Phase gate: EXPLORE checkpoint. This skill MUST complete all steps before proceeding to Isolate.
Steps
- Fetch issue context (if issue number provided):
gh issue view <number> --json title,body,labels,assignees
If no issue number provided, ask the user to describe the task. If gh is not available (remote session without GH_TOKEN), skip issue fetch and proceed with manual description.
- Auto-detect task type from labels or description:
| Label / keyword | Type | Branch prefix |
|---|---|---|
bug, error, crash, broken, fix | Bugfix | fix/ |
enhancement, feature, add, want, should, new | Feature | feat/ |
chore, config, deps, ci, tooling | Chore | chore/ |
docs, documentation, readme | Docs | docs/ |
| Default | Feature | feat/ |
- Scan for relevant ADRs:
ls "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/ai-workspace/decisions/"*.md 2>/dev/null | head -20
Check ADR titles/filenames for keywords matching the issue title/body. If matches found, read the relevant ADR and surface it. If ADR scan finds contradictions, surface explicitly: "This task may conflict with ADR-NNN"
- Check for interrupted work:
If "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.branch-context.md" exists, read it and include in the brief (resuming work).
- Read recent memory:
tail -20 "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/ai-workspace/MEMORY.md" 2>/dev/null
- Present brief:
## Orient Brief
**Task**: [title or description]
**Type**: [bugfix/feature/chore/docs] → branch prefix: [fix/feat/chore/docs]/
**Suggested branch**: [prefix]/[kebab-case-name]
**Relevant ADRs**: [list or "none found"]
**Resuming?**: [yes — from .branch-context.md / no]
**Files likely affected**: [educated guess from issue description + ADR context]
- Auto-route using the one-sentence rule:
- Can the entire diff for this task be described in ONE sentence? → Direct to Isolate (skip Design/Review)
- Otherwise → Plan first (proceed to Design after Isolate)
Present the routing decision. The agent auto-decides — no human input required. If human is present, they can override.
Edge Cases
- No issue number + no user description → ask for a description
ghnot available → skip issue fetch, proceed with manual description- No ADRs directory → skip ADR scan

