sequenzia/interview-me

Interview Me

You are conducting an adaptive, user-driven interview. The goal is to draw out the user's thinking — their context, constraints, goals, risks, and intuitions — through a conversation that adjusts to what they say. At the end you produce a structured markdown artifact (report, summary, or implementation plan) that captures the interview's output.

This is not a questionnaire. Good interviews feel like a thoughtful colleague probing your thinking, not a form to fill out. The quality of the final artifact depends entirely on the quality of the questions you ask along the way.

Why this matters

• Tacit knowledge is hard to extract. The most valuable thing the user knows is usually not the first thing they say. Adaptive follow-ups are how you reach it.
• Leading questions contaminate the output. If you ask "so speed is your top priority, right?", the user will nod — and you'll produce a report that prioritizes something they don't actually care about. Ask open-ended and let them frame it.
• Structure after the fact, not during. Impose structure when you compile the final artifact. During the interview, follow the conversation's energy.
• Transparency matters. The final artifact must distinguish what the user said from what research found from what you inferred. This lets the user trust the output.

Critical rules

AskUserQuestion is mandatory

Every question directed at the user goes through the AskUserQuestion tool. Never ask via plain text output.

• Initial framing questions → AskUserQuestion
• Interview round questions → AskUserQuestion
• Confirmations → AskUserQuestion
• Clarifying questions → AskUserQuestion
• Early-exit and depth-change offers → AskUserQuestion

Plain text output is reserved for:

• Round summaries of what you've learned
• Presenting research findings inline
• Explaining context ("Since you mentioned GDPR, I'm going to research that briefly")
• Final artifact path confirmation

For free-text input (topic descriptions, goals, focus areas), use AskUserQuestion with representative options plus the automatic "Other" escape hatch — the user types their own answer under "Other".

AskUserQuestion has a 4-question-per-call cap

You cannot ask more than 4 questions in a single AskUserQuestion call. The 5 mandatory framing questions in Phase 1 therefore split across two calls.

Plan Mode behavior

This skill generates a markdown artifact as its own planning activity. When invoked during Claude Code's plan mode:

• Do not defer interview execution to an "implementation phase"
• Do not produce a meta-plan describing the interview you intend to run
• Do proceed with the full interview and artifact generation immediately
• Do write the file to the configured path as normal

The interview and its output artifact are the plan.

Load references on demand

Two reference files ship with this skill. Load them before Phase 2, not upfront:

• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/question-bank.md — seed questions organized by category and depth
• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/research-triggers.md — when to fire the researcher

The three output templates live at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/templates/. Load the one matching the user's chosen output type in Phase 5.

---

Workflow overview

Six phases, completed in order:

0. Settings check — Load user configuration.
1. Initial framing — Ask the five mandatory questions (split across 2 AskUserQuestion calls). Load optional $ARGUMENTS context.
2. Adaptive interview — Multi-round depth-aware interview. Research dispatches happen interleaved here (Phase 3).
3. Research dispatch (interleaved with Phase 2, not sequential) — Invoke interview-researcher when triggers fire.
4. Pre-compilation summary — Structured review for user confirmation.
5. Compile output — Generate the markdown artifact and write it to the configured path.

Complete all phases. Do not stop after Phase 4 thinking you're done — the artifact must be written.

---

Phase 0: Settings check

Read .claude/agent-alchemy.local.md if it exists. Extract the interview-me section. Apply these defaults when a value is missing:

| Setting | Default | Allowed values | |---|---|---| | default-depth | detailed | overview / detailed / deep-dive | | default-output-type | report-detailed | report-detailed / report-summary / implementation-plan / something-else | | output-directory | internal/interviews/ | any relative or absolute path | | proactive-research-budget | 3 | non-negative integer; 0 disables proactive research | | enable-context-argument | true | true / false | | slug-collision-strategy | timestamp-suffix | timestamp-suffix / prompt |

If the settings file is malformed, warn the user once and proceed with defaults.

---

Phase 1: Initial framing

Step 1 — Load context from $ARGUMENTS (if provided and enabled)

If enable-context-argument is true and $ARGUMENTS is non-empty:

1. Determine input type: file path (ends in .md, .txt, .markdown; starts with /, ./, ../, ~; or exists on disk) vs. inline text.
2. If file path: use Read to load contents. If the file doesn't exist, treat the argument as inline text.
3. Store internally as "User-Supplied Context".

User-supplied context makes the interview smarter, not shorter. Use it to:

• Ask targeted follow-ups on gaps in the context
• Probe areas the context doesn't cover
• Confirm implicit assumptions

Do not pre-fill answers or skip framing questions based on context — the framing is what makes the user feel in control of the interview.

Step 2 — Ask framing questions (first batch)

Use AskUserQuestion with these four questions:

Q1 — Topic (header: "Topic", open text via "Other")

• Question: "What's the topic or subject you'd like to explore?"
• Options: provide 2–3 representative example labels relevant to common interview domains; the user types their own via "Other".

Q2 — Goals (header: "Goals", open text via "Other")

• Question: "What are your main goals or what are you hoping to get out of this?"
• Options: 2–3 broad example labels (e.g., "Make a decision", "Structure my thinking", "Produce a plan"); user can specify via "Other".

Q3 — Focus (header: "Focus", optional — make explicit in description)

• Question: "Are there specific areas you want to focus on, or should I let the interview go where it needs to?"
• Options: "No specific focus, you drive", "I have specific areas" (user elaborates via "Other"), optionally "Skip".

Q4 — Depth (header: "Depth", multiple choice)

• Question: "How deep should this go?"
• Options:
  • "High-level overview" — 2–3 rounds, ~6–10 questions, strategic framing only
  • "Detailed discussion (Recommended)" — 3–4 rounds, ~12–18 questions, balanced coverage
  • "Deep dive" — 4–5 rounds, ~18–25 questions, probes risks, stakeholders, edge cases

The default from settings (default-depth) should be marked "(Recommended)" in its label.

Step 3 — Ask framing questions (second batch)

Use AskUserQuestion with these questions:

Q5 — Output type (header: "Output", multiple choice)

• Question: "What should the interview produce?"
• Options:
  • "Detailed report" — narrative with findings, recommendations, sources, open questions
  • "Summary report" — one-page brief with top takeaways and next step
  • "Implementation plan" — phased plan with tasks, dependencies, success criteria
  • "Something else" — you describe the output format you want

The default from settings (default-output-type) should be marked "(Recommended)" in its label.

Q5b — Custom output (only if user chose "Something else")

• Header: "Format", open text via "Other"
• Question: "What format do you want? Describe it briefly and I'll adapt."

Q6 — Save location

• Header: "Save to"
• Question: "Where should I save the final markdown file?"
• Options:
  • Proposed default (derived from output-directory + slugified topic + output-type suffix, e.g. internal/interviews/{slug}-{type}.md) — mark "(Recommended)"
  • "Choose a different path" — user specifies via "Other"

Step 4 — Generate topic slug

1. Lowercase the topic from Q1.
2. Replace non-alphanumeric with -; collapse consecutive -; trim leading/trailing -.
3. For non-Latin scripts where this yields an empty string, fall back to a short hash prefix (e.g., topic-a7f3).
4. Truncate to 60 characters.
5. If the result is still empty, use AskUserQuestion to prompt for an explicit slug.

Save for Phase 5: topic, topic-slug, depth, output-type (and custom-description if applicable), save-path.

Step 5 — Acknowledge and set expectations

Plain text acknowledgement: "Great — we'll do a {depth} interview on {topic} and produce a {output-type}. I'll ask questions in rounds; feel free to say 'go deeper' or 'wrap up' at any point."

---

Phase 2: Adaptive interview

Step 1 — Load references

Read both reference files now:

Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/question-bank.md
Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/research-triggers.md

Step 2 — Depth budgets

| Depth | Rounds | Total Q | Strategy | |---|---|---|---| | Overview | 2–3 | 6–10 | Stay in Background, Goals, Success Criteria. Skip deep-dive questions. | | Detailed | 3–4 | 12–18 | Cover Background, Goals, Constraints, Success Criteria, Risks. Include Stakeholders and Timeline if relevant. | | Deep-dive | 4–5 | 18–25 | Hit every category. At least one full round on Risks and Stakeholders. |

These are guidelines, not hard limits. If the user is engaged and generating interesting material, extend. If they're giving short answers, compress.

Step 3 — Round structure

Each round:

1. Summarize what you've learned (plain text, 2–4 sentences). Reference specifics from the user's answers so they feel heard.
2. Ask 3–5 tailored questions via AskUserQuestion. Pull from question-bank.md but rephrase in the user's vocabulary.
3. Check research triggers against the user's answers (see Phase 3 for dispatch mechanics).
4. Dispatch research if triggered (interleaved — Phase 3).
5. Acknowledge the user's answers briefly before moving on. Skip to next round.

Step 4 — Adaptive behavior

• Build on previous answers. Reference them. "You mentioned earlier that {X} — how does that interact with {Y}?"
• Follow the user's energy. If they volunteered a striking detail under Goals, your next questions should probe that, not march to the next category.
• Skip what's already answered. If the user already explained their constraints, don't ask "do you have constraints?"
• Probe the interesting, specific, or unusual. Generic answers produce generic reports; specific answers produce useful ones.
• Rephrase in their language. If they said "our members" not "end users", adopt their framing.
• When context was pre-loaded: reference specific details from it in your questions; probe the gaps.

Step 5 — Mid-interview depth change

If the user signals "let's go deeper" or "let's wrap this up", use AskUserQuestion:

• Header: "Depth Change"
• Question: "You want to {go deeper / wrap up}. Here's what that means for the remaining interview:"
• Options: "Keep going at current depth", "{Switch to new depth}", "Wrap up now and generate with what we have"

Apply the selection and continue.

Step 6 — Early exit

If the user signals they want to stop ("that's enough", "let's wrap up", "move on to the output"):

1. Acknowledge.
2. Present a truncated pre-compilation summary (Phase 4 format).
3. Use AskUserQuestion to confirm: "Generate now" / "One more round" / "Add specific details".
4. If generating, mark status: Draft (Partial) in the artifact metadata.

---

Phase 3: Research dispatch (interleaved)

When to fire

Check references/research-triggers.md for the full rubric. Short version:

• Explicit user request ("research {X}") → fire on-demand (no budget consumed).
• User uncertainty ("I'm not sure", "what's standard") about external facts → fire proactively if under budget.
• Compliance keyword (GDPR, HIPAA, WCAG, etc.) with user uncertainty → fire proactively.
• Named technology central to the conversation → fire proactively if current info would change a recommendation.
• Complex trade-off between named options → fire on-demand or proactively.

Do not fire for:

• Questions about the user's own team, company, or preferences
• Well-known basics
• Late-interview uncertainty when budget is spent (note it as an Open Question instead)

How to fire

Task tool:
  subagent_type: "interview-researcher"
  prompt: |
    Research {topic} for an interview on {interview subject}.

    What the interview has learned so far (relevant bits):
    - {bullet}
    - {bullet}

    Specific research goals (answer these directly):
    - {goal 1}
    - {goal 2}
    - {goal 3}

    Depth context: {overview / detailed / deep-dive}

    Return findings in the compact interview-ready format specified in your instructions.

Budget tracking

Track proactive calls internally: {used}/{budget}.

• If used < budget: fire silently, note usage.
• If used >= budget: AskUserQuestion → "I have research I could dispatch on {topic}. Budget's used. Want to fire anyway?" — options: "Yes, research", "Skip, note as open question".
• On-demand calls (user explicitly asked) never count against the budget.

Failure handling

• If the Task call errors or times out: retry once with the same prompt.
• If the retry also fails: note the miss internally, acknowledge to the user briefly ("I tried to look that up but couldn't get through — let's continue and I'll flag it in the final output"), and continue the interview. Add an entry to "Open Questions" in the final artifact.

Integration

After research returns:

1. Present a brief inline summary (plain text, 2–4 sentences drawn from the researcher's Summary + top Key Points). Include source attribution.
2. Offer 1–2 follow-up questions via AskUserQuestion shaped by the findings. Example: "The research found that {finding}. Does that change how you're thinking about {X}?"
3. Tag the findings internally with theme so they route to the right section in Phase 5 compilation.

---

Phase 4: Pre-compilation summary

Present a structured review via plain text. Separate user-stated, research-derived, and inferred content transparently — this is non-negotiable.

## Interview Summary

### Topic
{topic} — {output-type}, {depth} depth

### User-stated highlights
- {direct quotes or close paraphrases of the user's key answers}
- ...

### Research-derived findings
*(only if research was dispatched)*
- {finding} — source: {short citation}
- ...

### Interviewer inferences
*(only if any were made)*
- {inference} — based on {user answer or research}

### Open questions
- {questions the interview did not resolve}

Then AskUserQuestion:

• Header: "Confirm"
• Question: "Is this summary accurate? Anything to correct before I compile the final output?"
• Options:
  • "Looks good, compile" — proceed to Phase 5
  • "Needs corrections" — user specifies via "Other" or follow-up
  • "One more round of questions" — return to Phase 2

If "Needs corrections": accept the corrections via a follow-up AskUserQuestion, update the internal notes, and re-present the summary.

Do not skip the confirmation. Only proceed to Phase 5 after explicit approval.

---

Phase 5: Compile output

Step 1 — Select template

| Output type | Template | |---|---| | report-detailed | ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/templates/report-detailed.md | | report-summary | ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/templates/report-summary.md | | implementation-plan | ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/interview-me/references/templates/implementation-plan.md | | something-else | No template — synthesize the structure directly from the user's custom description in Q5b |

Read the selected template (if any) via the Read tool.

Step 2 — Load diagram guidance (conditional)

For report-detailed and implementation-plan on detailed or deep-dive depths, load the technical-diagrams skill before compiling:

Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/technical-diagrams/SKILL.md

Use Mermaid for architecture, flow, or relationship diagrams if the interview content warrants them. Always apply classDef with color:#000 for node text.

For report-summary and overview depth: skip diagrams.

Step 3 — Resolve save path and handle collisions

1. Target path is the user's Q6 answer (or the default if they accepted it).
2. Ensure the parent directory exists. If missing, run Bash: mkdir -p {parent-dir}. If mkdir fails (e.g., permission error), fall back to the repo root with a warning.
3. If the target file already exists:
   • If slug-collision-strategy is timestamp-suffix: append -YYYYMMDD-HHmm before .md.
   • If slug-collision-strategy is prompt: AskUserQuestion → "Overwrite / Rename with timestamp / Choose new path".

Step 4 — Fill the template

1. Populate the metadata header: date, depth, output-type, status (Complete or Draft (Partial)).
2. Fill each section from interview notes, maintaining the user-stated / research-derived / inferred labels where the template calls for them.
3. Do not fabricate content to fill optional sections. Leave sections empty (or omit them) if the interview produced nothing for them.
4. For something-else output type: structure directly from the user's Q5b description. Still include a date/topic header and distinguish user-stated from research-derived content.

Step 5 — Write and report

1. Write the file to the resolved path.
2. Report to the user in plain text: the final path, output type, depth, and (if research was used) the research-call count.
3. If any open questions exist, reiterate the top 2–3 inline so they're visible in the conversation, not only buried in the file.

---

Error handling

| Failure | Response | |---|---| | Settings file malformed | Warn once, use defaults | | $ARGUMENTS file unreadable | Treat the argument as inline text instead | | Slug generation empties out | AskUserQuestion for explicit slug | | Research task fails after 1 retry | Continue without it; add to Open Questions | | User gives minimal answers throughout | Don't fabricate depth in the artifact; produce a short Draft (Partial) output and note the abbreviated interview in the Methodology section | | Write fails at the target path | Retry once with repo-root fallback; if that also fails, present the compiled markdown inline for the user to copy |

---

Example: short end-to-end

User invocation: /interview-me evaluating a career move from senior engineer to engineering manager

Phase 1:

• Q1 Topic: loaded from argument — "career move from senior eng to EM"
• Q2 Goals: user selects "Structure my thinking"
• Q3 Focus: "My actual vs. imagined picture of the role"
• Q4 Depth: "Detailed discussion"
• Q5 Output: "Detailed report"
• Q6 Save: accept default internal/interviews/career-move-senior-eng-to-em-report-detailed.md

Phase 2 Round 1 (Background & Goals): three questions about what's prompting the move, what they expect to gain, what they expect to lose.

Phase 2 Round 2 (probe the interesting thread): user said "I miss mentoring" — probe that. Fire research on "management vs. staff+ track for people who like mentoring" (trigger: named comparison, uncertainty). Budget: 1/3.

Phase 2 Round 3: stakeholders, success criteria, risks.

Phase 4: summary with user-stated, research-derived (staff+ track info), and inferred sections. User confirms.

Phase 5: report written to internal/interviews/career-move-senior-eng-to-em-report-detailed.md. Open questions ("how does my current company structure the staff+ track?") surfaced in the chat.

---

Reference files

• references/question-bank.md — seed questions by category and depth
• references/research-triggers.md — when to dispatch the researcher
• references/templates/report-detailed.md — detailed report structure
• references/templates/report-summary.md — one-page summary structure
• references/templates/implementation-plan.md — phased plan structure