To Intent

Synthesize the current conversation into an intent file — two modes, two altitudes of the same idea:

• Product mode (default) — an INTENT.md at the repository root: the product-level source of truth, what is being built, for whom, and what done means (open INTENT.md format v1.0). Do NOT interview the user — synthesize what the conversation already holds. It sits above the feature-level cuts: /skill:to-spec turns one feature into a spec, /skill:to-tickets breaks work into tickets — this file is the map those are cut from. A fresh run writes the first file; a later run is an update pass after verification.
• Effort mode — an intent/<slug>.md intake artifact for one change: what is wanted, why, under which constraints, with open questions. The durable, committed record of a single effort's entry into development; the working artifacts (.scratch/<slug>/ maps and tickets) stay disposable.

Three altitudes, three artifacts: the product map indexes stories, the effort file records one change's intent, the /skill:wayfinder map charts decisions. The story id is the shared token across all three — a wayfinder destination names it, an effort file carries it in frontmatter, the spec and tickets cut from it cite it.

Process — product mode (default)

If the conversation is about the product as a whole — releases, story cuts, priorities — product mode is the default. If it is about one change or effort, take effort mode (below).

1. Gather context. Work from the conversation; explore the repo for the domain glossary if not already explored. If INTENT.md already exists at the root, this run is an update pass — read it, re-synthesize against the conversation, and keep the id of every surviving story. Ids are stable forever: an edited story keeps its id; only a replaced story gets a new one. Completed stories drop off the map — tell the user which ones, so the built-versus-planned history is never lost silently.

2. Draft the four levels of intent. Each level answers a different question and serves a different downstream use. Draft in this order: