diff --git a/skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md b/skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md
index fdeabfe3..532948c5 100644
--- a/skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md
@@ -35,8 +35,10 @@ override it:
 - **Bounded** — a well-scoped change to an existing, understood flow: a
   new flag, a small endpoint, a one-file fix. Ask the clarifying
   questions that matter, present a short design IN CHAT (a few
-  sentences to a few short paragraphs), and get approval. No spec
-  file, no implementation plan document.
+  sentences to a few short paragraphs), and STOP. Implementation
+  starts only after your human partner says yes to that design — a
+  bounded task's approval is as hard a gate as an architectural
+  one. No spec file, no implementation plan document.
 - **Architectural** — new projects, new subsystems, changes that
   restructure how components fit together or alter interfaces others
   depend on. Follow the full process: questions, approaches, sectioned
@@ -61,6 +63,7 @@ artifact, never the approval.
 |---------|---------|
 | "This is too simple to need a design" | Simple means a short design, not no design. Two sentences in chat, then approval. |
 | "I'll call it bounded and skip the spec" | Reaching for a label to skip work IS the doubt — take the heavier path. |
+| "It's bounded and the design is obvious — I'll start while they read it" | The gate is the approval, not the design's length. Present, then stop until you hear yes. |
 | "The spike works, so I'll keep the code" | A spike's output is an answer. Keeping the code is a new request — classify it. |
 | "It grew, but I'm almost done — no need to re-classify" | Hidden complexity upgrades the path mid-task. Stop and say so. |
 | "They approved the spike, so the follow-up change is approved too" | Each task gets its own classification and its own approval. |
@@ -81,7 +84,7 @@ your path and complete them in order.
 1. **Explore project context** — check files, docs, recent commits
 2. **Ask clarifying questions** — one at a time, the ones that matter
 3. **Present short design in chat** — approach, files touched, testing
-4. **Get approval** — explicit, before any implementation
+4. **Get approval** — STOP and wait for an explicit yes; presenting the design and starting in the same breath is skipping the gate
 5. **Implement** — proceed with the normal development workflow (TDD applies); no plan document
 
 **Architectural:**