Design-Driven Development

This skill guides a structured design-driven development workflow. The goal is to get alignment on what you're building before writing code, which dramatically reduces rework and misunderstandings.

Critical Rule: Stop and Iterate

STOP after completing each phase. Present the document to the user for review. Incorporate their numbered feedback. Only proceed to the next phase when explicitly approved.

This is the most important part of the workflow. Don't rush through design to get to code.

DOCS_DIR Discovery

Before starting any design work, determine the documentation directory:

1. Check for user configuration - Has the user specified a DOCS_DIR environment variable or project config?
2. Default to ./docs/ - This is the canonical location
3. Discovery scan - If not set, scan for ./docs/ or ./doc/ directories:
   • If exactly one found, confirm with user: "Found docs directory at X. Use this?"
   • If multiple found, ask: "Which docs directory should I use? Options: A, B"