engineering / Plan & design
grill-with-docs
Grilling session that challenges your plan against the existing domain model, sharpens terminology, and updates documentation (CONTEXT.md, ADRs) inline as decisions crystallise.
Put it to work.
Ask your agent to use grill-with-docs, or let it load the skill when your task matches the description.
Use the grill-with-docs skillInvocation syntax varies by agent. Use the skill name in your prompt, or your agent’s supported slash command.
About this skill
Code-aware grilling session. Same one-question-at-a-time interview as
/grill-me, but layered on top of
the project's domain glossary (CONTEXT.md) and architectural decisions
(docs/adr/). The skill updates those docs inline as decisions
crystallise — sharper terminology, fewer "wait, what does X mean here?"
moments later.
Flow
flowchart LR
E[Explore codebase +<br/>read CONTEXT.md / ADRs] --> Q[Ask one question<br/>+ recommended answer]
Q --> R{Resolved?}
R -->|yes| U[Update CONTEXT.md<br/>or offer ADR if<br/>hard-to-reverse]
R -->|no| Q
U --> Q
Q -->|tree resolved| D[Done]Documentation it maintains
CONTEXT.md— the project's domain glossary. Created lazily when the first term is resolved. SeeCONTEXT-FORMAT.md.docs/adr/NNNN-slug.md— Architecture Decision Records. Offered only when the decision is hard-to-reverse, surprising-without-context, AND a real trade-off. SeeADR-FORMAT.md.CONTEXT-MAP.md(multi-context repos) — a top-level map pointing to per-contextCONTEXT.mdfiles. The skill auto-detects single vs. multi-context layout.
What the skill challenges you on
- Glossary conflicts. "Your glossary defines 'cancellation' as X, but you seem to mean Y — which is it?"
- Fuzzy language. "You're saying 'account' — do you mean Customer or User? They're different things."
- Code-vs-claim contradictions. "Your code cancels entire Orders, but you just said partial cancellation is possible — which is right?"
- Edge-case scenarios invented to probe the boundary between concepts.
Install
npx skills@latest add smeltery/skillsNote: copying just SKILL.md will leave the CONTEXT-FORMAT.md /
ADR-FORMAT.md references dangling — prefer the npx skills flow so the
companion docs install too.
Usage
Trigger by saying "grill me with docs", "stress-test this against the domain model", or whenever you want documentation discipline applied during the grilling.
For code-free grilling, use /grill-me.
Files
SKILL.md— canonical skill definition.CONTEXT-FORMAT.md— format and rules forCONTEXT.md/CONTEXT-MAP.md.ADR-FORMAT.md— ADR template, when to offer one, and what qualifies.
Attribution
Ported from mattpocock/skills under MIT. See THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.
Read the full SKILL.md
Interview me relentlessly about every aspect of this plan until we reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one-by-one. For each question, provide your recommended answer.
Ask the questions one at a time, waiting for feedback on each question before continuing.
If a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, explore the codebase instead.
Domain awareness
During codebase exploration, also look for existing documentation:
File structure
Most repos have a single context:
/
├── CONTEXT.md
├── docs/
│ └── adr/
│ ├── 0001-event-sourced-orders.md
│ └── 0002-postgres-for-write-model.md
└── src/If a CONTEXT-MAP.md exists at the root, the repo has multiple contexts. The map points to where each one lives:
/
├── CONTEXT-MAP.md
├── docs/
│ └── adr/ ← system-wide decisions
├── src/
│ ├── ordering/
│ │ ├── CONTEXT.md
│ │ └── docs/adr/ ← context-specific decisions
│ └── billing/
│ ├── CONTEXT.md
│ └── docs/adr/Create files lazily — only when you have something to write. If no CONTEXT.md exists, create one when the first term is resolved. If no docs/adr/ exists, create it when the first ADR is needed.
During the session
Challenge against the glossary
When the user uses a term that conflicts with the existing language in CONTEXT.md, call it out immediately. "Your glossary defines 'cancellation' as X, but you seem to mean Y — which is it?"
Sharpen fuzzy language
When the user uses vague or overloaded terms, propose a precise canonical term. "You're saying 'account' — do you mean the Customer or the User? Those are different things."
Discuss concrete scenarios
When domain relationships are being discussed, stress-test them with specific scenarios. Invent scenarios that probe edge cases and force the user to be precise about the boundaries between concepts.
Cross-reference with code
When the user states how something works, check whether the code agrees. If you find a contradiction, surface it: "Your code cancels entire Orders, but you just said partial cancellation is possible — which is right?"
Update CONTEXT.md inline
When a term is resolved, update CONTEXT.md right there. Don't batch these up — capture them as they happen. Use the format in CONTEXT-FORMAT.md.
Don't couple CONTEXT.md to implementation details. Only include terms that are meaningful to domain experts.
Offer ADRs sparingly
Only offer to create an ADR when all three are true:
- Hard to reverse — the cost of changing your mind later is meaningful
- Surprising without context — a future reader will wonder "why did they do it this way?"
- The result of a real trade-off — there were genuine alternatives and you picked one for specific reasons
If any of the three is missing, skip the ADR. Use the format in ADR-FORMAT.md.