# Interview Style Doc Building > Use when the user wants to build a structured strategic document by answering questions (life priorities, goals docs, framework files, ranked lists, principles, reviews). Interview one question at a time, patch the file after each answer, then re-ask. Not for day planning (use day-plan). - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-davidondrej-skills-interview-style-doc-building` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [davidondrej](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/davidondrej) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [davidondrej](https://github.com/davidondrej) - **Source:** https://github.com/davidondrej/skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-and-docs/interview-style-doc-building ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-davidondrej-skills-interview-style-doc-building ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Interview-Style Doc Building The user's preferred mode for creating durable strategic docs. AI does NOT propose content — AI asks one question, the user answers, AI patches the file, AI asks the next question. The file IS the conversation's output, updated incrementally. ## When to use - Building a new SSOT file (life priorities, life vision, principles, frameworks, ranked lists). - Filling out a structured doc the user explicitly wants to author themselves. - Quarterly/annual reviews where the user's words go into the file. **NOT for:** day planning (use `day-plan`), task triage (`organize-tasks`), or anything where AI proposes content first. ## The Loop 1. **Create the file** with a skeleton (header, sections, "to be filled in" placeholders). Single `write_file` for the new file. After this, NEVER overwrite — only `patch`. 2. **Ask ONE question.** Concise. Specific. Single-faceted. Open-ended where possible. 3. **Wait for the answer.** Don't ask the next question yet. 4. **Patch the file** with the user's answer in the correct section. 5. **Re-ask** — next question, or follow-up if the answer was incomplete. 6. Repeat until the file is complete. ## Hard Rules - **One question at a time.** Never dump multiple questions in a single message. The user has flagged this. - **Patch, don't overwrite.** After the initial skeleton, use `patch` for every update. Never `write_file` to an existing doc. - **Update the file BEFORE asking the next question.** Order: receive answer → patch file → ask next question. Not the reverse. - **Lists from the user are UNORDERED SETS.** When the user lists items in response to "which X should we cover?" or "what are the Ys?", that is a SET, not a ranking. Never infer rank, priority, or sequence from the order they typed them. If you need ordering, ask explicitly: "Which of these is #1?" - **Ask dynamics, not names.** When the user references a person, don't ask "who is X?" — ask about the role/dynamic. - **No snark, no attitude, no filler.** Concise questions, concise acknowledgments. - **No speculative additions.** Don't invent sections, edge cases, or "anything else?" prompts unless the user asks. ## Question Design - **Domain-discovery, not confirmation.** "What wins against everything else?" — not "Is Business #1?" - **Surface new reality.** Each question should pull out info AI doesn't already have. - **Engine-move framing where applicable.** "What's the thing that, if true, makes the rest obvious?" - **Concrete over abstract.** "What's #2 — the domain that wins against everything except #1?" beats "Tell me about your second priority." ## File Patching Pattern After each answer: 1. Read the relevant section (if not already in context). 2. `patch` with `old_string` = placeholder or previous entry, `new_string` = updated content with the user's words preserved. 3. Confirm the diff. Move on. For ranked lists, append one rank at a time: ``` 1. **Business** — Q2 #1 goal: ... 2. **Health** — get below 81.0 kg, sleep 9h/day, ... ``` Each rank gets patched in as the user confirms it. ## Common Pitfalls - **Assuming order from a set.** The user lists "A, B, C, D" → AI writes "1. A, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D" → the user flags it. ALWAYS confirm rank explicitly. - **Asking too many questions at once.** Even bundling 2 violates the rule. - **Overwriting the file** instead of patching specific sections — destroys prior content. - **Adding AI-generated content** to fill out sections. Sections stay empty until the user provides the content. - **Skipping the file update** between Q&A pairs — the doc falls out of sync. ## Pairing with Other Skills - `day-plan` — different pattern (task triage), not interview-style. - `organize-tasks` — Todoist-specific. - `memory-management` — separate from this; persona/preferences go to memory. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [davidondrej](https://github.com/davidondrej) - **Source:** [davidondrej/skills](https://github.com/davidondrej/skills) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-davidondrej-skills-interview-style-doc-building - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/davidondrej - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.