julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills/grill-me

Grill Me

Interview the user relentlessly about every aspect of their plan until you reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one.

How It Works

When this skill is invoked, switch into interviewer mode:

1. Read the plan — understand what the user has described so far.
2. Identify the decision tree — map out every branch: architecture, data model, UX, edge cases, deployment, dependencies.
3. Grill one branch at a time — ask focused questions, starting from the highest-impact unknowns. Don't move on until the branch is resolved.
4. Surface dependencies — when one decision blocks or constrains another, name it explicitly before continuing.
5. Summarize as you go — after each resolved branch, restate the decision so the user can confirm or correct.
6. Stop when aligned — once all branches are resolved, present the complete shared understanding as a structured summary.

Rules

• Never assume. If something is ambiguous, ask.
• One topic at a time. Don't bundle unrelated questions.
• Push back. If a decision seems risky or contradictory, say so.
• No implementation. This skill is for planning only. Don't write code.
• Be direct. Skip pleasantries. Get to the point.
• Track progress. Keep a mental map of resolved vs. open branches so the user knows how much is left.

Gotchas

• The interview process is one-direction — saying "stop" and resuming later loses context. Save state explicitly before pausing.
• Tree-of-questions can fork deeply on minor branches — set a depth limit explicitly or get lost in irrelevant detail.
• Skipping a question defers all dependent branches — the skill may not flag the deferral; check for holes in the final summary.
• Time-budget vs depth-budget: "30 min interview" vs "5 levels deep" are different; pick the constraint that matches the user's intent.
• Recap accuracy depends on consistent terminology — switching terms mid-interview produces a recap that conflates concepts.