# Claude Code 'Interview' Mode in 6 Minutes

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgHBEju4kGE
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/vgHBEju4kGE
Generated: 2026-01-01T17:32:39.763+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The video demonstrates "Interview Mode" in Claude Code, a spec-driven development workflow where Claude proactively asks the user clarifying questions (like an interview) before writing code, contrasting with traditional prompting where assumptions are buried until code review, ultimately leading to better outcomes by confronting design decisions early when they are cheap to change.

**Key Points:**
- The "Interview Mode" workflow utilizes a custom skill called /interview to prompt Claude to ask the user 40+ clarifying questions about a feature or project before writing any code.
- The core concept shifts from traditional prompt engineering ("You craft perfect instructions") to spec-driven development ("AI helps you discover what you actually want"), emphasizing "Not prompting. Discovering."
- The interview process covers key areas like App Purpose, Audience, Product Type, and Main Call-to-Action (CTA) through multiple-choice options, leading to a detailed specification (spec).
- Thariq, who works on Claude Code at Anthropic, shared this workflow, which resonated widely, showing how Claude assumes details like JWT vs. OAuth if not explicitly specified in a basic prompt.
- The benefit of this approach is making trade-offs and design decisions explicit upfront when they are cheap to change, rather than discovering buried assumptions during code review.
- The /interview skill triggers the AskUserQuestion tool, which handles the interactive questioning and ultimately writes a detailed spec document upon completion.
- This contrasts with "Plan Mode" in Claude Code, which is built for implementation planning by exploring an existing codebase and writing a plan file.

![Screenshot at 00:15: The origin of the workflow is attributed to a tweet by Thariq, showing his favored spec-based approach starting with a minimal spec or prompting Claude to interview the user using the AskUserQuestion tool.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vgHBEju4kGE/00-00-15.jpg)

**Context:** This video explains a specific workflow for interacting with Claude Code, an AI coding assistant developed by Anthropic, called "Interview Mode." This method, popularized by a tweet from Thariq, aims to solve the common problem where initial, vague prompts lead to AI-generated code based on hidden assumptions, necessitating costly rework later. The video contrasts this new approach with traditional prompt engineering and Claude's existing "Plan Mode."

## Detailed Analysis

The video introduces "Interview Mode" for Claude Code, a strategy for building large features by prioritizing planning through interactive questioning rather than immediate coding. The process starts by using the /interview skill, which forces Claude to act as an interviewer, asking numerous, deep, non-obvious questions to fully define requirements before generating code. This contrasts with the typical experience where a simple prompt like "Add auth" leads Claude to make assumptions (e.g., JWT vs. Sessions), resulting in code that is close but requires significant rework later, as these assumptions are only discovered during code review. The interview process, demonstrated using a command-line interface, gathers details on App Purpose, Audience, Product Type, and CTA, effectively narrowing the solution space and documenting every decision. This method ensures that all design decisions and trade-offs are confronted upfront when they are cheap to change, leading to a much more accurate final specification and better overall outcomes compared to jumping straight into coding. The video contrasts this with Claude Code's "Plan Mode," which is better suited for implementation planning on an existing codebase.

### The Origin

- Thariq works on Claude Code at Anthropic
- Shared a workflow that changed how features are built
- Workflow involves slowing down and interviewing Claude before coding
- The popular tweet outlined: Interview first, Spec second, Code last

### The Tweet

- Thariq's favorite way to use Claude Code is spec-based
- Start with minimal spec or prompt Claude to interview using AskUserQuestionTool
- Then make a new session to execute the spec
- Tweet garnered 1.2M views, showing resonance with developers who experience assumption discovery during code review

### The Method

- The process involves three steps: Interview first, Spec second, Code last
- The prompt used for interviewing is: "Read this @SPEC.md and interview me in detail using the AskUserQuestionTool about literally anything: technical implementation, UI & UX, concerns, tradeoffs, etc. but make sure the questions are not obvious..."
- The goal is to be very in-depth and continue interviewing until complete, then write the spec.

### Slow Down to Speed Up

- What most people do is jump straight into coding
- What actually works is slowing down to speed up
- The more time spent in planning, the less time spent in rework
- Users leveraging Claude Code or similar tools often skip this planning.

### The Gap

- Standard process is: Prompt -> Claude assumes (e.g., JWT vs. Sessions) -> Rework
- Assumptions are buried until code review
- The alternative is flipping the script so Claude prompts you.

### The Flip

- What if instead of you prompting Claude... Claude prompts you?
- Instead of guessing, Claude asks; instead of assuming, Claude clarifies; instead of rework, you get it right the first time.

### AskUserQuestion Tool

- Claude pauses mid-session to present questions and multiple-choice options, continuing with answers
- Claude Code can ask interactive questions when more info is needed or paths diverge
- Demonstration showed Claude asking about App Purpose (SaaS/Web App, Marketing/Landing, etc.) and Target Audience (SMB, Enterprise, Developers).

### Demonstration Example

- Initial prompt: "build me a nextjs app interview me about what i want"
- Claude immediately enters /interview mode, stating, "Let me interview you to understand what you want to build."
- Claude asked for App Purpose (selected Marketing/Landing) and Target Audience (selected Developers).
- Subsequent questions covered Product Type (selected Developer tool/SDK) and Primary CTA (selected Book a demo).
- This process surfaces all design decisions upfront, unlike traditional methods where assumptions are discovered late in the code review cycle (e.g., realizing you wanted OAuth instead of JWT). The result is confronting design decisions when they are cheap to change, leading to better outcomes by utilizing all available context tokens effectively during discovery rather than execution.

![Screenshot at 00:00: Title slide introducing the concept of "Claude Code Interview Mode."](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vgHBEju4kGE/00-00-00.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:14: The origin slide showing Thariq's tweet detailing the three-step process: Interview first, Spec second, Code last.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vgHBEju4kGE/00-00-14.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:39: Slide contrasting "What Most People Do" \(Jump straight into coding\) versus "What Actually Works" \(Slow down to speed up\) with the quote: "The more time you spend in planning, the less time you spend in rework."](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vgHBEju4kGE/00-01-39.jpg)
![Screenshot at 02:18: Slide illustrating "The Gap" where providing a prompt leads Claude to make assumptions \(e.g., JWT vs. OAuth Sessions\) that result in rework, as assumptions are buried until code review.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vgHBEju4kGE/00-02-18.jpg)
![Screenshot at 04:13: Slide detailing "The /interview Skill" capabilities: Triggers AskUserQuestion tool, asks non-obvious deep questions, and writes a detailed spec when done.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vgHBEju4kGE/00-04-13.jpg)