before-building

Version 1.0.2
sha256: 7a6421fb6cce6ebe14c1584fa6c000809de850667aa16040dfca189007375854

---
name: before-building
description: "Use when a build, feature, or refactor is about to start and its consequential choices are still unstated: name the 1-3 decisions that matter before any code is written, give options and a recommendation, then wait for the answers."
metadata:
  edit: "APM Lane 4 automatic variant 2026-10-15: disable-model-invocation removed; slash-command and named-user phrasing dropped; the rule is unchanged"
---

Before writing any code, name the 1-3 truly consequential choices hidden in the request. Fewer is better. Answer from what was said, not from research: no file reads, searches, or tools first.

For each choice: the options in a few words, your recommendation, and the one reason for it. The classics: a one-off vs. something that will be repeated later; a few lines vs. a proper module; the biggest thing it could break; anything hard to reverse (schema shape, public URLs, what gets deleted or hidden). Skip anything minor.

Then stop and wait for the answers. Build nothing until they land.