Cursor rule

1---
2alwaysApply: false
3---
4 
5# Question Format Guide
6 
7## MANDATORY: All Questions Must Use This Format
8 
9### Rule: Never Ask Questions in Chat
10**CRITICAL**: You must NEVER ask questions directly in the chat. ALL questions must be placed in dedicated question files.
11 
12### Question File Format
13 
14#### File Naming Convention
15- Use descriptive names: `{phase-name}-questions.md`
16- Examples:
17  - `classification-questions.md`
18  - `requirements-questions.md`
19  - `story-planning-questions.md`
20  - `design-questions.md`
21 
22#### Question Structure
23Every question must include meaningful options plus "Other" as the last option:
24 
25```markdown
26## Question [Number]
27[Clear, specific question text]
28 
29A) [First meaningful option]
30B) [Second meaningful option]
31[...additional options as needed...]
32X) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
33 
34[Answer]: 
35```
36 
37**CRITICAL**: 
38- "Other" is MANDATORY as the LAST option for every question
39- Only include meaningful options - don't make up options to fill slots
40- Use as many or as few options as make sense (minimum 2 + Other)
41 
42### Complete Example
43 
44```markdown
45# Requirements Clarification Questions
46 
47Please answer the following questions to help clarify the requirements.
48 
49## Question 1
50What is the primary user authentication method?
51 
52A) Username and password
53B) Social media login (Google, Facebook)
54C) Single Sign-On (SSO)
55D) Multi-factor authentication
56E) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
57 
58[Answer]: 
59 
60## Question 2
61Will this be a web or mobile application?
62 
63A) Web application
64B) Mobile application
65C) Both web and mobile
66D) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
67 
68[Answer]: 
69 
70## Question 3
71Is this a new project or existing codebase?
72 
73A) New project (greenfield)
74B) Existing codebase (brownfield)
75C) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
76 
77[Answer]: 
78```
79 
80### User Response Format
81Users will answer by filling in the letter choice after [Answer]: tag:
82 
83```markdown
84## Question 1
85What is the primary user authentication method?
86 
87A) Username and password
88B) Social media login (Google, Facebook)
89C) Single Sign-On (SSO)
90D) Multi-factor authentication
91 
92[Answer]: C
93```
94 
95### Reading User Responses
96After user confirms completion:
971. Read the question file
982. Extract answers after [Answer]: tags
993. Validate all questions are answered
1004. Proceed with analysis based on responses
101 
102### Multiple Choice Guidelines
103 
104#### Option Count
105- Minimum: 2 meaningful options + "Other" (A, B, C)
106- Typical: 3-4 meaningful options + "Other" (A, B, C, D, E)
107- Maximum: 5 meaningful options + "Other" (A, B, C, D, E, F)
108- **CRITICAL**: Don't make up options just to fill slots - only include meaningful choices
109 
110#### Option Quality
111- Make options mutually exclusive
112- Cover the most common scenarios
113- Only include meaningful, realistic options
114- **ALWAYS include "Other" as the LAST option** (MANDATORY)
115- Be specific and clear
116- **Don't make up options to fill A, B, C, D slots**
117 
118#### Good Example:
119```markdown
120## Question 5
121What database technology will be used?
122 
123A) Relational (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
124B) NoSQL Document (MongoDB, DynamoDB)
125C) NoSQL Key-Value (Redis, Memcached)
126D) Graph Database (Neo4j, Neptune)
127E) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
128 
129[Answer]: 
130```
131 
132#### Bad Example (Avoid):
133```markdown
134## Question 5
135What database will you use?
136 
137A) Yes
138B) No
139C) Maybe
140 
141[Answer]: 
142```
143 
144### Workflow Integration
145 
146#### Step 1: Create Question File
147```markdown
148Create aidlc-docs/{phase-name}-questions.md with all questions
149```
150 
151#### Step 2: Inform User
152```
153"I've created {phase-name}-questions.md with [X] questions. 
154Please answer each question by filling in the letter choice after the [Answer]: tag. 
155If none of the options match your needs, choose the last option (Other) and describe your preference. Let me know when you're done."
156```
157 
158#### Step 3: Wait for Confirmation
159Wait for user to say "done", "completed", "finished", or similar.
160 
161#### Step 4: Read and Analyze
162```
163Read aidlc-docs/{phase-name}-questions.md
164Extract all answers
165Validate completeness
166Proceed with analysis
167```
168 
169### Error Handling
170 
171#### Missing Answers
172If any [Answer]: tag is empty:
173```
174"I noticed Question [X] is not answered. Please provide an answer using one of the letter choices 
175for all questions before proceeding."
176```
177 
178#### Invalid Answers
179If answer is not a valid letter choice:
180```
181"Question [X] has an invalid answer '[answer]'. 
182Please use only the letter choices provided in the question."
183```
184 
185#### Ambiguous Answers
186If user provides explanation instead of letter:
187```
188"For Question [X], please provide the letter choice that best matches your answer. 
189If none match, choose 'Other' and add your description after the [Answer]: tag."
190```
191 
192### Contradiction and Ambiguity Detection
193 
194**MANDATORY**: After reading user responses, you MUST check for contradictions and ambiguities.
195 
196#### Detecting Contradictions
197Look for logically inconsistent answers:
198- Scope mismatch: "Bug fix" but "Entire codebase affected"
199- Risk mismatch: "Low risk" but "Breaking changes"
200- Timeline mismatch: "Quick fix" but "Multiple subsystems"
201- Impact mismatch: "Single component" but "Significant architecture changes"
202 
203#### Detecting Ambiguities
204Look for unclear or borderline responses:
205- Answers that could fit multiple classifications
206- Responses that lack specificity
207- Conflicting indicators across multiple questions
208 
209#### Creating Clarification Questions
210If contradictions or ambiguities detected:
211 
2121. **Create clarification file**: `{phase-name}-clarification-questions.md`
2132. **Explain the issue**: Clearly state what contradiction/ambiguity was detected
2143. **Ask targeted questions**: Use multiple choice format to resolve the issue
2154. **Reference original questions**: Show which questions had conflicting answers
216 
217**Example**:
218```markdown
219# [Phase Name] Clarification Questions
220 
221I detected contradictions in your responses that need clarification:
222 
223## Contradiction 1: [Brief Description]
224You indicated "[Answer A]" (Q[X]:[Letter]) but also "[Answer B]" (Q[Y]:[Letter]).
225These responses are contradictory because [explanation].
226 
227### Clarification Question 1
228[Specific question to resolve contradiction]
229 
230A) [Option that resolves toward first answer]
231B) [Option that resolves toward second answer]
232C) [Option that provides middle ground]
233D) [Option that reframes the question]
234 
235[Answer]: 
236 
237## Ambiguity 1: [Brief Description]
238Your response to Q[X] ("[Answer]") is ambiguous because [explanation].
239 
240### Clarification Question 2
241[Specific question to clarify ambiguity]
242 
243A) [Clear option 1]
244B) [Clear option 2]
245C) [Clear option 3]
246D) [Clear option 4]
247 
248[Answer]: 
249```
250 
251#### Workflow for Clarifications
252 
2531. **Detect**: Analyze all responses for contradictions/ambiguities
2542. **Create**: Generate clarification question file if issues found
2553. **Inform**: Tell user about the issues and clarification file
2564. **Wait**: Do not proceed until user provides clarifications
2575. **Re-validate**: After clarifications, check again for consistency
2586. **Proceed**: Only move forward when all contradictions are resolved
259 
260#### Example User Message
261```
262"I detected 2 contradictions in your responses:
263 
2641. Bug fix scope vs. codebase impact (Q1 vs Q2)
2652. Low risk vs. breaking changes (Q7 vs Q4)
266 
267I've created classification-clarification-questions.md with 2 questions to resolve these.
268Please answer these clarifying questions before I can proceed with classification."
269```
270 
271### Best Practices
272 
2731. **Be Specific**: Questions should be clear and unambiguous
2742. **Be Comprehensive**: Cover all necessary information
2753. **Be Concise**: Keep questions focused on one topic
2764. **Be Practical**: Options should be realistic and actionable
2775. **Be Consistent**: Use same format throughout all question files
278 
279### Phase-Specific Examples
280 
281#### Example with 2 meaningful options:
282```markdown
283## Question 1
284Is this a new project or existing codebase?
285 
286A) New project (greenfield)
287B) Existing codebase (brownfield)
288C) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
289 
290[Answer]: 
291```
292 
293#### Example with 3 meaningful options:
294```markdown
295## Question 2
296What is the deployment target?
297 
298A) Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP)
299B) On-premises servers
300C) Hybrid (both cloud and on-premises)
301D) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
302 
303[Answer]: 
304```
305 
306#### Example with 4 meaningful options:
307```markdown
308## Question 3
309What architectural pattern should be used?
310 
311A) Monolithic architecture
312B) Microservices architecture
313C) Serverless architecture
314D) Event-driven architecture
315E) Other (please describe after [Answer]: tag below)
316 
317[Answer]: 
318```
319 
320## Summary
321 
322**Remember**: 
323- ✅ Always create question files
324- ✅ Always use multiple choice format
325- ✅ **Always include "Other" as the LAST option (MANDATORY)**
326- ✅ Only include meaningful options - don't make up options to fill slots
327- ✅ Always use [Answer]: tags
328- ✅ Always wait for user completion
329- ✅ Always validate responses for contradictions
330- ✅ Always create clarification files if needed
331- ✅ Always resolve contradictions before proceeding
332- ❌ Never ask questions in chat
333- ❌ Never make up options just to have A, B, C, D
334- ❌ Never proceed without answers
335- ❌ Never proceed with unresolved contradictions
336- ❌ Never make assumptions about ambiguous responses
337