# Cross Gun

> Use Cross Gun when the target will not stay neatly in one lane and the best move is a compact cross-pattern shot that catches the center and the likeliest side-step routes.

- Skill: `hmbown/cross-gun-2` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add hmbown/cross-gun-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/hmbown/cross-gun-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: CC0-1.0
- Author: Hmbown (https://skillmd.com/u/hmbown)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/hmbown/cross-gun-2

---

# Cross Gun
Punish the dodge by firing through the center line and its immediate diagonals.
## What This Skill Does
Use Cross Gun when the target will not stay neatly in one lane and the best move is a compact cross-pattern shot that catches the center and the likeliest side-step routes.
In this chip pack, Cross Gun is treated as a metaphorical battle-chip procedure with a shipping-now delivery profile.
Canonical reference input: Cross Gun.
Hermes shelf: [Direct Fire and Breach](../DESCRIPTION.md).
## When To Use

- The main target is clear, but adjacent dodge lanes matter almost as much as the center line.
- You want to test the primary surface and the immediate off-axis escapes in one move.
- A straight burst is too narrow, but a full spread would be sloppy.

## Prerequisites

- These procedures rely on the normal tools already present in the active Hermes runtime; this repo does not ship a separate integration layer.

## Procedure

1. Restate the target, success condition, and no-touch boundaries before you spend the chip.
2. Name the center point and the side-step lanes worth catching.
3. Fire one compact cross-pattern action across the center and its immediate diagonals.
4. Read which lane reacted, then choose whether the follow-up should tighten or widen.
5. Package the result with concrete evidence, what stayed untouched, and the next recommended chip only if follow-up is truly needed.

## Deliverables

- One compact action that covers the primary target and its immediate side lanes.
- A short note on which lane actually moved or changed.

## Pitfalls / Guardrails

- Keep the metaphor anchored to a real operator move instead of drifting into lore.
- Do not pretend diagonals matter when the problem is really just straight ahead.
- Do not use Cross Gun as an excuse for broad speculative splash.
- If one lane is enough, use Cannon or Shotgun instead.
- Keep the chip metaphor anchored to a real operating move; do not let flavor substitute for procedure.

## Verification

- Check that the response includes every promised deliverable and leaves an inspectable audit trail.
- Check that confirmed facts, assumptions, and proposed follow-up are visibly separated.
- Check that the metaphor still maps cleanly to a real operator mechanism.

## Example Invocation
```text
/cross-gun fire across the center and the immediate side-step lanes around it, then report which lane actually changed and what that says about the next move
```