---
name: ultrabrief-local
description: Interactive interview that produces a task brief with explicit research plan. Feeds /ultraresearch-local and /ultraplan-local. Optionally orchestrates the full pipeline end-to-end.
argument-hint: "[--quick] <task description>"
model: opus
allowed-tools: Agent, Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit, Bash, AskUserQuestion
---

# Ultrabrief Local v2.1

Interactive requirements-gathering command. Produces a **task brief** — a
structured markdown file that declares intent, goal, constraints, and an
**explicit research plan** with copy-paste-ready `/ultraresearch-local` commands.

Pipeline position:

```
/ultrabrief-local  →  brief.md                         (this command)
/ultraresearch-local --project <dir>  →  research/*.md
/ultraplan-local --project <dir>  →  plan.md
/ultraexecute-local --project <dir>  →  execution
```

The brief is the contract between the user's intent and `/ultraplan-local`.
Every decision the plan makes must trace back to content in the brief.

**This command is always interactive.** There is no background mode — the
interview requires user input. After the brief is written, the command
optionally orchestrates the rest of the pipeline (research + plan) in
foreground if the user opts in.

## Phase 1 — Parse mode and validate input

Parse `$ARGUMENTS`:

1. If arguments start with `--quick`: set **mode = quick**. The interview
   starts more compactly (fewer opening probes per section) but still
   escalates automatically if quality gates fail. There is no hard cap on
   question count — quality drives the loop, not a counter. Strip the flag;
   remainder is the task description.

2. Otherwise: **mode = default**. Interview probes each section until the
   completeness gate (Phase 3) and brief-review gate (Phase 4) both pass.

If no task description is provided, output usage and stop:

```
Usage: /ultrabrief-local <task description>
       /ultrabrief-local --quick <task description>

Modes:
  default       Dynamic interview until quality gates pass — brief with research plan
  --quick       Compact start; still escalates on weak sections — brief with research plan

Examples:
  /ultrabrief-local Add user authentication with JWT tokens
  /ultrabrief-local --quick Add rate limiting to the API
  /ultrabrief-local Migrate from Express to Fastify
```

Report:
```
Mode: {default | quick}
Task: {task description}
```

## Phase 2 — Generate slug and create project directory

Generate a slug from the task description: first 3-4 meaningful words,
lowercase, hyphens. Example: "Migrate from Express to Fastify" → `fastify-migration`.

Set today's date as `YYYY-MM-DD` (UTC).

Create the project directory:

```bash
PROJECT_DIR=".claude/projects/{YYYY-MM-DD}-{slug}"
mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DIR/research"
```

Report:
```
Project directory: .claude/projects/{YYYY-MM-DD}-{slug}/
```

If the directory already exists and is non-empty, warn and ask:
> "Directory {path} exists. Overwrite, reuse (keep existing files), or pick new slug?"

Use `AskUserQuestion` with three options. If "pick new slug", ask for a
new slug and restart Phase 2.

## Phase 3 — Completeness loop

Phase 3 is a **section-driven completeness loop**. Instead of a numbered
question list, maintain an internal state of brief sections and keep asking
until every required section has substantive content. Quality drives the
loop — there is no hard cap on question count.

Use `AskUserQuestion` for every question. **Ask one question at a time.**
Never dump multiple questions.

### Internal state

Track this structure in memory as the loop runs:

```
state = {
  intent:           { content: "", probes: 0 },           # required
  goal:             { content: "", probes: 0 },           # required
  success_criteria: { content: [], probes: 0 },           # required
  research_plan:    { topics: [], probes: 0 },            # required
  non_goals:        { content: [], probes: 0 },           # optional
  constraints:      { content: [], probes: 0 },           # optional
  preferences:      { content: [], probes: 0 },           # optional
  nfrs:             { content: [], probes: 0 },           # optional
  prior_attempts:   { content: "", probes: 0 },           # optional
  question_history: []                                    # list of questions asked
}
```

`content` is raw user answers merged; `probes` is how many times this
section has been asked; `question_history` prevents re-asking the same
variant twice.

### Required sections (initial-signal gate)

Four sections MUST have substantive content before exiting Phase 3:

1. **Intent** — full sentence or paragraph (not a single word or phrase)
2. **Goal** — full sentence or paragraph
3. **Success Criteria** — at least one concrete, testable item
4. **Research Plan** — either ≥ 1 topic probed, OR the user has explicitly
   confirmed "no external research needed"

"Substantive" means: non-empty, not a trivial one-word reply, not
"I don't know" without a recorded assumption. The strict falsifiability
check happens in Phase 4 (brief-review gate); Phase 3 is just the
initial-signal bar.

Optional sections (Non-Goals, Constraints, Preferences, NFRs, Prior
Attempts) do not gate exit. If they remain empty after the required
sections pass, they will be recorded as "Not discussed — no constraints
assumed" in Phase 4's draft.

### Question bank (per section)

Pick the next question from the section's bank based on `content` and
`probes`. Wording must stay conversational — only the *selection* is
section-driven, not the tone.

**Intent** (required):
- _Anchor_ (probes=0, content empty): "Why are we doing this? What is the
  motivation, the user need, or the strategic context behind the task?"
- _Follow-up_ (probes≥1, content present but shallow): "What happens if
  we do nothing? Who is affected?"
- _Sharpen_ (user mentioned a symptom): "You mentioned {X}. Is {X} the
  symptom or the underlying cause?"

**Goal** (required):
- _Anchor_: "Describe the end state in 1–3 sentences — specific enough to
  disagree with."
- _Follow-up_: "How would you recognize this is done when looking at
  the UI / API / codebase?"

**Success Criteria** (required):
- _Anchor_: "How do we verify it is actually done? List 2–4 concrete,
  testable conditions — commands to run, observations, or metrics."
- _Sharpen_ (criterion is vague): "'{quoted criterion}' is subjective.
  Which command, observation, or metric would prove this is met?"
- _Quantify_ (performance/quality claim): "You mentioned it should be
  {fast/reliable/secure}. What number or threshold counts as success?"

**Research Plan** (required, strictest):
- _Anchor_ (no topics yet): "Are there technologies, libraries, or
  decisions in this task you do not have solid current knowledge of?
  Examples might be library choice, a protocol, or a security pattern."
- _Per-topic sharpen_ (topic exists but incomplete): "For topic
  '{title}': which parts of the plan depend on the answer? What
  confidence level do you need — high, medium, or low?"
- _Scope question_: "Is '{topic}' answerable from the existing codebase,
  from external docs, or both?"
- _Confirm none_ (user refuses all topics): "Confirming: no external
  research needed — you already know everything the plan will depend on?"

**Non-Goals** (optional):
- _Anchor_: "What is explicitly NOT in scope? This prevents scope-guardian
  from flagging gaps for things we deliberately don't do."

**Constraints** (optional):
- _Anchor_: "Technical, time, or resource constraints the plan must
  respect? Dependencies, compatibility, deadlines, or budget."
- _Sharpen_: "You mentioned {deadline / budget / compatibility}. Is it
  hard or guidance?"

**Preferences** (optional):
- _Anchor_: "Preferences for libraries, patterns, or architectural style?"

**NFRs** (optional):
- _Anchor_: "Performance, security, accessibility, or scalability targets?
  Quantified wherever possible."

**Prior Attempts** (optional):
- _Anchor_: "Has this been attempted before? What worked or failed?"

### Selection rule

On each loop iteration:

1. Compute the next section to probe:
   - If any required section is below the initial-signal gate → pick the
     weakest required section in this priority order:
     Intent → Goal → Success Criteria → Research Plan.
   - Else if an optional section is clearly missing and likely material
     to scope (heuristic: the task description hints at constraints or
     NFRs) → probe it at most once.
   - Else: exit Phase 3.
2. Within the chosen section, pick the question variant:
   - If `probes == 0` and content is empty → _Anchor_.
   - If content exists but is shallow → _Follow-up_ or _Sharpen_.
   - If the section is Research Plan and topics exist → iterate per-topic
     sharpen across incomplete topics.
3. Ensure the exact question is NOT already in `question_history`. If it
   is, pick the next variant or skip to the next weakest section.
4. Ask via `AskUserQuestion`. Append question to history. Increment probes.
5. Record the answer into `content`. Never overwrite — merge.

### Research topic identification

As the user answers Intent, Goal, or Success Criteria, listen for:

- **Unfamiliar technologies** — libraries, frameworks, protocols not
  clearly present in the codebase
- **Version upgrades** — migrating to a new major version
- **Security-sensitive decisions** — auth, crypto, data handling
- **Architectural choices** — pattern X vs Y, library A vs B
- **Unknown integrations** — third-party APIs, external services
- **Compliance / legal** — GDPR, accessibility, industry regulations

When you hear one, add a *candidate* topic to `research_plan.topics` with
only a title and why-it-matters. Probe it on the next Research Plan
iteration using the per-topic sharpen question to fill in:
- Research question (must end in `?`)
- Required for plan steps
- Scope (local / external / both)
- Confidence needed (high / medium / low)
- Estimated cost (quick / standard / deep)

If the user says "I know this" to a candidate topic, remove it from the
list. Trust the user. If no topics emerge after probing, the user confirms
"no external research needed" → `research_plan` gate passes with 0 topics.

### Quick mode adjustments

If **mode = quick**:
- For optional sections, cap probes at 1 each. Do not revisit optional
  sections during Phase 3.
- Required sections still have no probe cap — quality gate still applies.
- Prefer _Anchor_ variants over _Sharpen_ on the first pass.

### Force-stop path

If the user says "skip", "stop asking", "just proceed", "enough", or
similar, break the loop immediately:
- Mark any required sections still below the initial-signal gate as
  `{ incomplete_forced_stop: true }` in state.
- Proceed to Phase 4 with a note that the brief will carry a reduced
  confidence flag.

### Exit condition

Exit Phase 3 when:
- All four required sections meet the initial-signal gate, OR
- The user has force-stopped.

Report:
```
Phase 3 complete: {N} questions asked across {M} sections.
Proceeding to draft and review.
```

## Phase 4 — Draft, review, and revise

Phase 4 runs a **draft → brief-reviewer → revise** loop. The draft is
not written to disk until the brief-review quality gate passes (or the
iteration cap is hit). This ensures the brief that reaches `/ultraplan-local`
has already survived a critical review.

Read the brief template first:
`@${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/ultrabrief-template.md`

### Loop bound

**Maximum 3 review iterations.** This bounds cost in the worst case while
leaving room for two rounds of targeted follow-ups.

### Iteration step-by-step

**Step 4a — Draft in memory**

Build the brief text from Phase 3 state by filling the template:

- **Frontmatter:** populate `task`, `slug`, `project_dir`, `research_topics`
  (count of topics), `research_status: pending`, `auto_research: false`
  (will update in Phase 5 if user opts in), `interview_turns` (total
  questions asked across Phase 3 + Phase 4), `source: interview`.
- **Intent:** expand the user's motivation into 3–5 sentences. Load-bearing.
- **Goal:** concrete end state.
- **Non-Goals:** from state, or "- None explicitly stated" bullet if empty.
- **Constraints / Preferences / NFRs:** from state, or "Not discussed — no
  constraints assumed" note if empty.
- **Success Criteria:** falsifiable commands/observations from state.
- **Research Plan:** one `### Topic N: {title}` section per topic with the
  full structure from the template. If 0 topics: write the "No external
  research needed — user confirmed solid knowledge of all plan
  dependencies" note.
- **Open Questions / Assumptions:** from any `"I don't know"` answers
  recorded during Phase 3, plus implicit gaps.
- **Prior Attempts:** from state, or "None — fresh task."

**Step 4b — Write draft to disk**

Write the draft to `{PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md.draft` (not `brief.md` — the
final file is only written after the gate passes).

**Step 4c — Launch brief-reviewer**

Launch the `brief-reviewer` agent (foreground, blocking) with the prompt:

> "Review this task brief for quality: `{PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md.draft`.
> Check completeness, consistency, testability, scope clarity, and
> research-plan validity. Report findings, verdict, and the required
> machine-readable JSON block."

**Step 4d — Parse JSON scores**

Parse the agent's output. Locate the **last** fenced ```json``` block.
Extract per-dimension scores:

```
review = {
  completeness:   { score, gaps },
  consistency:    { score, issues },
  testability:    { score, weak_criteria },
  scope_clarity:  { score, unclear_sections },
  research_plan:  { score, invalid_topics },
  verdict:        "PROCEED | PROCEED_WITH_RISKS | REVISE"
}
```

**JSON fallback:** if the JSON block is missing, invalid, or a dimension
is missing, treat all dimensions as `score: 3` and set the `verdict` from
the prose verdict if present, otherwise `PROCEED_WITH_RISKS`. Emit an
internal note that the reviewer output was degraded. This ensures the
loop never deadlocks on a parser error.

**Step 4e — Gate evaluation**

The gate **passes** when all of the following are true:

- `completeness.score ≥ 4`
- `consistency.score ≥ 4`
- `testability.score ≥ 4`
- `scope_clarity.score ≥ 4`
- `research_plan.score == 5`

(Research Plan requires a perfect score because its format is checked
mechanically: ends in `?`, `Required for plan steps` filled, scope is
one of `local | external | both`, confidence is `high | medium | low`.
Anything less means at least one topic is malformed and planning will
stumble.)

**If gate passes:**
1. Move `brief.md.draft` → `brief.md` (atomic rename).
2. Delete the draft file if rename is not possible on the OS; write
   `brief.md` fresh.
3. Break the loop and proceed to Step 4g.

**If gate fails AND iteration count < 3:**
1. Identify the weakest dimension (lowest score; tie broken by priority:
   research_plan > testability > completeness > consistency > scope_clarity).
2. Generate a targeted follow-up question from the dimension's detail
   field (gaps / issues / weak_criteria / unclear_sections / invalid_topics).
   Example generators:
   - `completeness.gaps: ["Non-Goals empty, unclear if deliberate"]`
     → "You did not specify anything out-of-scope. Is that deliberate, or
     are there things we should explicitly exclude?"
   - `testability.weak_criteria: ["'system should be fast'"]`
     → "'System should be fast' is not falsifiable. Which metric or
     threshold proves this is met — e.g., p95 < 200ms, or throughput
     ≥ X requests/sec?"
   - `research_plan.invalid_topics: [{"topic":"JWT","issue":"Required for plan steps empty"}]`
     → "For research topic 'JWT': which plan steps depend on the answer?
     Give one or two concrete kinds of step (e.g., 'library selection',
     'threat model', 'migration strategy')."
3. Ask via `AskUserQuestion`. Record the answer into Phase 3 state.
4. Return to Step 4a with incremented iteration count. The reviewer sees
   an updated draft, so you MUST re-read the brief and regenerate the
   review each iteration — do not reuse stale scores.
5. When launching the reviewer on iteration 2 or 3, include prior
   questions in the prompt so it does not produce circular follow-ups:
   > "Questions already asked during this interview: {list from
   > question_history}. Focus on issues that remain after those answers —
   > do not re-raise gaps that have already been addressed."

**If gate fails AND iteration count == 3 (loop exhausted):**
1. Move `brief.md.draft` → `brief.md`.
2. Add `brief_quality: partial` to the frontmatter (edit the file
   post-rename — insert the key above the closing `---`).
3. Add a `## Brief Quality` section near the end with the failing
   dimensions and their `detail` arrays from the final review, formatted:
   ```
   ## Brief Quality

   Review loop exhausted after 3 iterations. The following dimensions
   did not reach the pass threshold:

   - **Research Plan (score 2/5):** Topic 'JWT library' missing
     Required-for-plan-steps field.
   - **Testability (score 3/5):** Success criterion "works correctly"
     is not falsifiable.

   Downstream planning will treat these as reduced-confidence areas.
   ```
4. Break the loop and proceed to Step 4g.

### Step 4f — Force-stop handling

If during any `AskUserQuestion` in Step 4e the user says "stop", "skip",
"enough", "just write it", or similar, do NOT exit the loop immediately.
Instead, surface the current review findings in plain text:

```
Brief-reviewer would flag these issues:
- Research Plan (score 2/5): Topic 'JWT library choice' missing Required-for-plan-steps field.
- Testability (score 3/5): Success criterion "works correctly" is not falsifiable.

Continue anyway? The plan will have lower confidence in these areas.
```

Then ask via `AskUserQuestion`:

| Option | Action |
|--------|--------|
| **Answer one more follow-up** | Return to Step 4e with the current weakest-dimension question. |
| **Stop now (accept partial brief)** | Finalize brief with `brief_quality: partial` and the `## Brief Quality` section (same path as iteration-cap exhaustion). Break loop. |

The force-stop path is distinct from a silent iteration cap: the user
sees exactly which dimensions are weak and chooses informed.

### Step 4g — Finalize

After the loop exits (pass, cap, or force-stop), ensure:
- `brief.md` exists at `{PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md`.
- `brief.md.draft` no longer exists.
- If the loop ended without a clean pass, frontmatter contains
  `brief_quality: partial` and a `## Brief Quality` section exists.
- If the loop ended with a clean pass, `brief_quality` is either
  absent or set to `complete`.

Populate the "How to continue" footer with the actual project path and
topic questions.

**Schema sanity check (since v3.1.0):** before reporting, run the brief
validator. This catches frontmatter typos and state-machine inconsistencies
the brief-reviewer rubric does not check (e.g. `research_status: skipped`
with `research_topics: 3` and no `brief_quality: partial`).

```bash
node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/lib/validators/brief-validator.mjs --json "{PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md"
```

If the validator returns errors, report them to the user and offer to
re-enter Phase 4 with the validator's hints in scope. If only warnings,
note them in the final report.

Report:
```
Brief written: {PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md
Review iterations: {1..3}
Final quality: {complete | partial}
Validator: {PASS | warnings(N)}
Research topics identified: {N}
```

## Phase 5 — Auto-orchestration opt-in (if research_topics > 0)

**Skip this phase if research_topics = 0.** Proceed directly to Phase 6.

Ask the user via `AskUserQuestion`:

**Question:** "You have {N} research topic(s). How do you want to proceed?"

| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **Manual (default)** | Print the commands. You run `/ultraresearch-local` and `/ultraplan-local` yourself, choosing depth per topic. |
| **Auto (managed by Claude Code)** | I run all {N} research topics sequentially in foreground, then automatically trigger `/ultraplan-local` when research completes. This session blocks until the plan is ready. |

### Manual path (default)

Output:

```
## Brief complete

Project: {PROJECT_DIR}/
Brief:   {PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md
Research topics: {N}

Next steps (run in order or parallel):

{For each topic:}
  /ultraresearch-local --project {PROJECT_DIR} --external "{topic question}"

Then:
  /ultraplan-local --project {PROJECT_DIR}

Then:
  /ultraexecute-local --project {PROJECT_DIR}
```

Stop. Do not continue to Phase 6.

### Auto path

Set `auto_research: true` in the brief's frontmatter (edit the file).

Proceed to Phase 6.

## Phase 6 — Auto research dispatch (auto path only)

**Runs only when user opted into auto mode.**

### Step 6a — Confirm proceed

Tell the user auto mode will run in foreground and block the session, then
confirm via `AskUserQuestion`:

**Question:** "Auto mode runs {N} research topic(s) sequentially and then
the plan — all in foreground. This session blocks until the plan is ready.
Continue?"

| Option | Action |
|--------|--------|
| **Continue — auto** | Proceed. |
| **Cancel — do manual** | Revert to manual path (print commands, stop). |

If cancelled → fall back to manual path output and stop.

### Step 6b — Run research topics sequentially (inline)

Set `research_status: in_progress` in the brief's frontmatter.

For each research topic (index i = 1 .. N), invoke `/ultraresearch-local`
inline in this main-context session:

```
/ultraresearch-local --project {PROJECT_DIR} {--external | --local | (none)} "{topic i question}"
```

Pass the scope flag that matches the topic's scope hint. Wait for each
invocation to finish writing the research brief at
`{PROJECT_DIR}/research/{NN}-{topic-slug}.md` before moving to the next
topic.

> **Why sequential inline instead of parallel background?** Background
> orchestrator-agents cannot spawn the research swarm — the Claude Code
> harness does not expose the Agent tool to sub-agents, so a background
> run silently degrades to single-context reasoning without WebSearch /
> Tavily / WebFetch / Gemini (see v2.4.0 release notes). Running each
> research pass inline in main context keeps the swarm intact. For true
> parallel execution, use `claude -p` invocations in separate terminal
> windows.

### Step 6c — Verify all briefs landed

After the last topic completes, verify each research brief file exists:

```bash
ls -1 {PROJECT_DIR}/research/*.md | wc -l
```

Expected count: N. If any are missing, report and ask the user how to
proceed (retry, skip missing topic, cancel).

Update brief frontmatter: `research_status: complete`.

### Step 6d — Auto-trigger planning (inline foreground)

Invoke the planning command inline in this session:

```
/ultraplan-local --project {PROJECT_DIR}
```

The planning pipeline runs all phases (exploration, synthesis, review) in
main context. Wait for the plan to be written to `{PROJECT_DIR}/plan.md`
before continuing.

### Step 6e — Report completion

When the planning-orchestrator finishes, present:

```
## Ultrabrief + Ultraresearch + Ultraplan Complete (auto mode)

**Project:** {PROJECT_DIR}/
**Brief:** {PROJECT_DIR}/brief.md
**Research briefs:** {N} in {PROJECT_DIR}/research/
**Plan:** {PROJECT_DIR}/plan.md

### Pipeline summary

| Step | Status |
|------|--------|
| Brief | Complete ({interview_turns} interview turns) |
| Research | Complete ({N} topics, sequential foreground) |
| Plan | Complete ({steps} steps, critic: {verdict}) |

Next:
  /ultraexecute-local --project {PROJECT_DIR}

Or:
  /ultraexecute-local --dry-run --project {PROJECT_DIR}   # preview
  /ultraexecute-local --validate --project {PROJECT_DIR}  # schema check
```

## Phase 7 — Stats tracking

Append one record to `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/ultrabrief-stats.jsonl`:

```json
{
  "ts": "{ISO-8601}",
  "task": "{task description (first 100 chars)}",
  "slug": "{slug}",
  "mode": "{default | quick}",
  "interview_turns": {N},
  "review_iterations": {1..3},
  "brief_quality": "{complete | partial}",
  "research_topics": {N},
  "auto_research": {true | false},
  "auto_result": "{completed | cancelled | failed | manual}",
  "project_dir": "{path}"
}
```

If `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}` is not set or not writable, skip silently.
Never let stats failures block the workflow.

## Hard rules

1. **Interactive only.** This command requires user input. There is no
   `--fg` or background mode — the interview cannot run headless.
2. **Brief is the contract.** Every section must have substantive content
   or an explicit "Not discussed" note. No empty sections.
3. **Intent is load-bearing.** Do not accept a one-line intent. Expand with
   the user until motivation is clear — the plan and every review agent
   will trace decisions back to this.
4. **Research topics must be answerable.** Each topic's research question
   must be phrased so `/ultraresearch-local` can answer it. If a topic is
   too vague, split or reformulate before writing.
5. **Never invent research topics the user did not agree to.** Topics
   come from the interview. If the user says "I know this", respect it.
6. **Project dir is the single source of truth.** Every artifact (brief,
   research briefs, plan, progress) lives in one project directory.
   Never scatter files across `.claude/research/`, `.claude/plans/`, etc.
7. **Auto mode blocks foreground.** If the user opts into auto, this
   session waits for research + planning to complete. Document this in
   the opt-in question.
8. **Quality gates, not question counts.** Phase 3 and Phase 4 are
   quality-gated loops; do not enforce a hard cap on interview questions.
   The brief-review gate (Phase 4) caps at 3 review iterations to bound
   cost, but Phase 3 has no cap — required-section content drives exit.
9. **Never write `brief.md` while the review gate is still pending.**
   Draft lives in `brief.md.draft` until the loop terminates. A caller
   that sees `brief.md` must be able to trust that Phase 4 finished.
10. **Privacy:** never log prompt text, secrets, or credentials.
