--- name: interview-style-doc-building description: "Build structured strategy documents by asking one question at a time and patching the file." category: productivity risk: critical source: community source_repo: davidondrej/skills source_type: community date_added: "2026-07-07" author: davidondrej tags: [documentation, interview, planning] tools: [claude, codex] license: "MIT" license_source: "https://github.com/davidondrej/skills/blob/main/LICENSE" --- # Interview-Style Doc Building Use this mode when the current user explicitly chooses interview-led authoring; the upstream author's preferences are not facts about every user. AI does NOT propose content — AI asks one question, the user answers, AI patches the file, AI asks the next question. The file IS the conversation's output, updated incrementally. ## When to Use - Building a new SSOT file (life priorities, life vision, principles, frameworks, ranked lists). - Filling out a structured doc the user explicitly wants to author themselves. - Quarterly/annual reviews where the user's words go into the file. **NOT for:** day planning (use `day-plan`), task triage (`organize-tasks`), or anything where AI proposes content first. ## The Loop 1. **Create the file** with a skeleton (header, sections, "to be filled in" placeholders). Use available file tools for a new authorized destination; preserve existing content and use targeted edits afterward. Tool names vary by host. 2. **Ask ONE question.** Concise. Specific. Single-faceted. Open-ended where possible. 3. **Wait for the answer.** Don't ask the next question yet. 4. **Patch the file** with the user's answer in the correct section. 5. **Re-ask** — next question, or follow-up if the answer was incomplete. 6. Repeat until the file is complete. ## Hard Rules - **One question at a time.** Never dump multiple questions in a single message. The user has flagged this. - **Patch, don't overwrite.** After the initial skeleton, use `patch` for every update. Never `write_file` to an existing doc. - **Update the file BEFORE asking the next question.** Order: receive answer → patch file → ask next question. Not the reverse. - **Lists from the user are UNORDERED SETS.** When the user lists items in response to "which X should we cover?" or "what are the Ys?", that is a SET, not a ranking. Never infer rank, priority, or sequence from the order they typed them. If you need ordering, ask explicitly: "Which of these is #1?" - **Ask dynamics, not names.** When the user references a person, don't ask "who is X?" — ask about the role/dynamic. - **No snark, no attitude, no filler.** Concise questions, concise acknowledgments. - **No speculative additions.** Don't invent sections, edge cases, or "anything else?" prompts unless the user asks. ## Question Design - **Domain-discovery, not confirmation.** "What wins against everything else?" — not "Is Business #1?" - **Surface new reality.** Each question should pull out info AI doesn't already have. - **Engine-move framing where applicable.** "What's the thing that, if true, makes the rest obvious?" - **Concrete over abstract.** "What's #2 — the domain that wins against everything except #1?" beats "Tell me about your second priority." ## File Patching Pattern After each answer: 1. Read the relevant section (if not already in context). 2. `patch` with `old_string` = placeholder or previous entry, `new_string` = updated content with the user's words preserved. 3. Confirm the diff. Move on. For ranked lists, append one rank at a time: ``` 1. **Business** — Q2 #1 goal: ... 2. **Health** — get below 81.0 kg, sleep 9h/day, ... ``` Each rank gets patched in as the user confirms it. ## Common Pitfalls - **Assuming order from a set.** The user lists "A, B, C, D" → AI writes "1. A, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D" → the user flags it. ALWAYS confirm rank explicitly. - **Asking too many questions at once.** Even bundling 2 violates the rule. - **Overwriting the file** instead of patching specific sections — destroys prior content. - **Adding AI-generated content** to fill out sections. Sections stay empty until the user provides the content. - **Skipping the file update** between Q&A pairs — the doc falls out of sync. ## Pairing with Other Skills - `day-plan` — different pattern (task triage), not interview-style. - `organize-tasks` — Todoist-specific. - `memory-management` — separate from this; persona/preferences go to memory. ## Limitations - Adapted from `davidondrej/skills`; verify local paths, tools, credentials, and agent features before acting. - For commands, remote access, scheduling, browser automation, or file-changing workflows, get explicit user approval and confirm the target environment first. --- Source attribution: davidondrej/skills contributors, via Agentic Awesome Skills Original project: https://github.com/davidondrej/skills License: MIT + CC-BY-4.0 License information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Copyright (c) 2026 David Ondrej Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Dave AI resource metadata Creator / publisher: davidondrej/skills contributors, via Agentic Awesome Skills Original project: https://github.com/davidondrej/skills Attribution basis: Recorded upstream repository Fields of work: Operations Roles: Business Strategist Specialties: Specialty not specified Tools: Tool not specified Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Dave AI task review of package instructions and description Instruction SHA-256: 9ffd6cc57941983373f87881e5d1472f836db382b68e5879540318d67d56a17c Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27 This metadata supersedes earlier Dave AI catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.