explore-unknowns
Guide the user through a quadrant walk that maps the unknowns of a task — open by listing the known knowns, then work through known unknowns, unknown knowns, and unknown unknowns one stage at a time, ending with a complete four-quadrant map in the user's hands. Use when a request is ambiguous or underspecified, the codebase or domain is unfamiliar, the user will "know it when they see it", a reference implementation must be understood before porting, mid-build deviations from the plan need capturing, or a finished change needs buy-in or verified understanding before merge. Pairs with [write-spec](../write-spec/SKILL.md) — walk the quadrants to burn off fog before slicing, and feed the finished map into the spec.
Install
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Open your terminal
- Mac: Press ⌘ Space, type "Terminal", press Enter
- Windows: Press Win R, type "cmd", press Enter
Paste the command above and press Enter
Use the Copy command button, then paste in your terminal (Mac: ⌘V, Windows: Ctrl V).
Restart Claude Code
Close and reopen Claude Code, or start a new session, so it picks up the new skill.
Where it lives
Comments
"How to build your own fly simulator with Codex and Astra: - Make sure you're on codex pro with access to Astra for its 3d rendering capabilities, and figure..."
"Fed this article to Fable and we created an explore-unknowns skill It scans your codebase, then interviews you one question at a time to close the known..."
Related skills
subagent-driven-development
Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session
systematic-debugging
Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes
finishing-a-development-branch
Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work
requesting-code-review
Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements