Skip to content
LedgerLedger
← LibraryBuilder · B3

Grill, then plan

Build-along · ~10 min at your own keyboard

Most bad plans come from a goal nobody questioned, so get grilled before you plan. In a normal session, with plan mode off so the questions don't get rushed into a plan, ask Claude to interview you about the task. It asks in numbered rounds, a few questions at a time, each with its recommended answer, so you can reply 'yes' or correct it. When the questions run out, have it write what you agreed into a short spec file, then start a fresh session and plan from the spec. Plan mode is read-only: Claude explores and writes a plan you approve before anything changes. When client data is in play, this is your safety net. You review the whole plan before a single file with a buyer's name in it gets touched.

Where these ideas come from: Grilling, Spec, The grill-me skill (AI Hero dictionary and open-source skills library (MIT)). Paraphrased here.

Skill to keep · Interview

Interview me first

Before a bigger piece of work or a decision, it asks you the questions you would skip.

Example. I say I want a plain words explanation of a notice for a client. Round one asks who reads it, what they must do next and by when, and what stays out. Its recommended answer to the last: no estimate of any penalty.

Where to save it
  • Claude. Upload the skill folder as a skill, or paste the text into a Project's instructions. In Claude Code, put the folder in your skills folder.
  • ChatGPT. Paste the text into a Project's instructions or a custom GPT's instructions, or into your custom instructions.
  • Gemini. Paste the text into a Gem's instructions.
  • Copilot. Paste the text into a Notebook's instructions, or keep it in a file you attach when you need it.
  • Any other assistant. Keep the file. Paste it at the start of a chat, then say which job you are on.

Then run it on one real piece of work and change the wording until it sounds like you.

Licence and credit

This skill is adapted from the grilling skill in an open source set, the skills library. The wording and examples are rewritten for your work. The original licence travels with it. Every download carries NOTICE.md, and the copied text ends with a credit line.

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Matt Pocock

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

Six skills in all, one for each step of the flow. See the whole kit

Do this

0/4

Share what happened

Paste one grilling round (questions with recommended answers and your replies), your spec.md, the plan's step list, the one change you made to it, and whether execution matched.