- **Technical decisions** — API design, data modeling, architectural approach selection
- **Clarifying questions** — anything where the answer is words, not a visual preference
A question *about* a UI topic is not automatically a visual question. "What kind of wizard do you want?" is conceptual — use the terminal. "Which of these wizard layouts feels right?" is visual — use the browser.
The server watches a directory for HTML files and serves the newest one to the browser. You write HTML content to `screen_dir`, the user sees it in their browser and can click to select options. Selections are recorded to `state_dir/events` that you read on your next turn.
**Content fragments vs full documents:** If your HTML file starts with `<!DOCTYPE` or `<html`, the server serves it as-is (just injects the helper script). Otherwise, the server automatically wraps your content in the frame template — adding the header, CSS theme, selection indicator, and all interactive infrastructure. **Write content fragments by default.** Only write full documents when you need complete control over the page.
## Starting a Session
```bash
# Start server with persistence (mockups saved to project)
**Finding connection info:** The server writes its startup JSON to `$STATE_DIR/server-info`. If you launched the server in the background and didn't capture stdout, read that file to get the URL and port. When using `--project-dir`, check `<project>/.superpowers/brainstorm/` for the session directory.
**Note:** Pass the project root as `--project-dir` so mockups persist in `.superpowers/brainstorm/` and survive server restarts. Without it, files go to `/tmp` and get cleaned up. Remind the user to add `.superpowers/` to `.gitignore` if it's not already there.
**Other environments:** The server must keep running in the background across conversation turns. If your environment reaps detached processes, use `--foreground` and launch the command with your platform's background execution mechanism.
- Before each write, check that `$STATE_DIR/server-info` exists. If it doesn't (or `$STATE_DIR/server-stopped` exists), the server has shut down — restart it with `start-server.sh` before continuing. The server auto-exits after 30 minutes of inactivity.
4.**Iterate or advance** — if feedback changes current screen, write a new file (e.g., `layout-v2.html`). Only move to the next question when the current step is validated.
5.**Unload when returning to terminal** — when the next step doesn't need the browser (e.g., a clarifying question, a tradeoff discussion), push a waiting screen to clear the stale content:
This prevents the user from staring at a resolved choice while the conversation has moved on. When the next visual question comes up, push a new content file as usual.
6. Repeat until done.
## Writing Content Fragments
Write just the content that goes inside the page. The server wraps it in the frame template automatically (header, theme CSS, selection indicator, and all interactive infrastructure).
**Minimal example:**
```html
<h2>Which layout works better?</h2>
<p class="subtitle">Consider readability and visual hierarchy</p>
**Multi-select:** Add `data-multiselect` to the container to let users select multiple options. Each click toggles the item. The indicator bar shows the count.
```html
<div class="options" data-multiselect>
<!-- same option markup — users can select/deselect multiple -->
When the user clicks options in the browser, their interactions are recorded to `$STATE_DIR/events` (one JSON object per line). The file is cleared automatically when you push a new screen.
{"type":"click","choice":"a","text":"Option A - Simple Layout","timestamp":1706000101}
{"type":"click","choice":"c","text":"Option C - Complex Grid","timestamp":1706000108}
{"type":"click","choice":"b","text":"Option B - Hybrid","timestamp":1706000115}
```
The full event stream shows the user's exploration path — they may click multiple options before settling. The last `choice` event is typically the final selection, but the pattern of clicks can reveal hesitation or preferences worth asking about.
