avra-cadavra/context-gathering-protocol

Context Gathering Protocol

Mandatory for Implementation Tasks

Before writing ANY code, spend 40 minutes on context gathering.

Time Investment: 40 minutes
Time Saved: 50-90% (hours to days)
Proven ROI: Multiple 99% time savings in actual implementations

Trigger Phrases

Read docs/plans/methodology/START_HERE_NEW_TASK.md when user says:

• "implement [feature]"
• "create [component]"
• "build [feature]"
• "add [functionality]"
• "start [task]"
• "proceed with [phase]"
• "continue with [feature]"
• "let's do [task]"
• "work on [feature]"

Mandatory Protocol Steps

1. Read entry point document:

   read_file('docs/plans/methodology/START_HERE_NEW_TASK.md')
   

2. Read philosophy documents (MANDATORY):

   • docs/plans/philosophy_implementation/DOORS.md
   • OUR_GUTS.md
   • docs/plans/philosophy_implementation/SPOTS_PHILOSOPHY_AND_ARCHITECTURE.md
   • docs/plans/methodology/DEVELOPMENT_METHODOLOGY.md

3. Check Master Plan:

   • Read docs/MASTER_PLAN.md for execution sequence
   • Check docs/MASTER_PLAN_TRACKER.md for all plans

4. Discover ALL related plans:

   glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*.md')
   glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*plan*.md')
   

5. Read high-priority related plans

6. Search existing implementations:

   • Look for similar features
   • Check for existing patterns
   • Review related code

7. Answer doors questions:

   • What doors? (What does this open?)
   • When ready? (When are users ready?)
   • Good key? (Is this being a good key?)
   • Learning? (Does this enable learning?)

8. Create TODO list

9. Communicate plan to user

10. Get user approval

11. Begin implementation (following methodology and philosophy)

Status Query Protocol

When user asks about status/progress, search for ALL related documents:

glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*.md')
glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*plan*.md')
glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*complete*.md')
glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*progress*.md')
glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*status*.md')
glob_file_search('**/*[topic]*summary*.md')

Read ALL found documents, then synthesize comprehensive answer.

Key Documentation

• Entry Point: docs/plans/methodology/START_HERE_NEW_TASK.md
• Quick Reference: docs/plans/methodology/SESSION_START_CHECKLIST.md
• Full Methodology: docs/plans/methodology/DEVELOPMENT_METHODOLOGY.md
• Master Plan: docs/MASTER_PLAN.md
• Master Plan Tracker: docs/MASTER_PLAN_TRACKER.md

Critical Warning

DO NOT skip context gathering to "save time" - it costs more later.

The 40-minute investment saves hours to days of implementation time.

Checklist

Before starting implementation:

• [ ] Read START_HERE_NEW_TASK.md
• [ ] Read DOORS.md
• [ ] Read OUR_GUTS.md
• [ ] Read SPOTS Philosophy
• [ ] Read Development Methodology
• [ ] Check Master Plan
• [ ] Check Master Plan Tracker
• [ ] Discover ALL relevant plans
• [ ] Filter by recency + relevance
• [ ] Read high-priority plans
• [ ] Search existing implementations
• [ ] Answer doors questions
• [ ] Create TODO list
• [ ] Communicate plan
• [ ] Get user approval

If ANY checkbox is unchecked, DO NOT START CODING.