOD: "OAuth / Email+Password / SSO / Magic link" ← pick one, lower load

Protocol

Phase 1: Capture and Diagnose

Record the original requirement verbatim. Identify ambiguities:

• What is unclear or underspecified?
• What assumptions would need to be made?
• What decisions are left to interpretation?

Phase 2: Iterative Clarification

Use AskUserQuestion to resolve ambiguities. Batch up to 4 related questions per call. Each option is a hypothesis about what the user means.

Cap: 5-8 total questions. Stop when all critical ambiguities are resolved, OR user indicates “good enough”, OR cap reached.

Example AskUserQuestion call:

questions:
  - question: "Which authentication method should the login use?"
    header: "Auth method"
    options:
      - label: "Email + Password"
        description: "Traditional signup with email verification"
      - label: "OAuth (Google/GitHub)"
        description: "Delegated auth, no password management needed"
      - label: "Magic link"
        description: "Passwordless email-based login"
    multiSelect: false
  - question: "What should happen after registration?"
    header: "Post-signup"
    options:
      - label: "Immediate access"
        description: "User can use the app right away"
      - label: "Email verification first"
        description: "Must confirm email before access"
    multiSelect: false

Phase 3: Before/After Summary

Present the transformation:

## Requirement Clarification Summary

### Before (Original)
"{original request verbatim}"

### After (Clarified)
**Goal**: [precise description]
**Scope**: [included and excluded]
**Constraints**: [limitations, preferences]
**Success Criteria**: [how to know when done]

**Decisions Made**:
| Question | Decision |
|----------|----------|
| [ambiguity 1] | [chosen option] |

Phase 4: Save Option

Ask whether to save the clarified requirement to a file. Default location: requirements/ or project-appropriate directory.

Ambiguity Categories

Rules

1. Hypotheses, not open questions: Every option is a plausible interpretation
2. No assumptions: Ask, don’t assume
3. Preserve intent: Refine, don’t redirect
4. 5-8 questions max: Beyond this is fatigue
5. Batch related questions: Up to 4 per AskUserQuestion call
6. Track changes: Always show before/after