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dotfiles/modules/agents/claude-code/skills/codebase-design/DESIGN-IT-TWICE.md
alexion e684ac481e refactor: mirror module namespaces to their directories (task 0031)
Adopt the convention that a Module's option path mirrors its directory
under modules/, with an index file naming the directory's own segment.

- Group agent Modules under modules.agents.*: claude-code (whole
  directory), pi (flattened to a file), skills (renamed from
  agent-skills), and gitea-axi under an agents/tools/ subgroup. The
  agents/ and tools/ folders are pure namespace prefixes with no
  aggregator enable.
- Nest hypridle and hyprlock under modules.desktop.hyprland.*, with
  hyprland.nix as the index, and update the desktop aggregator.
- Remove the obsolete example Module.
- Record the convention in CONTEXT.md and ADR 0004, and update the
  neogaia host, the two live CLAUDE.md gotchas, and the skills Module's
  intentional Enable-convention exception comment.
2026-07-23 19:21:12 -04:00

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# Design It Twice
When the user wants to explore alternative interfaces for a chosen deepening candidate, use this parallel sub-agent pattern. Based on "Design It Twice" (Ousterhout) — your first idea is unlikely to be the best.
Uses the vocabulary in [SKILL.md](SKILL.md) — **module**, **interface**, **seam**, **adapter**, **leverage**.
## Process
### 1. Frame the problem space
Before spawning sub-agents, write a user-facing explanation of the problem space for the chosen candidate:
- The constraints any new interface would need to satisfy
- The dependencies it would rely on, and which category they fall into (see [DEEPENING.md](DEEPENING.md))
- A rough illustrative code sketch to ground the constraints — not a proposal, just a way to make the constraints concrete
Show this to the user, then immediately proceed to Step 2. The user reads and thinks while the sub-agents work in parallel.
### 2. Spawn sub-agents
Spawn 3+ sub-agents in parallel using the Agent tool. Each must produce a **radically different** interface for the deepened module.
Prompt each sub-agent with a separate technical brief (file paths, coupling details, dependency category from [DEEPENING.md](DEEPENING.md), what sits behind the seam). The brief is independent of the user-facing problem-space explanation in Step 1. Give each agent a different design constraint:
- Agent 1: "Minimize the interface — aim for 13 entry points max. Maximise leverage per entry point."
- Agent 2: "Maximise flexibility — support many use cases and extension."
- Agent 3: "Optimise for the most common caller — make the default case trivial."
- Agent 4 (if applicable): "Design around ports & adapters for cross-seam dependencies."
Include both [SKILL.md](SKILL.md) vocabulary and `.claude/CONTEXT.md` vocabulary in the brief so each sub-agent names things consistently with the architecture language and the project's domain language.
Each sub-agent outputs:
1. Interface (types, methods, params — plus invariants, ordering, error modes)
2. Usage example showing how callers use it
3. What the implementation hides behind the seam
4. Dependency strategy and adapters (see [DEEPENING.md](DEEPENING.md))
5. Trade-offs — where leverage is high, where it's thin
### 3. Present and compare
Present designs sequentially so the user can absorb each one, then compare them in prose. Contrast by **depth** (leverage at the interface), **locality** (where change concentrates), and **seam placement**.
After comparing, give your own recommendation: which design you think is strongest and why. If elements from different designs would combine well, propose a hybrid. Be opinionated — the user wants a strong read, not a menu.