If Claude Pauses and Asks for Materials

Claude stops and asks when it’s missing something it needs, rather than guessing. This happens at two stages: during Intake, before the plan is approved, and during the build.

During Intake

Claude reads everything in documentation/ before proposing a plan. It might ask for:

• A description of the app: if documentation/ is empty or too vague to plan from
• Clarification of a feature: if a requirement is ambiguous
• An API spec: if your requirements describe API calls but there’s no spec
• Design materials: if your requirements imply a particular look but give no visual guidance
• Readable design files: if a design file can’t be read, such as a single bundled export

Claude also raises anything that blocks the plan, such as a requirement that doesn’t fit any epic. Each blocker shows what you asked for, the snag, and what Claude suggests. Pick an option, and Claude updates the plan. You can’t approve the plan until every blocker is settled.

During the build

Claude stops the build for a short list of decisions it always leaves to you. Examples include a change to who can do what, an API call your spec doesn’t document, or a new third-party package. See What Claude Decides On Its Own.

Each stop explains what Claude was doing and why it stopped, and gives you options with a recommendation. Pick one, or describe a different path, and the build continues.

What to do

If Claude asked for material, add it to documentation/ and tell Claude it’s there. Claude re-reads the folder and carries on from where it paused. You don’t need to restart the session.

Claude never changes the files in documentation/. They stay exactly as you supplied them.