`/prompts:speckit.clarify` with codex CLI offers recommended actions with no clarifying question

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Assessment

Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Newbie friendliness
76/100
Issue type
Bug
Clarity
Clearly specified
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
markdown
Domain
ai, tooling

Research direction

Start with .codex/prompts/speckit.clarify.md and inspect how this generated prompt is sourced or regenerated. Verify that multiple-choice instructions restate the question before recommendations, then use the repository's documented generation or validation step; done when the generated output includes the clarifying question before its options.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

stale

Context:

I have established the project principles with /prompt:/speckit.constitution.
No edit's or changes have been requested of the originally generated markdown files.

I have then generated a baseline specification for example: /prompts:speckit.specify Define a delivery strategy for the project that slices features vertically

I have then used a prompt as an example below to ensure a minimum required clarifying questions are being asked:
/prompts:speckit.clarify DOMAIN & DATA MODEL — Generate the smallest set of questions to lock the core data contracts for the program (client-first). Ask for: (1) canonical field lists, types, and units for Contacts; (2) identifiers & keys and allowed character sets
...etc

I will then receive an output similar to below:

• Recommended: Option A – Explanation of the option

Option Description
A Do Step A.
B Do Step B.
C Do Step C.
Short Provide a different short answer (<=5 words).

You can reply with the option letter (e.g., "A"), accept the recommendation by saying "yes" or "recommended", or provide your own short answer.

Issue
The output will only show the recommended steps, but does not give any context to what question is being asked

Expected Result

• DOMAIN & DATA MODEL - How will the canonical field lists, types, and units for Contacts be displayed?
• Recommended: Option A – Explanation of the option

Option Description
A Do Step A.
B Do Step B.
C Do Step C.
Short Provide a different short answer (<=5 words).

You can reply with the option letter (e.g., "A"), accept the recommendation by saying "yes" or "recommended", or provide your own short answer.

Recommended Fix

  • Update the generated .codex\prompts\speckit.clarify.md to include an additional line similar to below:
diff --git a\.codex\prompts\speckit.clarify.md b\.codex\prompts\speckit.clarify.md
--- a\.codex\prompts\speckit.clarify.md
+++ b\.codex\prompts\speckit.clarify.md
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 4. Sequential questioning loop (interactive):
       - Present EXACTLY ONE question at a time.
       - For multiple-choice questions:
+          - Before any recommendation, restate the question verbatim on its own line as `**Question:** <original question>`.
             - **Analyze all options** and determine the **most suitable option** based on:
                 - Best practices for the project type
                 - Common patterns in similar implementations
                 - Risk reduction (security, performance, maintainability)
                 - Alignment with any explicit project goals or constraints visible in the spec
              - Present your **recommended option prominently** at the top with clear reasoning (1-2 sentences explaining why this is the best choice).
              - Format as: `**Recommended:** Option [X] - <reasoning>`
              - Then render all options as a Markdown table:
 
          | Option | Description |
          |--------|-------------|
          | A | <Option A description> |
          | B | <Option B description> |
          | C | <Option C description> (add D/E as needed up to 5) |
          | Short | Provide a different short answer (<=5 words) (Include only if free-form alternative is appropriate) |

Environment
Windows 11
Codex CLI - Run in WSL2 project virtual environment

Dominant language
Python
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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