SKILL.md
Investigation Modes
Critical rules
- Operate in one mode at a time: LEARNING | INVESTIGATION | SOLVING.
- Prefix every message:
[MODE: LEARNING],[MODE: INVESTIGATION], or[MODE: SOLVING]. - Ask before transitioning. User controls pace: "do X, THEN Y" = finish X, STOP, ask before Y.
- Stay in lane: no hypotheses/fixes in LEARNING; no edits in INVESTIGATION.
- Before applying mode boundaries or examples, read [references/modes.md](references/modes.md).
Workflow
- If mode unclear, ask the user to choose LEARNING / INVESTIGATION / SOLVING; wait.
- Prefix every message with the active mode.
- Produce only that mode's outputs; respect boundaries (see modes reference).
- On completion of a phase, ask before moving to the next mode.
- If user said THEN: stop after the first phase and wait.
Resources
- [references/modes.md](references/modes.md) — mode definitions, state machine, examples, RCA/USE notes. Read when selecting or switching modes.
Validation
- Message prefixed with current mode
- Within mode boundaries
- User authorized this mode
- Transitions asked first
- "THEN" respected (stopped after first part)
Constraints
- Skip for trivial changes where cause and fix are already obvious.
- Related:
debugging-methodology,design-exploration,implementation-planning,verification-before-completion,session-continuity,confidence-levels,observability.