brain-dump

Optional discovery before /grilling. Unstructured thoughts or a monologue may reveal several independent tracks; preserve them instead of forcing one objective.

Return the brief in chat unless asked to save or publish. Do not implement, create tickets, or commit to opportunities.

1. Absorb

Treat the conversation, notes, attachments, articles, files, and links as one dump. If the user is still talking, acknowledge and wait; otherwise proceed. Read supplied material and repo evidence. Extract external claims, conclusions, constraints, timing, and implications; use /read-the-damn-docs or /research when current primary sources matter.

Separate source/repo facts, user observations, labelled inferences, contradictions, and unknowns. Never ask the user to repeat an answer already present.

2. Reconstruct

Extract actors, pains, outcomes, systems, triggers, constraints, ideas, rejected directions, urgency, and success signals. Name the surface; separate need from solution. Record implied answers in an Answer ledger:

• Settled: explicit or directly supported.
• Tentative: inferred and safe to challenge.
• Unknown: missing and able to change direction.

3. Map opportunities

Cluster duplicates and list each distinct, supported direction. Usually show 2-5; keep more only for genuinely broader work. Include disciplines only when evidence supports them.

For each opportunity give outcome/actor, evidence, work products, dependencies/risks/decisions, and cheapest proof: lookup, prototype, measurement, or reversible slice. Recommend by value, evidence, urgency, and reversibility; keep alternatives visible.

4. Return

Prune empty sections from this structure:

## Brain dump brief

### Orientation
<surface, tension, recommendation>

### Source synthesis
<facts, implications, contradictions, citations or paths>

## Answer ledger
| Likely grilling question | Extracted answer | State | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | Settled / Tentative / Unknown | ... |

## Opportunity map
### <Opportunity>
- Outcome:
- Evidence:
- Work products:
- Risks and dependencies:
- Cheapest next proof:

## Grilling handoff
- Settled context to preserve:
- Tentative assumptions to challenge:
- Material user decisions still open:
- Facts to look up without asking the user:
- Candidate prototypes or measurements:

Keep it self-contained; link or cite sources instead of copying them.

5. Hand off

Continue with /grilling for material user decisions and pass every track. Ask only Unknown items that could invalidate or prioritize it; challenge Tentative items when downside matters; preserve Settled answers unless contradicted. Otherwise recommend the next lookup, prototype, spec, plan, or execution skill.