Probe to Brainstorm Handoff

Thinking Trail

  • Considered: {probe hypothesis and what was tested}
  • Rejected: {hypothesis refuted — need new hypotheses}
  • Surprised by: {unexpected data that invalidates original framing}
  • Models used: Safe-to-fail experiment design
  • Constraints discovered: {enabling constraints still present — problem remains complex}

Decisions

  1. Probe result: {refuted|surprise} — original hypothesis didn’t hold
  2. Domain: Staying Complex — need new hypotheses via brainstorm
  3. Rationale: {probe eliminated one path but problem still has no clear cause-effect}

Actions Taken

  • Probe executed: {summary}
  • Hypothesis refuted or surprise result
  • Knowledge written: thinking artifact file for this probe

Output

Probe result: {refuted|surprise} What was learned: {what the probe eliminated or revealed} Why brainstorm: {need fresh hypotheses — old ones exhausted}

Domain Transition

From: Complex (probe) → To: Complex (brainstorm) No domain shift — staying in Complex. Probe refuted hypothesis; returning to divergent exploration with new information.

For /brainstorm

  • Context: Probe refuted “{hypothesis}” — see thinking artifacts for evidence
  • What’s eliminated: {DO NOT regenerate these hypotheses — already tested and failed}
  • New signals: {what the probe revealed that should inform new hypotheses}
  • Constraint update: {any new enabling constraints discovered during probe}
  • Goal: Generate new hypotheses that account for probe findings
  • Do NOT: Revisit refuted hypothesis or its variants

Accumulated Context

Token guidance: target 300 tokens inline. For depth, use references — point to thinking artifact files rather than embedding full content. Soft cap: 600 tokens inline per handoff. If you need more, move detail to a knowledge file and reference it. Accumulated cap: 800 tokens across a chain — compress to 200 at cap (keep: decisions, constraints, rejected paths). References to thinking files do NOT count toward the cap.

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