Skill: Dialogue Framework Help

Provide contextual help and orientation for the Dialogue Framework.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

• User asks about framework capabilities or commands
• User is confused about document types or processes
• User wants to understand phases, patterns, or capabilities
• AI agent needs orientation to the framework
• User asks "what can you do" or "how does this work"

Trigger phrases: "how does dialogue work", "what commands are available", "explain phases", "framework help", "what can you do", "list commands", "help with dialogue", "what are document types"

Implementation

Step 0: Check Interaction Mode

Read .dialogue/config.yaml for interaction_mode (default: partnership). Also check user's session memo for interaction_mode_preference. Adapt help verbosity accordingly:

• human-led: Concise, answer directly
• partnership: Balanced with suggestions
• ai-led: Verbose, proactive, explanatory

Step 1: Follow the /help Command

Read and follow the /help command at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/commands/help.md for:

• Framework overview and core principles
• Command listing with descriptions
• Document type explanations
• Phase and collaboration pattern tables
• Getting started guidance

The command contains the authoritative help content.

Quick Reference

For skill discovery, point users to: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/quick-reference.md

This consolidated reference shows all commands and skills with trigger phrases in a scannable format.

Contextual Help Guidance

Tailor responses based on what the user is asking:

For "What can you do?" / "What can I do right now?" / General orientation

Discovery-first: Start with the user's goal, not feature lists.

Ask: "What do you want to create or accomplish?"

If they want a capabilities overview, group by intent:

• Capture understanding: Create Theory, Reference, Strategy documents
• Track decisions: Say "I decided..." or use /create-adr for architecture decisions
• Manage work: "create task", "status", "next task"
• Preserve context: "save session" at end of work

In ai-led mode, proactively demonstrate: "Try saying 'I decided to use TypeScript' and watch what happens."

In human-led mode, point to quick reference: "See references/quick-reference.md for full list."

For Command Questions

List commands from the help content. If asking about a specific command, read and summarise that command file.

For Concept Questions

Explain the relevant concept. For detailed reference, consult the operational manual at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/framework-manual.md, which covers:

• Phases (Quick Reference section)
• Collaboration patterns (Five Collaboration Patterns section)
• Capabilities (Eight Capabilities section)
• Document types (Document Type Classification section)

For "How do I..." Questions

Map to the appropriate command or skill:

| Question | Answer | |----------|--------| | "How do I log a decision?" | Say "I decided to..." or "let's go with..." | | "How do I capture understanding?" | /create-theory for integrated knowledge | | "How do I document a meeting?" | /create-note for ephemeral outputs | | "How do I create a task?" | Say "create task for..." | | "How do I see what's in progress?" | Say "status" or "what tasks" | | "How do I record an observation?" | Say "I noticed..." or "log observation" | | "How do I save context?" | Say "save session" or "end session" | | "How do I check phase readiness?" | Say "assess phase" or "ready to proceed" | | "How do I get less/more help?" | /set-mode human-led or /set-mode ai-led | | "How do I start using this?" | /init-dialogue (if not initialised) | | "How do I see all capabilities?" | /help skills or see references/quick-reference.md |

In ai-led mode, provide example trigger phrases for each.

For AI Agents

When helping another AI agent understand the framework:

• Emphasise the capability model (Elicit, Analyse, Synthesise, etc.)
• Explain collaboration patterns and when to use each
• Point to process definitions if designing workflows

Proactive Orientation

If the user seems new to the framework (hasn't used commands, asks basic questions), proactively:

1. Check if .dialogue/ exists — if not, suggest /init-dialogue
2. Briefly explain the core principle (tacit knowledge preservation)
3. Offer to help with their immediate task using framework capabilities

Relationship to Command

| Invocation | Trigger | |------------|---------| | /help | User explicitly requests help | | This skill | Claude recognises help-seeking context (trigger phrases above) |

Both use the same content. The skill enables Claude to provide help without the user knowing the exact command.