ISA

Scaffold, interview, audit, reconcile, or seed Ideal State Artifacts with verification evidence.

1|Updated Apr 16, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/davdunc/pai-framework --skill isa-davdunc
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ISA
Source: https://github.com/davdunc/pai-framework/tree/main/skills/ISA
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/davdunc/pai-framework --skill isa-davdunc

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

The ISA skill solves the problem of vague or changing expectations by turning a goal or requirement into a hard-to-vary Ideal State Artifact that can be built, tested, reconciled, and verified across iterations.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Ideal State Artifact ownership: maintains a canonical ISA document shape that defines done as verifiable criteria rather than opinions.
  • Workflow suite (five workflows): supports generating new ISAs (Scaffold), deepening missing sections via adaptive Q&A (Interview), scoring completeness against tier gates (CheckCompleteness), deterministically merging ephemeral feature excerpts back into master (Reconcile), and bootstrapping from an existing repo (Seed).
  • Verification-first evolution: produces test strategies and evidence records so understanding upgrades are auditable over time.
  • Use Case: when building a non-trivial feature, use ISA to scaffold an ideal-state spec, interview to fill gaps, then split work into ephemeral feature slices and reconcile them back with stable ISC IDs.

Quick Start

Request: "Run ISA Scaffold to create an Ideal State Artifact for my project at tier E3, using this prompt: [paste your prompt]."

Frequently Asked Questions about ISA

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I turn ambiguous project requirements into verifiable specifications?

To turn ambiguous requirements into verifiable specifications, scaffold an Ideal State Artifact that defines done as testable criteria rather than opinions. This locks section order and applies tier completeness gates to keep expectations stable across iterations.

What is an Ideal State Artifact and when do I need one for task decomposition?

An Ideal State Artifact is a canonical specification document that defines done as verifiable criteria. You need one for non-trivial feature building, requirement hardening, and task decomposition where completion must be testable and stable across iterations.

How do I merge ephemeral feature slices back into a master specification deterministically?

To merge ephemeral feature slices back into a master specification deterministically, use a reconciliation workflow that leverages stable ISC IDs. This ensures updates are merged accurately without overwriting the locked canonical structure.

Can I bootstrap a project specification from an existing repository?

Yes, you can bootstrap a project specification from an existing repository using a seeding workflow. This process generates an Ideal State Artifact by extracting existing structure and applying verification evidence requirements to your current codebase.

How do I audit specification completeness against tier gates?

You audit specification completeness against tier gates by running a dedicated checking workflow that scores the document. This evaluates whether the artifact meets explicit tier completeness gates and identifies missing sections requiring further deepening.

What is the best way to fill gaps in a technical specification?

The best way to fill gaps in a technical specification is through an adaptive Q&A interview process. This deepens missing sections by asking targeted questions to ensure the final artifact meets strict completeness gates and verification requirements.