Cursor rule

1---
2description: "Plan a large effort as a shared map of decision tickets on an issue tracker, resolving them one at a time until the way is clear. Use when an idea is too big for one session, needs structured exploration before implementation, or requires mapping decisions before building."
3alwaysApply: false
4---
5 
6# Find Way
7 
8## Concept
9 
10A large effort arrives — too big for one session, wrapped in fog. **Find-way** charts the way as a **shared map** on the repo's issue tracker, then works **decision tickets** — questions whose resolution is a decision, not build slices — one at a time until the route is clear.
11 
12**Plan, don't do.** Each ticket resolves a decision. The map is done when the way is clear — nothing left to decide before someone executes.
13 
14**Refer by name.** Every map and ticket is an issue with a title. Always use the name, never bare ids or numbers.
15 
16## The Map
17 
18A single issue labelled `wayfinder:map` — the canonical artifact. Child issues are its tickets.
19 
20```markdown
21## Destination
22<what reaching the end looks like — one or two lines>
23 
24## Notes
25<domain, skills to consult, standing preferences>
26 
27## Decisions so far
28- [closed ticket title](link) — one-line gist
29 
30## Not yet specified
31<in-scope fog you can't ticket yet>
32 
33## Out of scope
34<work ruled beyond the destination>
35```
36 
37## Ticket Types
38 
39| Type | Label | Mode | Purpose |
40|------|-------|------|---------|
41| Research | `wayfinder:research` | AFK | Surface facts from docs/APIs |
42| Prototype | `wayfinder:prototype` | HITL | Cheap artifact to react to |
43| Grilling | `wayfinder:grilling` | HITL | One-question-at-a-time dialogue |
44| Task | `wayfinder:task` | Either | Manual work unblocking a decision |
45 
46**HITL** = human in the loop. **AFK** = agent alone.
47 
48## Two Modes
49 
50### Chart the Map
51 
52User invokes with a loose idea.
53 
541. **Name the destination** — grill to pin down what this map finds its way to
552. **Map the frontier** — breadth-first: surface open decisions and first steps. If no fog emerges, the effort fits one session — skip the map
563. **Create the map** issue (label `wayfinder:map`)
574. **Create tickets** as child issues, then wire blocking edges in a second pass
585. **Fire research subagents** for each `research` ticket in parallel
596. Stop — charting resolves nothing
60 
61### Work Through the Map
62 
63User invokes with a map (URL/number). Ticket optional — without one, pick the next frontier ticket.
64 
651. Load the map (low-res view)
662. **Choose & claim** — assign ticket before any work
673. **Resolve** — zoom into related/closed tickets as needed
684. **Record** — post resolution comment, close issue, append to Decisions-so-far
695. **Graduate fog** — create new tickets from newly-specifiable fog, clear from Not-yet-specified
706. **Rule out of scope** if resolution reveals something past the destination
71 
72**Never resolve more than one ticket per session** (except research).
73 
74## Fog of War
75 
76Beyond live tickets lies the **fog** — decisions you can tell are coming but can't pin down yet. The **Not yet specified** section holds this dim view.
77 
78**Fog or ticket?** Test: can you state the question precisely now?
79 
80- **Ticket** when the question is sharp (even if blocked)
81- **Not yet specified** when you can't phrase it sharply yet
82 
83## Out of Scope
84 
85Work beyond the destination. Ruling something out is a scoping act, not a route step. Never graduates — returns only if destination is redrawn.
86 
87If an existing ticket sits past the destination, close it and note in Out of scope.
88 
89## Blocking & Frontier
90 
91- **Blocking**: tracker's native dependency relationship
92- **Unblocked**: every blocker is closed
93- **Frontier**: open, unblocked, unclaimed children — the edge of the known
94 
95## Detailed Reference
96 
97See [REFERENCE.md](REFERENCE.md) for ticket anatomy, resolution protocol, and examples.
98 
99---
100 
101# Find-Way Reference
102 
103## Ticket Anatomy
104 
105Each ticket holds one question, sized to one 100K token agent session:
106 
107```markdown
108## Question
109 
110<the decision or investigation this ticket resolves>
111```
112 
113**Labels:** `wayfinder:research`, `wayfinder:prototype`, `wayfinder:grilling`, or `wayfinder:task`
114 
115**Claim:** Assign to yourself before any work — claim blocks concurrent sessions.
116 
117**Blocking:** Use tracker's native dependency relationship so the frontier renders visually.
118 
119**Resolution:** Post answer as a comment, close the issue, append to map's Decisions-so-far.
120 
121## Resolution Protocol
122 
1231. **Load the map** — read low-res view, not every ticket body
1242. **Choose & claim** — assign ticket to yourself (or take first frontier ticket if not named)
1253. **Resolve** — zoom into related/closed tickets as needed; invoke skills the Notes block names
1264. **Record** — post resolution comment with the answer, close the issue
1275. **Update map** — append to Decisions-so-far with one-line gist + link
1286. **Graduate fog** — create new tickets from newly-specifiable fog; clear from Not-yet-specified
1297. **Rule out of scope** if resolution reveals something past the destination
130 
131## Ticket Types in Detail
132 
133### Research (AFK)
134Surfacing facts from docs, APIs, or knowledge bases that a decision waits on.
135- Resolved by a `/research` subagent
136- Use when knowledge outside the working directory is required
137- **Label:** `wayfinder:research`
138 
139### Prototype (HITL)
140Raise fidelity by building cheap, rough, concrete artifact to react to — outline, stub, UI/logic code.
141- Use the `/prototype` skill
142- Links the prototype as an asset
143- Use when "how should it look" or "how should it behave" is key
144- **Label:** `wayfinder:prototype`
145 
146### Grilling (HITL)
147Conversation via `/grilling` and `/domain-modeling` skills, one question at a time.
148- The default case for clarifying decisions
149- **Label:** `wayfinder:grilling`
150 
151### Task (HITL or AFK)
152Manual work unblocking a decision — signing up for service, provisioning access, moving data.
153- This is the **only** type that does rather than decides
154- Earns its place by unblocking a decision, not by delivering the destination
155- Agent drives AFK tasks alone; HITL tasks get precise checklist
156- **Label:** `wayfinder:task`
157 
158## Fog-to-Ticket Graduation
159 
160When resolving a ticket clears fog, graduate the newly-specifiable bits into fresh tickets:
161 
1621. **Identify the fog** in Not-yet-specified that the resolution illuminates
1632. **Create new tickets** with crisp question statements
1643. **Wire blocking edges** if the new tickets depend on each other or existing ones
1654. **Clear from fog** — remove the graduated patch from Not-yet-specified so it lives only as its ticket
166 
167## Out-of-Scope Close Protocol
168 
169If a ticket turns out to sit past the destination:
170 
1711. **Close the ticket** — mark it resolved or won't-fix
1722. **Add one line to Out of scope** — gist + why it's out of scope, linking the closed ticket
1733. **Never append to Decisions so far** — scope boundaries aren't steps on the route
174 
175## Map State Transitions
176 
177| State | Meaning | Action |
178|-------|---------|--------|
179| **Open, unblocked, unclaimed** | Frontier — ready to take | Claim and resolve |
180| **Open, blocked** | Waiting on something | Wait for blockers to close |
181| **Open, claimed** | Concurrent session working | Skip for now |
182| **Closed** | Decided — lives in Decisions so far | Reference, don't re-open |
183 
184## Concurrency
185 
186Users may run unblocked tickets in parallel, so expect the tracker to be edited concurrently. Always:
187 
188- Refresh the map before picking a ticket
189- Claim immediately before starting work
190- Never assume state hasn't changed since last read
191