---
name: architect-discovery
description: >
  Drives the recursive question-asking phase of any scaffold (first scaffold or rescaffold).
  Asks the orientation base set, spawns follow-ups freely as gaps surface, explains the kit's
  purpose progressively, adapts conversation to the user's function-mode, detects the
  organization's local skill repository, captures honest unknowns as rescaffold triggers.
  Triggered when the operator says: "let's talk through this", "what should I deploy", "I'm
  not sure what to put for this question", "explain why you're asking", "what does this kit
  do", "help me orient", "rescaffold the {layer/concern}", "we changed {sponsor / function /
  scope}", "let's revisit {layer}", or invoked directly by deploy / rescaffold skills. Refuses
  silent skips; refuses to declare discovery complete with unsurfaced gaps; refuses to assume
  function-mode is `building` when the user has not confirmed.
---

# architect-discovery

Drives recursive question-asking for first scaffold and rescaffold. Asks extensively, spawns follow-ups, explains purpose progressively, adapts to function-mode, detects org-local skill repositories, captures honest unknowns with rescaffold triggers.

## When to invoke

- Operator says: "let's talk through this", "what should I deploy", "I'm not sure what to put for this question", "explain why you're asking", "what does this kit do", "help me orient", "rescaffold the {layer/concern}", "we changed {sponsor / function / scope}", "let's revisit {layer}"
- The deploy skill invokes this skill at first scaffold (Phase 2: discovery)
- The architect-rescaffold skill invokes this skill at rescaffold time on the affected scope
- Operating-mode follow-ups: when a session log surfaces a previously-unknown answer, this skill captures the resolution and updates LOCALIZATION-ANSWERS.md

## Operating modes

### Mode A: First-scaffold discovery (the orientation conversation)

The first time the kit lands. Read `BOOTSTRAP-BRIEF.md` and `QUESTIONS.md` to ground the conversation.

Procedure:

1. **Open by explaining what the kit is.** Two to four sentences: "This kit lands an operating model into your environment. It asks questions to understand your function and adapt accordingly. The first scaffold is intense; subsequent ones are lighter. Your honest 'I do not know yet' answers are useful; they become rescaffold triggers."

2. **Walk the orientation base set.** Q1 through Q10 from `QUESTIONS.md`. For each:
   - State the question
   - Explain what it shapes (which layer, which template, which downstream behavior)
   - State acceptance criteria
   - State the default suggestion if any
   - Wait for the operator's answer
   - If answer fails acceptance: ask a clarifying follow-up naming the missing criterion
   - If answer reveals a gap that warrants follow-up: ask the follow-up before moving to the next base question
   - Capture the answer (and any follow-up answers) in `LOCALIZATION-ANSWERS.md`

3. **For Q1 specifically: capture function-mode.** The operator's primary working stance: building / operating / deciding / creating / mixed. This shapes the entire rest of the conversation:
   - `building`: full L4 platform-kit conversation; eval baselines weighted heavily
   - `operating`: lighter L4 (likely inherited or N/A); heavier L0 + L7 + inbox-outbox conversation
   - `deciding`: ADR-practice-heavy; very light L4
   - `researching`: session-log + BACKLOG drain heavy; L0 may be "answer this question" rather than "ship this capability"
   - `mixed`: dominant + secondary; conversation weighted accordingly

4. **For Q6 specifically: detect org-local skill repository.** If the answer indicates the org has one (path provided, or "we have a Cowork team-skills storage", or similar):
   - Ask whether org-local skills should take precedence over kit-bundled equivalents (default: yes)
   - Ask the mirror direction (default: org-local -> deployed instance, one-way pull)
   - Surface the recursive skill population as a rescaffold trigger if any org-local skill conflicts with kit-bundled defaults; let the operator resolve later
   - If the answer is `does not exist`: surface as a future opportunity (the deployed instance could become the seed for org-local repo); not blocking

5. **For Q10 specifically: capture existing organizational rhythms.** Standup cadence, weekly review cadence, quarterly planning cadence, decision rituals (RFCs, design docs, OKRs). The deploy skill aligns Doc Lifecycle cadences to these rhythms.

6. **Honest unknowns are first-class.** If the operator says "I do not know yet" for any question:
   - Ask why (resource gap? not-yet-decided? would need outside input?)
   - Capture as `unknown - {reason}`
   - Append rescaffold trigger: "revisit {Q-number} when {resolution condition}"
   - Move on; do not block

7. **End with a summary and rescaffold trigger queue.** Before declaring discovery complete:
   - Summarize what was captured
   - List the honest unknowns
   - Show the rescaffold trigger queue
   - Confirm with operator the queue is correct
   - Hand off to the deploy skill's scaffold phase

### Mode B: Operating-mode follow-up

A session log or inbox drain surfaces a previously-unknown answer. Procedure:

1. Read the prior captured answer in LOCALIZATION-ANSWERS.md
2. Confirm the new answer with the operator (one or two sentences; this is not a full discovery cycle)
3. Update LOCALIZATION-ANSWERS.md (append to revision log, do not rewrite)
4. Identify which artifacts depend on the changed answer (per `templates/README.md` reverse map)
5. Surface a rescaffold trigger if any layer maturity changed; otherwise treat as routine update

### Mode C: Rescaffold-mode discovery

The architect-rescaffold skill has identified affected scope; this skill drives the targeted question-asking.

Procedure:

1. Read the rescaffold trigger queue in BACKLOG.md or RESCAFFOLD-TRIGGERS.md
2. Identify the affected scope: which layers, which questions are implicated
3. Ask only the affected questions plus their follow-ups; do not re-ask the entire base set
4. For honest unknowns from prior scaffolds that may now be resolvable: ask
5. For new questions surfaced by rescaffold triggers (e.g., a new platform onboarded surfaces L7 participation questions for that platform): ask
6. Update LOCALIZATION-ANSWERS.md with revision-log entries
7. Hand off to architect-rescaffold's scaffold phase (re-render affected templates only)

## Refusal conditions

- Refuse silent skip on any base-set question; if the operator says "skip this", capture as `unknown - {reason}` with rescaffold trigger or as explicit accept-default with rationale
- Refuse to assume function-mode is `building` when the operator has not confirmed; the function-mode question is mandatory
- Refuse to declare discovery complete with unsurfaced gaps (an answer that reveals a gap not yet asked about must spawn the follow-up before discovery ends)
- Refuse to ignore the org-local skill repository question; the answer drives recursive skill population
- Refuse to declare discovery complete without confirming the rescaffold trigger queue with the operator

## Behaviors during discovery

- **Explain progressively.** Each question's "what it shapes" framing is part of the kit's teaching. The operator should leave discovery understanding why the kit asked what it asked.
- **One question at a time.** Batching produces lax answers.
- **Confirm captures verbatim.** Restate the captured answer back to the operator before moving on; catches transcription errors.
- **Track time gently.** First-scaffold discovery typically runs 30 to 90 minutes. If approaching 90 minutes, ask the operator if they want to pause and resume; do not force completion through fatigue.
- **Honest unknowns are wins.** Treat them as productive answers; the kit's value compounds across scaffolds, so deferred answers are first-class.

## Cross-references inside the kit

- `BOOTSTRAP-BRIEF.md` Section V (behavior triggers; including "When asked a question whose answer you do not yet have")
- `QUESTIONS.md` - the orientation base set + recursive follow-up patterns
- `templates/README.md` - the reverse map (which questions populate which templates)
- `examples/martech-mature-instance/LOCALIZATION-ANSWERS.md` - reference example
- `decisions/ADR-0004-recursive-question-discipline.md` - the V1.1 framing this skill operationalizes
- `decisions/ADR-0006-function-adaptation.md` - the function-mode and org-local-skill-repository behaviors
- `skills/deploy/SKILL.md` - invokes this skill in Phase 2 (discovery)
- `skills/architect-rescaffold/SKILL.md` - invokes this skill in Mode C
- `skills/architect-adr/SKILL.md` - paired when an answer surfaces an ADR-worthy decision
