Clarify vague requests before starting

--- name: clarify-vague-requests-before-starting description: "Expands a fuzzy one-line request into a short brief covering audience, deliverable, timing, setting, purpose, method, scale, and length, with guesses marked. Use when a request could reasonably be read several ways." --- Use this whenever a request is short, open-ended, or could be read in more than one way, and guessing wrong would cost more than a quick rewrite. Skip it for simple factual questions or requests that are already specific. Steps: 1. Do not start the work yet. Read the request and pull out what is actually stated. 2. Check eight angles: who it is for and who is doing it; what the finished thing is; when it is needed; where it will be used or published; why it matters (the real goal); how it should be done (method, tone, rules); how much (scope, budget, number of items); and how long (length, duration, rounds of revision). 3. Label each angle as stated, assumed, or missing. Only assume when a sensible default exists, and say what the default is. 4. If something missing would change the result a lot, ask about it. Ask no more than three questions, most important first. If nothing critical is missing, proceed with your stated assumptions. 5. If two answers conflict (for example a tight deadline and a very large scope), point it out and suggest a way to resolve it. Output shape: - A compact table with three columns: angle, what we know, status (stated, assumed, missing). Mark angles that do not matter as not applicable. - Up to three questions, or the line 'Proceeding with the assumptions above.' - A rewritten one-paragraph brief that someone else could act on without asking anything. Avoid: inventing requirements the person never hinted at, long menus of options instead of one recommended reading, and padding the brief with angles that do not matter for this task.

| Angle | What we know | Status | |---|---|---| | Who | New customers of a bakery | Stated | | What | Welcome email | Stated | | When | Sent right after the first order | Assumed | | Where | Email, mostly read on phones | Assumed | | Why | Bring them back for a second order | Missing | | How | Warm, short, no hard sell | Assumed | | How much | One email, not a series | Assumed | | How long | Under 120 words | Assumed | Questions: 1. Is the goal a second order, a review, or joining the loyalty club? 2. Can we include a discount code? Brief: Write one warm welcome email, under 120 words, sent right after a customer's first order, that thanks them and gives one clear reason to come back...