Technical Decision Helper

Presents 2-3 viable options with pros/cons, trade-offs, and project fit, then recommends one with a fallback. Every question to the user goes through an interactive question tool — never plain text.

Interaction rule

Always use the environment's interactive question tool (vscode_askQuestions in VS Code, or equivalent) for every clarification, option selection, or confirmation. If none available, fall back to labeled options (A/B/C…Z, Z always "Other — describe freely") — see references/templates.md. When any essential context is missing or ambiguous, stop and ask before analyzing; never assume.

Workflow

Phase	Action	Gate
1. Understand	Gather decision, problem, constraints (perf/cost/time/compat), current stack, non-functional reqs. If complex → decompose into 2-3 sub-problems, solve independently, integrate.	All ambiguities resolved via interactive question tool before proceeding
2. Search context	Search official docs for named techs; comparisons if multiple options; community patterns if novel problem. Check real open-source usage, benchmarks, community experience.	Enough evidence to write pros/cons per option
3. Present options	One block per option: Description, Pros, Cons, Trade-offs, Project fit — see references/templates.md	Min 2-3 viable options
4. Compare	Matrix across: complexity, learning curve, performance, maintainability, community/support, architecture fit, cost, technical risk	Matrix covers every option
5. Recommend	Recommended option + justification, implementation plan, success metrics, Plan B	Output matches references/templates.md final structure

When to use

✅ Choosing between 2+ techs/architectures · build vs external lib · trade-off evaluation · migration/refactor planning · pattern selection for recurring problems

❌ Debugging specific code · tactical implementation · problems with an already-established project pattern

Usage tips

Specific question + context = better analysis. Mention constraints (budget, deadline, team skill). Give examples from prior work. Complex ask → decompose. Treat the decision as an ongoing check, not one-shot.

Reference files

• references/templates.md — question format, interactive-tool JSON example, option analysis block, final output structure, worked usage example