Brief Builder Skill

Most weak AI output comes from a weak brief — the model guessed at context instead of getting it. This skill flips that: it interviews the user with focused questions, one or two at a time, following up where answers are thin, until it has enough to produce excellent work. Then it writes the brief and hands off. The whole value is asking the right questions in the right order — not producing on the first vague sentence.

Required Inputs

• The raw ask — whatever the requester actually said, however vague ("we need a dashboard", "marketing wants a one-pager"). Verbatim beats paraphrased; the gaps in their words are the interrogation map.
• Who is asking and who will consume the output (if known) — the same ask from a CEO and an intern needs different briefs.
• Optional: any prior artifacts the ask relates to (the doc being replaced, the thread that sparked it).

How to run this skill (the interrogation loop)

1. Read what they gave you and identify the task type (a launch? a doc? a decision? a piece of copy?).
2. Ask the smallest set of high-leverage questions first, ONE or TWO at a time — never a 20-question wall. Lead with the questions whose answers most change the output.
3. Follow up when an answer is vague ("everyone" → "who specifically?"; "soon" → "what date?"). Dig until it's concrete.
4. Offer defaults: when the user doesn't know, propose a sensible default and let them confirm ("I'll assume B2B SaaS founders unless you say otherwise").
5. Stop when you have enough — don't over-interview. Then summarize the brief and confirm before producing.