Working well with Firstmate
Good requests give Firstmate enough intent to choose the smallest safe workflow.
Strong request shape
Say:
- the project or product area
- the outcome you want
- constraints that matter
- whether you want investigation only or implementation
- any deadline, risk, or approval preference
Example:
In MSP, add Firstmate docs as a documentation source.
Create the repo from the MSP template, keep it private, and open the registration PR.What Firstmate will ask back
Firstmate asks when the project is unclear, when authority is missing, or when a decision changes product behavior.
What Firstmate should not bother you with
Firstmate should not report routine waiting, internal retries, or unchanged monitoring. You should hear about review-ready work, decisions, blockers, failures, and finished outcomes.
Best habit
Give the outcome first. Implementation details are welcome, but they should not hide the goal.