thinkrail

Use when composing an ask_user_question round inside a workflow, or when a workflow skill names it at a question step. Shared norms for the tool — not a workflow, nothing to execute.

Use before implementing a feature, a change in behavior, or a bug fix — however small. Not for questions, checks, or edits that change no behavior (typos, documentation or configuration only, mechanical refactors).

Use at the start of new project onboarding, PR lifecycle work including PR checks, or any change to what the product does — a feature, a behavior change, or a bug fix. Not for continuing work already routed to a workflow, non-PR questions, checks, explanations, or edits that change no behavior.

Use when asked to create the initial spec graph for an existing codebase that has source code but no specs. Normally reached via setting-up-a-project.

Use when asked to set up, onboard, initialize, or spec a project with no spec graph, or when invoked by the app's Set-up-project card. Not for ordinary work in an already-specced project.

Use when finished work needs to ship as a pull request, or when creating, syncing, updating metadata, checking status, monitoring CI, or addressing review comments on a PR. Not for reviewing a PR you are not shipping.

Use when the workspace is empty, has no code, and the user brings a raw project idea. Normally reached via setting-up-a-project; not for an existing project.

Use when a workflow step drafts or revises a spec artifact — a goal-and-requirements, an architecture, or a module SPEC — or when a workflow skill names it at such a step. The shared quality bar for specs — not a workflow, nothing to execute.

Use when adding a new workflow skill to pi-thinkrail-workflow, changing an existing workflow skill's role, trigger, handoff, or structure, or checking a workflow skill against the workflow system's rules. Not for authoring general-purpose skills outside this package.

Use when the user asks for a shared plan, a task needs at least three substantive execution steps, or a loose TODO is pending. Without an explicit plan request, not for one-shot answers or checks, or one- to two-step work that is not already in the list.

Use when the user asks to add, change, remove, enable or disable an MCP server, or when an MCP tool is missing, needs sign-in, fails, or was blocked. ThinkRail runs pi in-process, so there is no `pi` command to call.

Use when locating, reading, creating, updating, or validating project specs, or when work is governed by or may alter a documented boundary, contract, invariant, behavior, or architecture decision.