create technical spike

Author's original introduction

Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.

SkillPi interpretation

Tasks

create technical spike

Audience

Use the scenarios stated in the author's introduction.

Inputs and outputs

See the complete author document; outputs have not been runtime verified by SkillPi.

Software, accounts and paid services

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Limits and differences

Functionality, version status and outcome statements in the introduction are author claims. Only pinned source and static attachment evidence were checked; runtime behavior, external services and compatibility are not guaranteed.

Testing

Not tested

Security rating and access scope

caution · Static evidence review; not a runtime safety guarantee.

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Original SKILL.md

---
name: create-technical-spike
description: 'Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching and resolving critical development decisions before implementation.'
---

# Create Technical Spike Document

Create time-boxed technical spike documents for researching critical questions that must be answered before development can proceed. Each spike focuses on a specific technical decision with clear deliverables and timelines.

## Document Structure

Create individual files in `${input:FolderPath|docs/spikes}` directory. Name each file using the pattern: `[category]-[short-description]-spike.md` (e.g., `api-copilot-integration-spike.md`, `performance-realtime-audio-spike.md`).

```md
---
title: "${input:SpikeTitle}"
category: "${input:Category|Technical}"
status: "🔴 Not Started"
priority: "${input:Priority|High}"
timebox: "${input:Timebox|1 week}"
created: [YYYY-MM-DD]
updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
owner: "${input:Owner}"
tags: ["technical-spike", "${input:Category|technical}", "research"]
---

# ${input:SpikeTitle}

## Summary

**Spike Objective:** [Clear, specific question or decision that needs resolution]

**Why This Matters:** [Impact on development/architecture decisions]

**Timebox:** [How much time allocated to this spike]

**Decision Deadline:** [When this must be resolved to avoid blocking development]

## Research Question(s)

**Primary Question:** [Main technical question that needs answering]

**Secondary Questions:**

- [Related question 1]
- [Related question 2]
- [Related question 3]

## Investigation Plan

### Research Tasks

- [ ] [Specific research task 1]
- [ ] [Specific research task 2]
- [ ] [Specific research task 3]
- [ ] [Create proof of concept/prototype]
- [ ] [Document findings and recommendations]

### Success Criteria

**This spike is complete when:**

- [ ] [Specific criteria 1]
- [ ] [Specific criteria 2]
- [ ] [Clear recommendation documented]
- [ ] [Proof of concept completed (if applicable)]

## Technical Context

**Related Components:** [List system components affected by this decision]

**Dependencies:** [What other spikes or decisions depend on resolving this]

**Constraints:** [Known limitations or requirements that affect the solution]

## Research Findings

### Investigation Results

[Document research findings, test results, and evidence gathered]

### Prototype/Testing Notes

[Results from any prototypes, spikes, or technical experiments]

### External Resources

- [Link to relevant documentation]
- [Link to API references]
- [Link to community discussions]
- [Link to examples/tutorials]

## Decision

### Recommendation

[Clear recommendation based on research findings]

### Rationale

[Why this approach was chosen over alternatives]

### Implementation Notes

[Key considerations for implementation]

### Follow-up Actions

- [ ] [Action item 1]
- [ ] [Action item 2]
- [ ] [Update architecture documents]
- [ ] [Create implementation tasks]

## Status History

| Date   | Status         | Notes                      |
| ------ | -------------- | -------------------------- |
| [Date] | 🔴 Not Started | Spike created and scoped   |
| [Date] | 🟡 In Progress | Research commenced         |
| [Date] | 🟢 Complete    | [Resolution summary]       |

---

_Last updated: [Date] by [Name]_
```

## Categories for Technical Spikes

### API Integration

- Third-party API capabilities and limitations
- Integration patterns and authentication
- Rate limits and performance characteristics

### Architecture & Design

- System architecture decisions
- Design pattern applicability
- Component interaction models

### Performance & Scalability

- Performance requirements and constraints
- Scalability bottlenecks and solutions
- Resource utilization patterns

### Platform & Infrastructure

- Platform capabilities and limitations
- Infrastructure requirements
- Deployment and hosting considerations

### Security & Compliance

- Security requirements and implementations
- Compliance constraints
- Authentication and authorization approaches

### User Experience

- User interaction patterns
- Accessibility requirements
- Interface design decisions

## File Naming Conventions

Use descriptive, kebab-case names that indicate the category and specific unknown:

**API/Integration Examples:**

- `api-copilot-chat-integration-spike.md`
- `api-azure-speech-realtime-spike.md`
- `api-vscode-extension-capabilities-spike.md`

**Performance Examples:**

- `performance-audio-processing-latency-spike.md`
- `performance-extension-host-limitations-spike.md`
- `performance-webrtc-reliability-spike.md`

**Architecture Examples:**

- `architecture-voice-pipeline-design-spike.md`
- `architecture-state-management-spike.md`
- `architecture-error-handling-strategy-spike.md`

## Best Practices for AI Agents

1. **One Question Per Spike:** Each document focuses on a single technical decision or research question

2. **Time-Boxed Research:** Define specific time limits and deliverables for each spike

3. **Evidence-Based Decisions:** Require concrete evidence (tests, prototypes, documentation) before marking as complete

4. **Clear Recommendations:** Document specific recommendations and rationale for implementation

5. **Dependency Tracking:** Identify how spikes relate to each other and impact project decisions

6. **Outcome-Focused:** Every spike must result in an actionable decision or recommendation

## Research Strategy

### Phase 1: Information Gathering

1. **Search existing documentation** using search/fetch tools
2. **Analyze codebase** for existing patterns and constraints
3. **Research external resources** (APIs, libraries, examples)

### Phase 2: Validation & Testing

1. **Create focused prototypes** to test specific hypotheses
2. **Run targeted experiments** to validate assumptions
3. **Document test results** with supporting evidence

### Phase 3: Decision & Documentation

1. **Synthesize findings** into clear recommendations
2. **Document implementation guidance** for development team
3. **Create follow-up tasks** for implementation

## Tools Usage

- **search/searchResults:** Research existing solutions and documentation
- **fetch/githubRepo:** Analyze external APIs, libraries, and examples
- **codebase:** Understand existing system constraints and patterns
- **runTasks:** Execute prototypes and validation tests
- **editFiles:** Update research progress and findings
- **vscodeAPI:** Test VS Code extension capabilities and limitations

Focus on time-boxed research that resolves critical technical decisions and unblocks development progress.

Copyright and license notice

MIT License

Copyright GitHub, Inc.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
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LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.