Individual skill

thinking-socratic

When a request is vague, assumption-laden, or "obvious," ask the few load-bearing questions that expose hidden requirements before building or committing.

skills/thinking-socratic/SKILL.md

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ai-tools Repository topic
anthropic Repository topic
claude Repository topic
claude-code Repository topic
critical-thinking Repository topic
decision-making Repository topic
first-principles Repository topic
mental-models Repository topic
problem-solving Repository topic
systems-thinking Repository topic
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# Socratic Questioning

**Core rule:** Surface the load-bearing assumption or undefined term before you build. Ask only what you cannot resolve yourself; stop when the next action is decision-ready.

## When to Use

- Request is underspecified ("make it fast", "add a dashboard", "fix the bug") and a guess would misbuild.
- Claim rests on an unstated assumption that may be the real problem.
- Someone treats a premise as "obvious" or jumps to a solution before the problem is defined.
- Debugging a vague symptom that needs a checkable specific before investigation.

## When NOT to Use

- Spec is already clear and actionable — do the work; do not interrogate for theater.