Grill

Generated from workflows/modes/grill.md, the mode contract the HELIX skill loads. Edit that file, not this page.

Use to stress-test a plan, design, or change via a decision-tree interview until shared understanding. Distills the grilling technique (one question at a time, recommended answers, facts vs decisions). Full procedure: workflows/actions/grill.md in source checkouts; this section is normative for all installs.

Why a mode (not only input): grill is stop-before-act interview discipline; input converts intent into governed work items. Operators must be able to invoke interview-only without drafting PRDs or filing implementation work.

Bind marker and catalog; load governing artifacts; explore the environment for facts.
Build a decision tree of open choices (dependency-ordered), not a bulk questionnaire.
Interactive: ask one question at a time; wait for the answer. Each question includes a recommended answer and short rationale (cite path:line when known). Decisions go to the operator; facts are looked up.
Headless / non-interactive (a runtime’s headless dispatch, CI, one-shot): emit in one response the full decision tree, recommended answers, assumptions for unresolved operator-only decisions, and the handoff (modes/_report.md fields). Do not block waiting for answers.
Hard floor (all autonomy levels): until the operator confirms shared understanding (interactive) or the headless one-shot completes, do not write or edit product source, file implementation work items, or apply/deploy. This is a stop_at-style checkpoint; it does not rewrite autonomy source precedence for other pauses.
Do not create a free-floating CONTEXT.md as authority. After confirm, durable decisions land via handoff into existing catalog types (PRD, FEAT, ADR, technical-design, concerns, etc.).
On confirm (or headless completion), emit a handoff with the four fields defined in modes/_report.md.
Do not silently start frame/design/build in the same turn unless the operator asks.

Procedure: workflows/actions/grill.md (deeper step detail; this file is the contract).

Innsigle seal: model-primary by HELIX

The signature covers the markdown source of this page, not these HTML bytes. This page quotes that seal; verify it against the source file.

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Signed source: reference/workflow-modes/grill.md
Signed: 2026-09-23T14:11:58Z
Content digest: sha256:8e892bdc…b5f52b6d

This build key is endorsed by the human key for build signing; the signature is not a detector and not a truth guarantee.

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attestation file · issuer keys