When to use it

Use groundwork when a request leaves meaningful product or technical choices open. For example, adding workspace sharing requires decisions about membership, ownership, and access before an implementation plan will be reliable.

How it works

Figure 01

Settle the decisions before making a plan.

  1. Frame

    Find the next decision that changes the work.

  2. Decide

    Consider a recommendation, one question at a time.

  3. Confirm

    Review what is agreed and what remains open.

ResultA confirmed decision brief
The skill stops at the confirmed brief. Planning and implementation can then use the decisions without having to infer them.

The skill asks one decision question at a time and offers a recommendation supported by the available evidence. It distinguishes what you directed, what you approved, what the agent proposed, and what remains deferred.

It builds a decision brief and checks that it reflects the choices accurately. You can use the confirmed brief to plan the work; the skill stops at that point.

An example request

Ask your agent

“Use groundwork for shared workspaces. Help me settle ownership, invitations, and permissions before we plan the implementation.”

This illustrates a request you can adapt; it is not a transcript of a completed run.

You get a decision brief with the agreed direction and unresolved questions, ready to hand to a planning or implementation task.

Install and use

The skill’s identifier is groundwork. It ships in the groundwork plugin. In Claude Code, first add the Overclock marketplace, then install the package:

/plugin install groundwork@overclock

For a standalone installation, keep the skill directory and its bundled resources together. The repository also includes per-skill Codex metadata. Read the full skill instructions for its exact workflow and supporting files.

What to keep in mind

Groundwork does not implement the feature or turn a confirmed brief into a plan by itself.

A single small ambiguity should receive a small clarification, not a full discovery interview. The workflow should be proportionate to the decisions at stake.

  • Critical thinking — Test a proposal’s assumptions before accepting its conclusion.
  • Project vocabulary — Keep the meaning of your project’s terms consistent as the code and team evolve.