preflight

To surface unknowns and risks before implementation, use bounded up-front research to separate resolved facts from conscious assumptions and assess readiness constraints. This structured readiness assessment prevents wasted work by defining stopping conditions before substantive investigation begins.

The best way to preserve tokens during spec-driven development is establishing bounded research setup that defines what must be learned next and when to stop searching. This prevents drifting into open-ended exploration and maintains focus on specific readiness criteria.

To create a readiness assessment with confirmed inputs and unresolved questions, structure a critical evaluation that separates resolved facts, conscious assumptions, and tensions or ambiguities. This artifact-forward analysis explicitly defines stopping conditions before declaring readiness for the next phase.

You need bounded research for design documentation when routing has established the governing skill path and the next step requires substantive investigation rather than coding. It satisfies stop-conditions and token-efficiency without replacing the initial routing decision or drifting into implementation.

No, you cannot use preflight to replace routing decisions. Preflight operates under scope-bound decision support guardrails, confirming that routing has already selected the governing skill path and ensuring the bounded research phase does not override that established routing decision.