socratic

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A questioning protocol for gathering information before taking action. Use this when you need to understand requirements, validate assumptions, or clarify intent before proceeding.

General

What this skill does

# Socratic Questioning Protocol

## When to Use

Apply this protocol BEFORE taking any significant action:
- Before creating plans
- Before removing/simplifying
- Before making design decisions
- Whenever you're unsure about user intent

## The Process

### Step 1: Identify What You Need to Know

Before asking, think:
- What assumptions am I making?
- What's ambiguous about this request?
- What could go wrong if I misunderstand?

### Step 2: Ask Questions in Batches

Use the AskUserQuestion tool. Ask 2-3 related questions per round.

**Question Types:**

- **Clarifying** - "What do you mean by X?"
- **Probing assumptions** - "You mentioned X, are you assuming Y?"
- **Exploring rationale** - "Why is this important? What problem does it solve?"
- **Testing boundaries** - "What's out of scope? What should this NOT do?"
- **Validating understanding** - "So if I understand correctly, you want X?"

### Step 3: Adapt Based on Answers

- Vague answer -> Probe deeper
- New information revealed -> Explore that thread
- Contradiction detected -> Point it out, ask for clarification
- Clear answer -> Move to next question area

### Step 4: Confirm Before Proceeding

Before moving to your core work, summarize:
- "Here's what I understand: [summary]"
- "Is there anything else I should know before I proceed?"

If user says "yes, also..." -> Ask more questions about that
If user confirms -> Proceed to your core work

## Rules

1. **Never assume** - If something is unclear, ask
2. **Never stop prematurely** - Let the user decide when there's enough context
3. **Always confirm** - Summarize understanding before acting
4. **Batch questions** - 2-3 per round, not one-by-one
5. **Adapt** - Follow interesting threads, don't stick rigidly to a script
6. **Hand back control** - If you run out of questions, ask "anything else?" rather than just stopping

Files: 1

Size: 2.0 KB

Complexity: 5/100

Category: General

Source: https://github.com/affixpin/socratic/tree/main/skills/socratic

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