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The Decide step

Every new increment starts with a short Decide step, before spec.md is written. The agent settles what it can find out on its own and asks you only the decisions that are yours to make. You answer a few questions instead of correcting a wrong spec later.

The step arrived in SpecWeave 3.0.21 (16 October 2026) and is on by default.

How it runs​

  1. Think first. The agent reads the code and the config and settles every fact itself.

  2. Triage. Each open decision is one of three kinds:

    KindWhat the agent does
    A factLooks it up. Never asks.
    Its callReversible or low impact: picks a default and lists it.
    YoursHard to reverse, costly, or a matter of taste: asks you.

  3. Ask. Only your decisions, at most five, the highest impact first. Each comes with one clause on why it matters and two to four options, the recommended one first. "Yes" accepts the recommendation. Tools with a structured question tool show the questions as a card.

  4. Record. The result goes under ## Decisions in spec.md:

    ## Decisions
    ### Asked
    - D-01 Store rate limits in Redis or in memory? → in memory, Redis later (user).
    ### Defaulted (change any before sw-do)
    - D-02 Limit per API key, not per IP (NAT users share IPs).
    ### Open
    - none

    Every default is listed, so you can reject one you never saw asked. Each answer is applied to Scope, the acceptance criteria and Approach.

A clear request asks nothing. "Fix the typo in the README" goes straight to the spec.

Choose the depth​

planning.deepInterview in .specweave/config.json:

ValueBehaviour
"critical" (default)As above: at most five questions.
"deep"Runs the full grill-me interview, in rounds, with no cap. Also installs that skill.
"off"States the defaults and asks nothing.

A 2.x project with "warn" reads as "critical". The step never blocks: with "off", or when you answer "your call", the agent proceeds on its stated defaults.

Where it sits​

Read the spec before any code is written. It is the cheapest moment to catch a misunderstanding. See your first increment and the daily loop.