Intent Shaping

This skill handles CF-01: Intent Clarification from the release-decision framework.

Its job is to extract a real, measurable business outcome from a vague or tactic-first statement before any hypothesis, implementation, or measurement work begins.

When to Activate

User describes a desire without a measurable outcome ("we want more engagement")
User names a solution before naming the problem ("we should add a better CTA")
User mixes goal and implementation ("improve the onboarding flow so users see the feature")
goal field is empty or vague

On Entry — Read Current State

Use the project-sync skill's get-project command to load the current project state from the database. Check:

goal and intent — are they already filled from a previous cycle? If so, confirm with the user whether to refine or start fresh.
lastLearning — was there a prior cycle? Use it as context for the new intent.
stage — if already past intent, confirm the user wants to revisit.

This read is required. Do not rely on conversation memory alone — the database is the canonical source.

Core Principle

Separate what we want to happen in the world from what we plan to build.

A goal is a desired change in user behavior or a business metric. A solution is one possible path to that goal. Neither can stand in for the other.

Decision Actions

Tactic-first detection

If the user leads with a solution, ask what outcome that solution is meant to produce.

"If that [tactic] works exactly as intended, what would you expect to see change — and for whom?"

Outcome extraction

Once a direction exists, sharpen it into a measurable form:

What specific behavior or metric should change?
For which audience?
From what baseline?

Scope check

Confirm the goal belongs to this iteration — not a 6-month vision.

Operating Rules

Ask one question at a time
Never proceed to hypothesis or implementation until goal is measurable
Hand off to hypothesis-design once the goal is sharp

Persist State

Use the project-sync skill to sync state to the web database:

update-state <project-id> --goal "[measurable business outcome]" --intent "[what the user is trying to improve or learn]"
set-stage <project-id> intent
add-activity <project-id> --type stage_update --title "Intent clarified"

Reference Files

references/goal-extraction-patterns.md — question sequences, vague→clear examples, common anti-patterns

intent-shaping