@bhargavvc/sdd-cc 1.35.0 → 1.42.4

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/advisor.md

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+# Advisor mode — research-backed comparison tables
+
+> **Lazy-loaded and gated.** The parent `workflows/discuss-phase.md` Reads
+> this file ONLY when `ADVISOR_MODE` is true (i.e., when
+> `$HOME/.claude/sdd/USER-PROFILE.md` exists). Skip the Read
+> entirely when no profile is present — that's the inverse of the
+> `--advisor` flag from #2174 (don't pay the cost when unused).
+
+## Activation
+
+```bash
+PROFILE_PATH="$HOME/.claude/sdd/USER-PROFILE.md"
+if [ -f "$PROFILE_PATH" ]; then
+  ADVISOR_MODE=true
+else
+  ADVISOR_MODE=false
+fi
+```
+
+If `ADVISOR_MODE` is false, do **not** Read this file — proceed with the
+standard `default.md` discussion flow.
+
+## Calibration tier
+
+Resolve `vendor_philosophy` calibration tier:
+1. **Priority 1:** Read `config.json` > `preferences.vendor_philosophy`
+   (project-level override)
+2. **Priority 2:** Read USER-PROFILE.md `Vendor Choices/Philosophy` rating
+   (global)
+3. **Priority 3:** Default to `"standard"` if neither has a value or value
+   is `UNSCORED`
+
+Map to calibration tier:
+- `conservative` OR `thorough-evaluator` → `full_maturity`
+- `opinionated` → `minimal_decisive`
+- `pragmatic-fast` OR any other value OR empty → `standard`
+
+Resolve advisor model:
+```bash
+ADVISOR_MODEL=$(sdd-sdk query resolve-model sdd-advisor-researcher --raw)
+```
+
+## Non-technical owner detection
+
+Read USER-PROFILE.md and check for product-owner signals:
+
+```bash
+PROFILE_CONTENT=$(cat "$HOME/.claude/sdd/USER-PROFILE.md" 2>/dev/null || true)
+```
+
+Set `NON_TECHNICAL_OWNER = true` if ANY of the following are present:
+- `learning_style: guided`
+- The word `jargon` appears in a `frustration_triggers` section
+- `explanation_depth: practical-detailed` (without a technical modifier)
+- `explanation_depth: high-level`
+
+**Tie-breaker / precedence (when signals conflict):**
+1. An explicit `technical_background: true` (or any `explanation_depth` value
+   tagged with a technical modifier such as `practical-detailed:technical`)
+   **overrides** all inferred non-technical signals — set
+   `NON_TECHNICAL_OWNER = false`.
+2. Otherwise, ANY single matching signal is sufficient to set
+   `NON_TECHNICAL_OWNER = true` (signals are OR-aggregated, not weighted).
+3. Contradictory `explanation_depth` values: the most recent entry wins.
+
+Log the resolved value and the matched/overriding signal so the user can
+audit why a given framing was used.
+
+When `NON_TECHNICAL_OWNER` is true, reframe gray area labels and
+descriptions in product-outcome language before presenting them. Preserve
+the same underlying decision — only change the framing:
+
+- Technical implementation term → outcome the user will experience
+  - "Token architecture" → "Color system: which approach prevents the dark theme from flashing white on open"
+  - "CSS variable strategy" → "Theme colors: how your brand colors stay consistent in both light and dark mode"
+  - "Component API surface area" → "How the building blocks connect: how tightly coupled should these parts be"
+  - "Caching strategy: SWR vs React Query" → "Loading speed: should screens show saved data right away or wait for fresh data"
+
+This reframing applies to:
+1. Gray area labels and descriptions in `present_gray_areas`
+2. Advisor research rationale rewrites in the synthesis step below
+
+## advisor_research step
+
+After the user selects gray areas in `present_gray_areas`, spawn parallel
+research agents.
+
+1. Display brief status: `Researching {N} areas...`
+
+2. For EACH user-selected gray area, spawn a `Agent()` in parallel:
+
+   ```
+   Agent(
+     prompt="First, read @~/.claude/agents/sdd-advisor-researcher.md for your role and instructions.
+
+     <gray_area>{area_name}: {area_description from gray area identification}</gray_area>
+     <phase_context>{phase_goal and description from ROADMAP.md}</phase_context>
+     <project_context>{project name and brief description from PROJECT.md}</project_context>
+     <calibration_tier>{resolved calibration tier: full_maturity | standard | minimal_decisive}</calibration_tier>
+
+     Research this gray area and return a structured comparison table with rationale.
+     ${AGENT_SKILLS_ADVISOR}",
+     subagent_type="general-purpose",
+     model="{ADVISOR_MODEL}",
+     description="Research: {area_name}"
+   )
+   ```
+
+   All `Agent()` calls spawn simultaneously — do NOT wait for one before
+   starting the next.
+
+   > **ORCHESTRATOR RULE — CODEX RUNTIME**: After calling all Agent() calls above to spawn research agents, do NOT independently research or analyze any of the gray areas while the subagents are active. Wait for all subagents to return before synthesizing results. This prevents duplicate work and wasted context.
+
+3. After ALL agents return, **synthesize results** before presenting:
+
+   For each agent's return:
+   a. Parse the markdown comparison table and rationale paragraph
+   b. Verify all 5 columns present (Option | Pros | Cons | Complexity | Recommendation) — fill any missing columns rather than showing broken table
+   c. Verify option count matches calibration tier:
+      - `full_maturity`: 3-5 options acceptable
+      - `standard`: 2-4 options acceptable
+      - `minimal_decisive`: 1-2 options acceptable
+      If agent returned too many, trim least viable. If too few, accept as-is.
+   d. Rewrite rationale paragraph to weave in project context and ongoing discussion context that the agent did not have access to
+   e. If agent returned only 1 option, convert from table format to direct recommendation: "Standard approach for {area}: {option}. {rationale}"
+   f. **If `NON_TECHNICAL_OWNER` is true:** apply a plain language rewrite to the rationale paragraph. Replace implementation-level terms with outcome descriptions the user can reason about without technical context. The Recommendation column value and the table structure remain intact. Do not remove detail; translate it. Example: "SWR uses stale-while-revalidate to serve cached responses immediately" → "This approach shows you something right away, then quietly updates in the background — users see data instantly."
+
+4. Store synthesized tables for use in `discuss_areas` (table-first flow).
+
+## discuss_areas (advisor table-first flow)
+
+For each selected area:
+
+1. **Present the synthesized comparison table + rationale paragraph** (from
+   `advisor_research`)
+
+2. **Use AskUserQuestion** (or text-mode equivalent if `--text` overlay):
+   - header: `{area_name}`
+   - question: `Which approach for {area_name}?`
+   - options: extract from the table's Option column (AskUserQuestion adds
+     "Other" automatically)
+
+3. **Record the user's selection:**
+   - If user picks from table options → record as locked decision for that
+     area
+   - If user picks "Other" → receive their input, reflect it back for
+     confirmation, record
+
+4. **Thinking partner (conditional):** same rule as default mode — if
+   `features.thinking_partner` is enabled and tradeoff signals are
+   detected, offer a 3-5 bullet analysis before locking in.
+
+5. **After recording pick, decide whether follow-up questions are needed:**
+   - If the pick has ambiguity that would affect downstream planning →
+     ask 1-2 targeted follow-up questions using AskUserQuestion
+   - If the pick is clear and self-contained → move to next area
+   - Do NOT ask the standard 4 questions — the table already provided the
+     context
+
+6. **After all areas processed:**
+   - header: "Done"
+   - question: "That covers [list areas]. Ready to create context?"
+   - options: "Create context" / "Revisit an area"
+
+## Scope creep handling (advisor mode)
+
+If user mentions something outside the phase domain:
+```
+"[Feature] sounds like a new capability — that belongs in its own phase.
+I'll note it as a deferred idea.
+
+Back to [current area]: [return to current question]"
+```
+
+Track deferred ideas internally.

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/all.md

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+# --all mode — auto-select ALL gray areas, discuss interactively
+
+> **Lazy-loaded.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md` when
+> `--all` is present in `$ARGUMENTS`. Behavior overlays the default mode.
+
+## Effect
+
+- In `present_gray_areas`: auto-select ALL gray areas without asking the user
+  (skips the AskUserQuestion area-selection step).
+- Discussion for each area proceeds **fully interactively** — the user drives
+  every question for every area (use the default-mode `discuss_areas` flow).
+- Does NOT auto-advance to plan-phase afterward — use `--chain` or `--auto`
+  if you want auto-advance.
+- Log: `[--all] Auto-selected all gray areas: [list area names].`
+
+## Why this mode exists
+
+This is the "discuss everything" shortcut: skip the selection friction, keep
+full interactive control over each individual question.
+
+## Combination rules
+
+- `--all --auto`: `--auto` wins for the discussion phase too (Claude picks
+  recommended answers); `--all`'s contribution is just area auto-selection.
+- `--all --chain`: areas auto-selected, discussion interactive, then
+  auto-advance to plan/execute (chain semantics).
+- `--all --batch` / `--all --text` / `--all --analyze`: layered overlays
+  apply during discussion as documented in their respective files.

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/analyze.md

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+# --analyze mode — trade-off tables before each question
+
+> **Lazy-loaded overlay.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md`
+> when `--analyze` is present in `$ARGUMENTS`. Combinable with default,
+> `--all`, `--chain`, `--text`, `--batch`.
+
+## Effect
+
+Before presenting each question (or question group, in batch mode), provide
+a brief **trade-off analysis** for the decision:
+- 2-3 options with pros/cons based on codebase context and common patterns
+- A recommended approach with reasoning
+- Known pitfalls or constraints from prior phases
+
+## Example
+
+```markdown
+**Trade-off analysis: Authentication strategy**
+
+| Approach | Pros | Cons |
+|----------|------|------|
+| Session cookies | Simple, httpOnly prevents XSS | Requires CSRF protection, sticky sessions |
+| JWT (stateless) | Scalable, no server state | Token size, revocation complexity |
+| OAuth 2.0 + PKCE | Industry standard for SPAs | More setup, redirect flow UX |
+
+💡 Recommended: OAuth 2.0 + PKCE — your app has social login in requirements (REQ-04) and this aligns with the existing NextAuth setup in `src/lib/auth.ts`.
+
+How should users authenticate?
+```
+
+This gives the user context to make informed decisions without extra
+prompting.
+
+When `--analyze` is absent, present questions directly as before (no
+trade-off table).
+
+## Sourcing the analysis
+
+- Pros/cons should reflect the codebase context loaded in `scout_codebase`
+  and any prior decisions surfaced in `load_prior_context`.
+- The recommendation must explicitly tie to project context (e.g.,
+  existing libraries, prior phase decisions, documented requirements).
+- If a related ADR or spec is referenced in CONTEXT.md `<canonical_refs>`,
+  cite it in the recommendation.

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/auto.md

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+# --auto mode — fully autonomous discuss-phase
+
+> **Lazy-loaded.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md` when
+> `--auto` is present in `$ARGUMENTS`. After the discussion completes, the
+> parent's `auto_advance` step also reads `modes/chain.md` to drive the
+> auto-advance to plan-phase.
+
+## Effect across steps
+
+- **`check_existing`**: if CONTEXT.md exists, auto-select "Update it" — load
+  existing context and continue to `analyze_phase` (matches the parent step's
+  documented `--auto` branch). If no context exists, continue without
+  prompting. For interrupted checkpoints, auto-select "Resume". For existing
+  plans, auto-select "Continue and replan after". Log every decision so the
+  user can audit.
+- **`cross_reference_todos`**: fold all todos with relevance score >= 0.4
+  automatically. Log the selection.
+- **`present_gray_areas`**: auto-select ALL gray areas. Log:
+  `[--auto] Selected all gray areas: [list area names].`
+- **`discuss_areas`**: for each discussion question, choose the recommended
+  option (first option, or the one explicitly marked "recommended") **without
+  using AskUserQuestion**. Skip interactive prompts entirely. Log each
+  auto-selected choice inline so the user can review decisions in the
+  context file:
+  ```
+  [auto] [Area] — Q: "[question text]" → Selected: "[chosen option]" (recommended default)
+  ```
+- After all areas are auto-resolved, skip the "Explore more gray areas"
+  prompt and proceed directly to `write_context`.
+- After `write_context`, **auto-advance** to plan-phase via `modes/chain.md`.
+
+## CRITICAL — Auto-mode pass cap
+
+In `--auto` mode, the discuss step MUST complete in a **single pass**. After
+writing CONTEXT.md once, you are DONE — proceed immediately to
+`write_context` and then auto_advance. Do NOT re-read your own CONTEXT.md to
+find "gaps", "undefined types", or "missing decisions" and run additional
+passes. This creates a self-feeding loop where each pass generates references
+that the next pass treats as gaps, consuming unbounded time and resources.
+
+Check the pass cap from config:
+```bash
+MAX_PASSES=$(sdd-sdk query config-get workflow.max_discuss_passes 2>/dev/null || echo "3")
+```
+
+If you have already written and committed CONTEXT.md, the discuss step is
+complete. Move on.
+
+## Combination rules
+
+- `--auto --text` / `--auto --batch`: text/batch overlays are no-ops in
+  auto mode (no user prompts to render).
+- `--auto --analyze`: trade-off tables can still be logged for the audit
+  trail; selection still uses the recommended option.
+- `--auto --power`: `--power` wins (power mode generates files for offline
+  answering — incompatible with autonomous selection).

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/batch.md

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+# --batch mode — grouped question batches
+
+> **Lazy-loaded overlay.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md`
+> when `--batch` is present in `$ARGUMENTS`. Combinable with default,
+> `--all`, `--chain`, `--text`, `--analyze`.
+
+## Argument parsing
+
+Parse optional `--batch` from `$ARGUMENTS`:
+- Accept `--batch`, `--batch=N`, or `--batch N`
+- Default to **4 questions per batch** when no number is provided
+- Clamp explicit sizes to **2–5** so a batch stays answerable
+- If `--batch` is absent, keep the existing one-question-at-a-time flow
+  (default mode).
+
+## Effect on discuss_areas
+
+`--batch` mode: ask **2–5 numbered questions in one plain-text turn** per
+area, instead of the default 4 single-question AskUserQuestion turns.
+
+- Group closely related questions for the current area into a single
+  message
+- Keep each question concrete and answerable in one reply
+- When options are helpful, include short inline choices per question
+  rather than a separate AskUserQuestion for every item
+- After the user replies, reflect back the captured decisions, note any
+  unanswered items, and ask only the minimum follow-up needed before
+  moving on
+- Preserve adaptiveness between batches: use the full set of answers to
+  decide the next batch or whether the area is sufficiently clear
+
+## Philosophy
+
+Stay adaptive, but let the user choose the pacing.
+- Default mode: 4 single-question turns, then check whether to continue
+- `--batch` mode: 1 grouped turn with 2–5 numbered questions, then check
+  whether to continue
+
+Each answer set should reveal the next question or next batch.
+
+## Example batch
+
+```
+Authentication — please answer 1–4:
+
+1. Which auth strategy?  (a) Session cookies  (b) JWT  (c) OAuth 2.0 + PKCE
+2. Where do tokens live?  (a) httpOnly cookie  (b) localStorage  (c) memory only
+3. Session lifetime?       (a) 1h  (b) 24h  (c) 30d  (d) configurable
+4. Account recovery?       (a) email reset  (b) magic link  (c) both
+
+Reply with your choices (e.g. "1c, 2a, 3b, 4c") or describe in your own words.
+```

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/chain.md

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+# --chain mode — interactive discuss, then auto-advance
+
+> **Lazy-loaded.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md` when
+> `--chain` is present in `$ARGUMENTS`, or when the parent's `auto_advance`
+> step needs to dispatch to plan-phase under `--auto`.
+
+## Effect
+
+- Discussion is **fully interactive** — questions, gray-area selection, and
+  follow-ups behave exactly the same as default mode.
+- After discussion completes, **auto-advance to plan-phase → execute-phase**
+  (same downstream behavior as `--auto`).
+- This is the middle ground: the user controls the discuss decisions, then
+  plan and execute run autonomously.
+
+## auto_advance step (executed by the parent file)
+
+1. Parse `--auto` and `--chain` flags from `$ARGUMENTS`. **Note:** `--all`
+   is NOT an auto-advance trigger — it only affects area selection. A
+   session with `--all` but without `--auto` or `--chain` returns to manual
+   next-steps after discussion completes.
+
+2. **Sync chain flag with intent** — if user invoked manually (no `--auto`
+   and no `--chain`), clear the ephemeral chain flag from any previous
+   interrupted `--auto` chain. This does NOT touch `workflow.auto_advance`
+   (the user's persistent settings preference):
+   ```bash
+   if [[ ! "$ARGUMENTS" =~ --auto ]] && [[ ! "$ARGUMENTS" =~ --chain ]]; then
+     sdd-sdk query config-set workflow._auto_chain_active false || true
+   fi
+   ```
+
+3. Read consolidated auto-mode (`active` = chain flag OR user preference):
+   ```bash
+   AUTO_MODE=$(sdd-sdk query check auto-mode --pick active 2>/dev/null || echo "false")
+   ```
+
+4. **If `--auto` or `--chain` flag present AND `AUTO_MODE` is not true:**
+   Persist chain flag to config (handles direct usage without new-project):
+   ```bash
+   sdd-sdk query config-set workflow._auto_chain_active true
+   ```
+
+5. **If `--auto` flag present OR `--chain` flag present OR `AUTO_MODE` is
+   true:** display banner and launch plan-phase.
+
+   Banner:
+   ```
+   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
+    SDD ► AUTO-ADVANCING TO PLAN
+   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
+
+   Context captured. Launching plan-phase...
+   ```
+
+   Launch plan-phase using the Skill tool to avoid nested Task sessions
+   (which cause runtime freezes due to deep agent nesting — see #686):
+   ```
+   Skill(skill="sdd-plan-phase", args="${PHASE} --auto ${SDD_WS}")
+   ```
+
+   This keeps the auto-advance chain flat — discuss, plan, and execute all
+   run at the same nesting level rather than spawning increasingly deep
+   Task agents.
+
+6. **Handle plan-phase return:**
+
+   - **PHASE COMPLETE** → Full chain succeeded. Display:
+     ```
+     ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
+      SDD ► PHASE ${PHASE} COMPLETE
+     ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
+
+     Auto-advance pipeline finished: discuss → plan → execute
+
+     /clear then:
+
+     Next: /sdd:discuss-phase ${NEXT_PHASE} ${WAS_CHAIN ? "--chain" : "--auto"} ${SDD_WS}
+     ```
+   - **PLANNING COMPLETE** → Planning done, execution didn't complete:
+     ```
+     Auto-advance partial: Planning complete, execution did not finish.
+     Continue: /sdd:execute-phase ${PHASE} ${SDD_WS}
+     ```
+   - **PLANNING INCONCLUSIVE / CHECKPOINT** → Stop chain:
+     ```
+     Auto-advance stopped: Planning needs input.
+     Continue: /sdd:plan-phase ${PHASE} ${SDD_WS}
+     ```
+   - **GAPS FOUND** → Stop chain:
+     ```
+     Auto-advance stopped: Gaps found during execution.
+     Continue: /sdd:plan-phase ${PHASE} --gaps ${SDD_WS}
+     ```
+
+7. **If none of `--auto`, `--chain`, nor config enabled:** route to
+   `confirm_creation` step (existing behavior — show manual next steps).

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/default.md

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+# Default mode — interactive discuss-phase
+
+> **Lazy-loaded.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md` when no
+> mode flag is present (the baseline interactive flow). When `--text`,
+> `--batch`, or `--analyze` is also present, layer the corresponding overlay
+> file from this directory on top of the rules below.
+
+This document defines `discuss_areas` for the default flow. The shared steps
+that come before (`initialize`, `check_blocking_antipatterns`, `check_spec`,
+`check_existing`, `load_prior_context`, `cross_reference_todos`,
+`scout_codebase`, `analyze_phase`, `present_gray_areas`) live in the parent
+file and run for every mode.
+
+## discuss_areas (default, interactive)
+
+For each selected area, conduct a focused discussion loop.
+
+**Research-before-questions mode:** Check if `workflow.research_before_questions` is enabled in config (from init context or `.planning/config.json`). When enabled, before presenting questions for each area:
+1. Do a brief web search for best practices related to the area topic
+2. Summarize the top findings in 2-3 bullet points
+3. Present the research alongside the question so the user can make a more informed decision
+
+Example with research enabled:
+```text
+Let's talk about [Authentication Strategy].
+
+📊 Best practices research:
+• OAuth 2.0 + PKCE is the current standard for SPAs (replaces implicit flow)
+• Session tokens with httpOnly cookies preferred over localStorage for XSS protection
+• Consider passkey/WebAuthn support — adoption is accelerating in 2025-2026
+
+With that context: How should users authenticate?
+```
+
+When disabled (default), skip the research and present questions directly as before.
+
+**Philosophy:** stay adaptive. Default flow is 4 single-question turns, then
+check whether to continue. Each answer should reveal the next question.
+
+**For each area:**
+
+1. **Announce the area:**
+   ```text
+   Let's talk about [Area].
+   ```
+
+2. **Ask 4 questions using AskUserQuestion:**
+   - header: "[Area]" (max 12 chars — abbreviate if needed)
+   - question: Specific decision for this area
+   - options: 2-3 concrete choices (AskUserQuestion adds "Other" automatically), with the recommended choice highlighted and brief explanation why
+   - **Annotate options with code context** when relevant:
+     ```text
+     "How should posts be displayed?"
+     - Cards (reuses existing Card component — consistent with Messages)
+     - List (simpler, would be a new pattern)
+     - Timeline (needs new Timeline component — none exists yet)
+     ```
+   - Include "You decide" as an option when reasonable — captures Claude discretion
+   - **Context7 for library choices:** When a gray area involves library selection (e.g., "magic links" → query next-auth docs) or API approach decisions, use `mcp__context7__*` tools to fetch current documentation and inform the options. Don't use Context7 for every question — only when library-specific knowledge improves the options.
+
+3. **After the current set of questions, check:**
+   - header: "[Area]" (max 12 chars)
+   - question: "More questions about [area], or move to next? (Remaining: [list other unvisited areas])"
+   - options: "More questions" / "Next area"
+
+   When building the question text, list the remaining unvisited areas so the user knows what's ahead. For example: "More questions about Layout, or move to next? (Remaining: Loading behavior, Content ordering)"
+
+   If "More questions" → ask another 4 single questions, then check again
+   If "Next area" → proceed to next selected area
+   If "Other" (free text) → interpret intent: continuation phrases ("chat more", "keep going", "yes", "more") map to "More questions"; advancement phrases ("done", "move on", "next", "skip") map to "Next area". If ambiguous, ask: "Continue with more questions about [area], or move to the next area?"
+
+4. **After all initially-selected areas complete:**
+   - Summarize what was captured from the discussion so far
+   - AskUserQuestion:
+     - header: "Done"
+     - question: "We've discussed [list areas]. Which gray areas remain unclear?"
+     - options: "Explore more gray areas" / "I'm ready for context"
+   - If "Explore more gray areas":
+     - Identify 2-4 additional gray areas based on what was learned
+     - Return to present_gray_areas logic with these new areas
+     - Loop: discuss new areas, then prompt again
+   - If "I'm ready for context": Proceed to write_context
+
+**Canonical ref accumulation during discussion:**
+When the user references a doc, spec, or ADR during any answer — e.g., "read adr-014", "check the MCP spec", "per browse-spec.md" — immediately:
+1. Read the referenced doc (or confirm it exists)
+2. Add it to the canonical refs accumulator with full relative path
+3. Use what you learned from the doc to inform subsequent questions
+
+These user-referenced docs are often MORE important than ROADMAP.md refs because they represent docs the user specifically wants downstream agents to follow. Never drop them.
+
+**Question design:**
+- Options should be concrete, not abstract ("Cards" not "Option A")
+- Each answer should inform the next question or next batch
+- If user picks "Other" to provide freeform input (e.g., "let me describe it", "something else", or an open-ended reply), ask your follow-up as plain text — NOT another AskUserQuestion. Wait for them to type at the normal prompt, then reflect their input back and confirm before resuming AskUserQuestion or the next numbered batch.
+
+**Thinking partner (conditional):**
+If `features.thinking_partner` is enabled in config, check the user's answer for tradeoff signals
+(see `references/thinking-partner.md` for signal list). If tradeoff detected:
+
+```text
+I notice competing priorities here — {option_A} optimizes for {goal_A} while {option_B} optimizes for {goal_B}.
+
+Want me to think through the tradeoffs before we lock this in?
+[Yes, analyze] / [No, decision made]
+```
+
+If yes: provide 3-5 bullet analysis (what each optimizes/sacrifices, alignment with PROJECT.md goals, recommendation). Then return to normal flow.
+
+**Scope creep handling:**
+If user mentions something outside the phase domain:
+```text
+"[Feature] sounds like a new capability — that belongs in its own phase.
+I'll note it as a deferred idea.
+
+Back to [current area]: [return to current question]"
+```
+
+Track deferred ideas internally.
+
+**Incremental checkpoint — save after each area completes:**
+
+After each area is resolved (user says "Next area"), immediately write a checkpoint file with all decisions captured so far. This prevents data loss if the session is interrupted mid-discussion.
+
+**Checkpoint file:** `${phase_dir}/${padded_phase}-DISCUSS-CHECKPOINT.json`
+
+Schema: read `workflows/discuss-phase/templates/checkpoint.json` for the
+canonical structure — copy it and substitute the live values.
+
+**On session resume:** Handled in the parent's `check_existing` step. After
+`write_context` completes successfully, the parent's `git_commit` step
+deletes the checkpoint.
+
+**Track discussion log data internally:**
+For each question asked, accumulate:
+- Area name
+- All options presented (label + description)
+- Which option the user selected (or their free-text response)
+- Any follow-up notes or clarifications the user provided
+
+This data is used to generate DISCUSSION-LOG.md in the parent's `git_commit` step.

package/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase/modes/power.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# --power mode — bulk question generation, async answering
+
+> **Lazy-loaded.** Read this file from `workflows/discuss-phase.md` when
+> `--power` is present in `$ARGUMENTS`. The full step-by-step instructions
+> live in the existing `discuss-phase-power.md` workflow file (kept stable
+> at its original path so installed `@`-references continue to resolve).
+
+## Dispatch
+
+```
+Read @~/.claude/sdd/workflows/discuss-phase-power.md
+```
+
+Execute it end-to-end. Do not continue with the standard interactive steps.
+
+## Summary of flow
+
+The power user mode generates ALL questions upfront into machine-readable
+and human-friendly files, then waits for the user to answer at their own
+pace before processing all answers in a single pass.
+
+1. Run the same phase analysis (gray area identification) as standard mode
+2. Write all questions to
+   `{phase_dir}/{padded_phase}-QUESTIONS.json` and
+   `{phase_dir}/{padded_phase}-QUESTIONS.html`
+3. Notify user with file paths and wait for a "refresh" or "finalize"
+   command
+4. On "refresh": read the JSON, process answered questions, update stats
+   and HTML
+5. On "finalize": read all answers from JSON, generate CONTEXT.md in the
+   standard format
+
+## When to use
+
+Large phases with many gray areas, or when users prefer to answer
+questions offline / asynchronously rather than interactively in the chat
+session.
+
+## Combination rules
+
+- `--power --auto`: power wins. Power mode is incompatible with
+  autonomous selection — its purpose is offline answering.
+- `--power --chain`: after the power-mode finalize step writes
+  CONTEXT.md, the chain auto-advance still applies (Read `chain.md`).