Bmad Advanced Elicitation
- 302 installs
- 51.5k repo stars
- Updated August 5, 2026
- bmad-code-org/bmad-method
bmad-advanced-elicitation is a BMAD Method agent skill that applies structured reasoning methods to extract nuanced requirements, constraints, and success criteria before agent or product architecture is finalized.
About
bmad-advanced-elicitation is a BMAD Method skill that runs structured second-pass reasoning on LLM-generated content instead of vague retry prompts. The skill presents five context-matched elicitation methods—such as Pre-mortem Analysis, First Principles Thinking, Red Team vs Blue Team, and Socratic Questioning—from a registry of dozens of techniques. Developers pick a method, the agent re-examines output through that analytical lens, and they accept or discard improvements iteratively. Reach for bmad-advanced-elicitation when specs, architecture docs, or agent designs feel shallow and need stress-tested requirements, constraints, and success criteria before build begins. The skill integrates at BMAD workflow decision points after initial content generation.
- Structured requirement probing
- Constraint and risk surfacing
- Acceptance criteria drafting
- BMAD workflow integration
- Reduces ambiguous specs
Bmad Advanced Elicitation by the numbers
- 302 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- Ranked #2,256 of 16,546 AI & Agent Building skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 302 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 51.5k |
| Last updated | August 5, 2026 |
| Repository | bmad-code-org/bmad-method ↗ |
How do you stress-test AI-generated requirements deeply?
Run advanced BMAD elicitation to extract nuanced requirements, constraints, and success criteria before agent or product architecture is finalized.
Who is it for?
Developers using BMAD workflows who need rigorous requirements extraction before committing to agent or product architecture.
Skip if: Developers seeking implementation code, automated testing, or quick one-shot content generation without iterative refinement.
When should I use this skill?
LLM-generated specs or architecture feel shallow and the developer needs structured elicitation to extract requirements, constraints, and success criteria.
What you get
Refined requirements, documented constraints, success criteria, and stress-tested spec or architecture sections.
- refined requirements
- documented constraints
- success criteria
By the numbers
- Presents 5 context-matched elicitation methods per iteration
Files
Advanced Elicitation
Goal: Push the LLM to reconsider, refine, and improve its recent output.
---
CRITICAL LLM INSTRUCTIONS
- MANDATORY: Execute ALL steps in the flow section IN EXACT ORDER
- DO NOT skip steps or change the sequence
- HALT immediately when halt-conditions are met
- Each action within a step is a REQUIRED action to complete that step
- Sections outside flow (validation, output, critical-context) provide essential context - review and apply throughout execution
- YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT in your Agent communication style with the `communication_language`
---
INTEGRATION (When Invoked Indirectly)
When invoked from another prompt or process:
1. Receive or review the current section content that was just generated 2. Apply elicitation methods iteratively to enhance that specific content 3. Return the enhanced version back when user selects 'x' to proceed and return back 4. The enhanced content replaces the original section content in the output document
---
FLOW
Step 1: Method Registry Loading
Action: Load ./methods.csv for elicitation methods. If party-mode may participate, resolve the agent roster via:
python3 {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_config.py --project-root {project-root} --key agentsThe resolver merges four layers in order: _bmad/config.toml (installer base, team-scoped), _bmad/config.user.toml (installer base, user-scoped), _bmad/custom/config.toml (team overrides), and _bmad/custom/config.user.toml (personal overrides). Each entry under agents is keyed by the agent's code and carries name, title, icon, description, module, and team.
CSV Structure
- category: Method grouping (core, structural, risk, etc.)
- method_name: Display name for the method
- description: Rich explanation of what the method does, when to use it, and why it's valuable
- output_pattern: Flexible flow guide using arrows (e.g., "analysis -> insights -> action")
Context Analysis
- Use conversation history
- Analyze: content type, complexity, stakeholder needs, risk level, and creative potential
Smart Selection
1. Analyze context: Content type, complexity, stakeholder needs, risk level, creative potential 2. Parse descriptions: Understand each method's purpose from the rich descriptions in CSV 3. Select 5 methods: Choose methods that best match the context based on their descriptions 4. Balance approach: Include mix of foundational and specialized techniques as appropriate
---
Step 2: Present Options and Handle Responses
Display Format
**Advanced Elicitation Options**
_If party mode is active, agents will join in._
Choose a number (1-5), [r] to Reshuffle, [a] List All, or [x] to Proceed:
1. [Method Name]
2. [Method Name]
3. [Method Name]
4. [Method Name]
5. [Method Name]
r. Reshuffle the list with 5 new options
a. List all methods with descriptions
x. Proceed / No Further ActionsResponse Handling
Case 1-5 (User selects a numbered method):
- Execute the selected method using its description from the CSV
- Adapt the method's complexity and output format based on the current context
- Apply the method creatively to the current section content being enhanced
- Display the enhanced version showing what the method revealed or improved
- CRITICAL: Ask the user if they would like to apply the changes to the doc (y/n/other) and HALT to await response.
- CRITICAL: ONLY if Yes, apply the changes. IF No, discard your memory of the proposed changes. If any other reply, try best to follow the instructions given by the user.
- CRITICAL: Re-present the same 1-5,r,x prompt to allow additional elicitations
Case r (Reshuffle):
- Select 5 random methods from methods.csv, present new list with same prompt format
- When selecting, try to think and pick a diverse set of methods covering different categories and approaches, with 1 and 2 being potentially the most useful for the document or section being discovered
Case x (Proceed):
- Complete elicitation and proceed
- Return the fully enhanced content back to the invoking skill
- The enhanced content becomes the final version for that section
- Signal completion back to the invoking skill to continue with next section
Case a (List All):
- List all methods with their descriptions from the CSV in a compact table
- Allow user to select any method by name or number from the full list
- After selection, execute the method as described in the Case 1-5 above
Case: Direct Feedback:
- Apply changes to current section content and re-present choices
Case: Multiple Numbers:
- Execute methods in sequence on the content, then re-offer choices
---
Step 3: Execution Guidelines
- Method execution: Use the description from CSV to understand and apply each method
- Output pattern: Use the pattern as a flexible guide (e.g., "paths -> evaluation -> selection")
- Dynamic adaptation: Adjust complexity based on content needs (simple to sophisticated)
- Creative application: Interpret methods flexibly based on context while maintaining pattern consistency
- Focus on actionable insights
- Stay relevant: Tie elicitation to specific content being analyzed (the current section from the document being created unless user indicates otherwise)
- Identify personas: For single or multi-persona methods, clearly identify viewpoints, and use party members if available in memory already
- Critical loop behavior: Always re-offer the 1-5,r,a,x choices after each method execution
- Continue until user selects 'x' to proceed with enhanced content, confirm or ask the user what should be accepted from the session
- Each method application builds upon previous enhancements
- Content preservation: Track all enhancements made during elicitation
- Iterative enhancement: Each selected method (1-5) should:
1. Apply to the current enhanced version of the content 2. Show the improvements made 3. Return to the prompt for additional elicitations or completion
num,category,method_name,description,output_pattern
1,advanced,Tree of Thoughts,Explore multiple reasoning paths simultaneously then evaluate and select the best - perfect for complex problems with multiple valid approaches,paths → evaluation → selection
2,advanced,Graph of Thoughts,Model reasoning as an interconnected network of ideas to reveal hidden relationships - ideal for systems thinking and discovering emergent patterns,nodes → connections → patterns
3,advanced,Thread of Thought,Maintain coherent reasoning across long contexts by weaving a continuous narrative thread - essential for RAG systems and maintaining consistency,context → thread → synthesis
4,advanced,Self-Consistency Validation,Generate multiple independent approaches then compare for consistency - crucial for high-stakes decisions where verification matters,approaches → comparison → consensus
5,advanced,Meta-Prompting Analysis,Step back to analyze the approach structure and methodology itself - valuable for optimizing prompts and improving problem-solving,current → analysis → optimization
6,advanced,Reasoning via Planning,Build a reasoning tree guided by world models and goal states - excellent for strategic planning and sequential decision-making,model → planning → strategy
7,advanced,Chain-of-Thought Scaffolding,Force explicit intermediate reasoning steps before any conclusion — prevents intuitive leaps that skip flawed logic,premise → step → step → conclusion
8,advanced,Few-Shot Exemplar Priming,Provide 2-3 worked examples of the desired reasoning pattern before the real task — aligns output format and depth through demonstration,examples → pattern recognition → application
9,collaboration,Stakeholder Round Table,Convene multiple personas to contribute diverse perspectives - essential for requirements gathering and finding balanced solutions across competing interests,perspectives → synthesis → alignment
10,collaboration,Expert Panel Review,Assemble domain experts for deep specialized analysis - ideal when technical depth and peer review quality are needed,expert views → consensus → recommendations
11,collaboration,Debate Club Showdown,Two personas argue opposing positions while a moderator scores points - great for exploring controversial decisions and finding middle ground,thesis → antithesis → synthesis
12,collaboration,User Persona Focus Group,Gather your product's user personas to react to proposals and share frustrations - essential for validating features and discovering unmet needs,reactions → concerns → priorities
13,collaboration,Time Traveler Council,Past-you and future-you advise present-you on decisions - powerful for gaining perspective on long-term consequences vs short-term pressures,past wisdom → present choice → future impact
14,collaboration,Cross-Functional War Room,Product manager + engineer + designer tackle a problem together - reveals trade-offs between feasibility desirability and viability,constraints → trade-offs → balanced solution
15,collaboration,Mentor and Apprentice,Senior expert teaches junior while junior asks naive questions - surfaces hidden assumptions through teaching,explanation → questions → deeper understanding
16,collaboration,Good Cop Bad Cop,Supportive persona and critical persona alternate - finds both strengths to build on and weaknesses to address,encouragement → criticism → balanced view
17,collaboration,Improv Yes-And,Multiple personas build on each other's ideas without blocking - generates unexpected creative directions through collaborative building,idea → build → build → surprising result
18,collaboration,Customer Support Theater,Angry customer and support rep roleplay to find pain points - reveals real user frustrations and service gaps,complaint → investigation → resolution → prevention
19,collaboration,Six Thinking Hats,Rotate through six modes (facts - feelings - caution - optimism - creativity - process) to ensure a group covers every angle without crosstalk,white → red → black → yellow → green → blue
20,collaboration,Delphi Method,Experts give independent estimates - see anonymized results - then revise — converges on calibrated group judgment while avoiding anchoring bias,independent estimates → reveal → revise → converge
21,competitive,Red Team vs Blue Team,Adversarial attack-defend analysis to find vulnerabilities - critical for security testing and building robust solutions,defense → attack → hardening
22,competitive,Shark Tank Pitch,Entrepreneur pitches to skeptical investors who poke holes - stress-tests business viability and forces clarity on value proposition,pitch → challenges → refinement
23,competitive,Code Review Gauntlet,Senior devs with different philosophies review the same code - surfaces style debates and finds consensus on best practices,reviews → debates → standards
24,core,First Principles Analysis,Strip away assumptions to rebuild from fundamental truths - breakthrough technique for innovation and solving impossible problems,assumptions → truths → new approach
25,core,5 Whys Deep Dive,Repeatedly ask why to drill down to root causes - simple but powerful for understanding failures,why chain → root cause → solution
26,core,Socratic Questioning,Use targeted questions to reveal hidden assumptions and guide discovery - excellent for teaching and self-discovery,questions → revelations → understanding
27,core,Critique and Refine,Systematic review to identify strengths and weaknesses then improve - standard quality check for drafts,strengths/weaknesses → improvements → refined
28,core,Explain Reasoning,Walk through step-by-step thinking to show how conclusions were reached - crucial for transparency,steps → logic → conclusion
29,core,Expand or Contract for Audience,Dynamically adjust detail level and technical depth for target audience - matches content to reader capabilities,audience → adjustments → refined content
30,core,Second-Order Thinking,Think beyond immediate consequences to anticipate cascading effects and long-term implications - essential for strategic decisions where first-order solutions create hidden downstream problems,action → consequences → second-order effects → informed choice
31,core,Inversion Analysis,Flip the problem by asking what would guarantee failure instead of how to succeed - reveals hidden obstacles and blind spots by approaching challenges from the opposite direction,goal → invert → failure paths → avoidance → solution
32,core,Problem Decomposition,Break a complex problem into independent sub-problems - solve each - then reassemble — essential when a task is too large or tangled to tackle whole,whole → parts → solutions → reassembly
33,core,Analogy Mapping,Find a well-understood parallel domain and transfer its structure to the current problem — unlocks insight by borrowing proven mental models,source domain → mapping → target insight
34,core,Steelmanning,Construct the strongest possible version of an opposing argument before responding — builds credibility and catches blind spots that strawmanning misses,opposing view → strongest form → honest rebuttal
35,creative,SCAMPER Method,Apply seven creativity lenses (Substitute/Combine/Adapt/Modify/Put/Eliminate/Reverse) - systematic ideation for product innovation,S→C→A→M→P→E→R
36,creative,Reverse Engineering,Work backwards from desired outcome to find implementation path - powerful for goal achievement and understanding endpoints,end state → steps backward → path forward
37,creative,What If Scenarios,Explore alternative realities to understand possibilities and implications - valuable for contingency planning and exploration,scenarios → implications → insights
38,creative,Random Input Stimulus,Inject unrelated concepts to spark unexpected connections - breaks creative blocks through forced lateral thinking,random word → associations → novel ideas
39,creative,Exquisite Corpse Brainstorm,Each persona adds to the idea seeing only the previous contribution - generates surprising combinations through constrained collaboration,contribution → handoff → contribution → surprise
40,creative,Genre Mashup,Combine two unrelated domains to find fresh approaches - innovation through unexpected cross-pollination,domain A + domain B → hybrid insights
41,creative,Constraint Injection,Deliberately add an artificial limitation (budget - time - technology) to force novel solutions — creativity thrives under pressure,add constraint → forced creativity → remove constraint → evaluate
42,creative,Morphological Analysis,List independent parameters of a problem - enumerate options for each - then systematically combine — ensures you don't miss non-obvious configurations,parameters → options grid → combinations → evaluation
43,framing,Abstraction Laddering,"Move up (""why?"") for strategic clarity or down (""how?"") for tactical detail — ensures you're solving at the right altitude",concrete ↔ abstract → right level
44,framing,Reframe the Question,Challenge whether the stated problem is the real problem — often the question itself is wrong and a better framing unlocks an easy answer,stated problem → reframe → true problem → solution
45,framing,Stakeholder Lens Rotation,Serially adopt each stakeholder's world-view to see the same situation differently — reveals whose needs are being overlooked,perspective A → B → C → gaps found
46,learning,Feynman Technique,Explain complex concepts simply as if teaching a child - the ultimate test of true understanding,complex → simple → gaps → mastery
47,learning,Active Recall Testing,Test understanding without references to verify true knowledge - essential for identifying gaps,test → gaps → reinforcement
48,learning,Deliberate Practice Loop,Identify a specific sub-skill - drill it with immediate feedback - adjust - repeat — targeted improvement beats general repetition,isolate → drill → feedback → adjust → repeat
49,philosophical,Occam's Razor Application,Find the simplest sufficient explanation by eliminating unnecessary complexity - essential for debugging,options → simplification → selection
50,philosophical,Trolley Problem Variations,Explore ethical trade-offs through moral dilemmas - valuable for understanding values and difficult decisions,dilemma → analysis → decision
51,research,Literature Review Personas,Optimist researcher + skeptic researcher + synthesizer review sources - balanced assessment of evidence quality,sources → critiques → synthesis
52,research,Thesis Defense Simulation,Student defends hypothesis against committee with different concerns - stress-tests research methodology and conclusions,thesis → challenges → defense → refinements
53,research,Comparative Analysis Matrix,Multiple analysts evaluate options against weighted criteria - structured decision-making with explicit scoring,options → criteria → scores → recommendation
54,research,Source Triangulation,Require at least three independent source types (quantitative - qualitative - expert) before accepting a claim — guards against single-source bias,claim → source A → source B → source C → confidence rating
55,retrospective,Hindsight Reflection,Imagine looking back from the future to gain perspective - powerful for project reviews,future view → insights → application
56,retrospective,Lessons Learned Extraction,Systematically identify key takeaways and actionable improvements - essential for continuous improvement,experience → lessons → actions
57,risk,Pre-mortem Analysis,Imagine future failure then work backwards to prevent it - powerful technique for risk mitigation before major launches,failure scenario → causes → prevention
58,risk,Failure Mode Analysis,Systematically explore how each component could fail - critical for reliability engineering and safety-critical systems,components → failures → prevention
59,risk,Challenge from Critical Perspective,Play devil's advocate to stress-test ideas and find weaknesses - essential for overcoming groupthink,assumptions → challenges → strengthening
60,risk,Identify Potential Risks,Brainstorm what could go wrong across all categories - fundamental for project planning and deployment preparation,categories → risks → mitigations
61,risk,Chaos Monkey Scenarios,Deliberately break things to test resilience and recovery - ensures systems handle failures gracefully,break → observe → harden
62,risk,Assumption Audit,Explicitly list every assumption underlying a plan - rate each by confidence and impact - then stress-test the weakest — prevents building on shaky foundations,list → rate → stress-test → shore up
63,risk,Cascading Failure Simulation,Trace how one component's failure propagates through dependencies — reveals hidden coupling and single points of failure,trigger failure → trace propagation → find amplifiers → decouple
64,technical,Architecture Decision Records,Multiple architect personas propose and debate architectural choices with explicit trade-offs - ensures decisions are well-reasoned and documented,options → trade-offs → decision → rationale
65,technical,Rubber Duck Debugging Evolved,Explain your code to progressively more technical ducks until you find the bug - forces clarity at multiple abstraction levels,simple → detailed → technical → aha
66,technical,Algorithm Olympics,Multiple approaches compete on the same problem with benchmarks - finds optimal solution through direct comparison,implementations → benchmarks → winner
67,technical,Security Audit Personas,Hacker + defender + auditor examine system from different threat models - comprehensive security review from multiple angles,vulnerabilities → defenses → compliance
68,technical,Performance Profiler Panel,Database expert + frontend specialist + DevOps engineer diagnose slowness - finds bottlenecks across the full stack,symptoms → analysis → optimizations
69,technical,Boundary & Edge Case Sweep,Systematically test extremes - zeros - nulls - maximums - and type mismatches — catches the failures that happy-path thinking always misses,inputs → boundaries → edge cases → failures found
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Use bmad-advanced-elicitation for structured multi-method refinement rather than generic rewrite prompts when scoping agent or product architecture.
FAQ
What does bmad-advanced-elicitation do differently from retry prompts?
bmad-advanced-elicitation applies named reasoning methods—Pre-mortem Analysis, First Principles, Red Team vs Blue Team—instead of vague 'make it better' requests. Each method forces a specific analytical angle on LLM-generated content.
When should developers run bmad-advanced-elicitation?
bmad-advanced-elicitation fits high-stakes specs and architecture where assumptions need stress-testing. Run it after initial BMAD workflow output when requirements, constraints, or success criteria need deeper extraction.