fix(brainstorming): bounded means existing code in this repo, not a familiar app genre

Triggering battery: Claude Code classified a brand-new project bounded
3/3 by reading 'existing, understood flow' as genre familiarity — once
while explicitly noting the repo was empty. Gemini routed the same
prompt architectural 3/3.

skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md

@@ -7,20 +7,91 @@ description: "You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, bu
 
 Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.
 
-Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the design and get user approval.
+Start by classifying how much process the request needs, then work
+through your path: understand the context, refine the idea, present a
+design, and get your human partner's approval.
 
 <HARD-GATE>
-Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any project, or take any implementation action until you have presented a design and the user has approved it. This applies to EVERY project regardless of perceived simplicity.
+Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any
+project, or take any implementation action until you have told your
+human partner what you intend and they have approved it. This applies
+to EVERY task on EVERY path below — the ceremony scales with the task;
+the approval gate never does.
 </HARD-GATE>
 
-## Anti-Pattern: "This Is Too Simple To Need A Design"
+## Three Paths
 
-Every project goes through this process. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config change — all of them. "Simple" projects are where unexamined assumptions cause the most wasted work. The design can be short (a few sentences for truly simple projects), but you MUST present it and get approval.
+Before your first question, classify the request and say the
+classification out loud — "this looks bounded, so I'll present a short
+design here rather than write a spec" — so your human partner can
+override it:
+
+- **Spike** — a feasibility question ("can we...", "is it possible...",
+  "quick and dirty is fine") whose output is an answer, not code you
+  keep. Present the question and what you'll try in 2-3 sentences, get
+  a nod, then find out as cheaply as correctness allows. No design
+  doc, no spec file. Report findings as a recommendation; anything you
+  built stays labeled throwaway.
+- **Bounded** — a well-scoped change to code that already exists in
+  this repo: a new flag, a small endpoint, a one-file fix.
+  Understanding the kind of app is not enough — bounded means the flow
+  you are changing is already here to read. If there is no existing
+  flow to change, the task is not bounded. Ask the clarifying
+  questions that matter, present a short design IN CHAT (a few
+  sentences to a few short paragraphs), and STOP. Implementation
+  starts only after your human partner says yes to that design — a
+  bounded task's approval is as hard a gate as an architectural
+  one. No spec file, no implementation plan document.
+- **Architectural** — new projects, new subsystems, changes that
+  restructure how components fit together or alter interfaces others
+  depend on. Follow the full process: questions, approaches, sectioned
+  design, written spec, then the writing-plans skill.
+
+When in doubt between two paths, take the heavier one. The ratchet is
+one-way: hidden complexity discovered mid-task upgrades the path —
+stop, say so, and step up. Nothing downgrades mid-task.
+
+## Anti-Pattern: "Too Simple To Need Approval"
+
+Every path ends with your human partner approving your intent before
+implementation. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config
+change — the design may be two sentences in chat, but you MUST present
+it and get approval. "Simple" tasks are where unexamined assumptions
+cause the most wasted work. What scales with simplicity is the
+artifact, never the approval.
+
+## Red Flags
+
+| Thought | Reality |
+|---------|---------|
+| "This is too simple to need a design" | Simple means a short design, not no design. Two sentences in chat, then approval. |
+| "I'll call it bounded and skip the spec" | Reaching for a label to skip work IS the doubt — take the heavier path. |
+| "It's bounded and the design is obvious — I'll start while they read it" | The gate is the approval, not the design's length. Present, then stop until you hear yes. |
+| "I understand this kind of app, so it's bounded" | Bounded measures the repo, not your familiarity. A new project has no existing flow — it is architectural. |
+| "The spike works, so I'll keep the code" | A spike's output is an answer. Keeping the code is a new request — classify it. |
+| "It grew, but I'm almost done — no need to re-classify" | Hidden complexity upgrades the path mid-task. Stop and say so. |
+| "They approved the spike, so the follow-up change is approved too" | Each task gets its own classification and its own approval. |
 
 ## Checklist
 
-You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:
+Classify first, announce the path, then create a task for each item on
+your path and complete them in order.
 
+**Spike:**
+1. **Explore project context** — enough to frame the probe
+2. **Present question + probe plan** — 2-3 sentences
+3. **Get approval** — a nod is enough
+4. **Investigate** — as cheaply as correctness allows
+5. **Report findings** — a recommendation; label anything built as throwaway
+
+**Bounded:**
+1. **Explore project context** — check files, docs, recent commits
+2. **Ask clarifying questions** — one at a time, the ones that matter
+3. **Present short design in chat** — approach, files touched, testing
+4. **Get approval** — STOP and wait for an explicit yes; presenting the design and starting in the same breath is skipping the gate
+5. **Implement** — proceed with the normal development workflow (TDD applies); no plan document
+
+**Architectural:**
 1. **Explore project context** — check files, docs, recent commits
 2. **Offer the visual companion just-in-time** — NOT upfront. The first time a question would genuinely be clearer shown than described, offer it then (its own message); on approval its browser tab opens for you. If no visual question ever arises, never offer it. See the Visual Companion section below.
 3. **Ask clarifying questions** — one at a time, understand purpose/constraints/success criteria
@@ -35,6 +106,13 @@ You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:
 
 ```dot
 digraph brainstorming {
+    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" [shape=diamond];
+    "Present question + probe (2-3 sentences)" [shape=box];
+    "Ask clarifying questions (bounded)" [shape=box];
+    "Present short design in chat" [shape=box];
+    "Human approves?" [shape=diamond];
+    "Investigate; report recommendation" [shape=doublecircle];
+    "Implement via normal workflow (no plan doc)" [shape=doublecircle];
     "Explore project context" [shape=box];
     "Ask clarifying questions" [shape=box];
     "Propose 2-3 approaches" [shape=box];
@@ -44,7 +122,17 @@ digraph brainstorming {
     "Spec self-review\n(fix inline)" [shape=box];
     "User reviews spec?" [shape=diamond];
     "Invoke writing-plans skill" [shape=doublecircle];
+    "Hidden complexity? Upgrade path" [shape=box];
 
+    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" -> "Present question + probe (2-3 sentences)" [label="spike"];
+    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" -> "Ask clarifying questions (bounded)" [label="bounded"];
+    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" -> "Explore project context" [label="architectural"];
+    "Present question + probe (2-3 sentences)" -> "Human approves?";
+    "Ask clarifying questions (bounded)" -> "Present short design in chat";
+    "Present short design in chat" -> "Human approves?";
+    "Human approves?" -> "Investigate; report recommendation" [label="spike: yes"];
+    "Human approves?" -> "Implement via normal workflow (no plan doc)" [label="bounded: yes"];
+    "Hidden complexity? Upgrade path" -> "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural";
     "Explore project context" -> "Ask clarifying questions";
     "Ask clarifying questions" -> "Propose 2-3 approaches";
     "Propose 2-3 approaches" -> "Present design sections";
@@ -58,10 +146,21 @@ digraph brainstorming {
 }
 ```
 
-**The terminal state is invoking writing-plans.** Do NOT invoke frontend-design, mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. The ONLY skill you invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans.
+**Terminal states are path-bound.** Architectural: the ONLY skill you
+invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans — never frontend-design,
+mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. Bounded: after
+approval, implementation proceeds directly through the normal
+development workflow; no plan document. Spike: the terminal state is a
+reported recommendation.
 
 ## The Process
 
+The subsections below serve the bounded and architectural paths (a
+spike stops at "present the probe, get a nod"). Sections from
+**Exploring approaches** onward are architectural-path depth — for
+bounded work, context plus a few questions plus a short in-chat design
+is the whole process.
+
 **Understanding the idea:**
 
 - Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
@@ -100,7 +199,7 @@ digraph brainstorming {
 - Where existing code has problems that affect the work (e.g., a file that's grown too large, unclear boundaries, tangled responsibilities), include targeted improvements as part of the design - the way a good developer improves code they're working in.
 - Don't propose unrelated refactoring. Stay focused on what serves the current goal.
 
-## After the Design
+## After the Design (architectural path)
 
 **Documentation:**