What is an Intent?
An Intent is a high-level statement of purpose that encapsulates what needs to be achieved - whether a business goal, feature, or technical outcome. It serves as the starting point for AI-driven decomposition.Think of an Intent as the answer to “What do we want to build?” without getting into the details of “How do we build it?”
Examples of Intents
Good intents are clear, outcome-focused, and appropriately scoped:User Authentication System
Enable users to securely register, login, and manage their accounts
Product Catalog with Search
Allow customers to browse and search products with filters
Payment Processing
Integrate payment gateway for secure transactions
Real-time Notifications
Push notifications to users for important events
Intent Structure
When captured, an Intent becomes a directory in your Memory Bank:Creating an Intent
Use the Inception Agent to create intents:1
Describe Your Goal
Explain what you want to achieve in plain language
2
Answer Clarifying Questions
The AI asks questions to minimize ambiguity
3
Review Requirements
Validate the generated user stories and NFRs
4
Define Context
Establish system boundaries and constraints
Intent vs Epic
Requirements Document
Therequirements.md file contains:
System Context
Thesystem-context.md defines boundaries:
Best Practices
Keep Intents Focused
Keep Intents Focused
One intent should represent one cohesive goal. If you find yourself saying “and also…”, consider splitting into multiple intents.
Be Outcome-Oriented
Be Outcome-Oriented
Focus on what users will be able to do, not on technical implementation details.
Include Context
Include Context
Provide relevant business context, constraints, and dependencies upfront.
Iterate on Requirements
Iterate on Requirements
Requirements will evolve. Use the agent to refine and clarify as you learn more.
Next Steps
Units
Learn how Intents are decomposed into Units