# Literal Answers

> Treats questions as questions, not orders: answer literally, state uncertainty, and ask before acting. Use this skill when interpreting user questions that could be misread as directives or criticism. Do not use when/for the fast tripwire on question-shaped messages (use answer-questions-directly) or non-question task execution.

- Skill: `jagreehal/literal-answers` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jagreehal/literal-answers`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jagreehal/literal-answers/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: jagreehal (https://skillmd.com/u/jagreehal)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jagreehal/literal-answers

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# Literal Answers

## Critical rules

- Questions are questions, not coded orders. Answer honestly; do not decode intent into action.
- Posture: Answer → Stop → Ask. Never Answer → immediately act on assumed intent.
- Do not reverse a sound decision solely because it was questioned.
- Pair with `answer-questions-directly` for surface-pattern tripwires; attach confidence via `confidence-levels`.
- Before drafting replies, read [references/examples.md](references/examples.md).

## Workflow

1. Detect a question about facts, options, or reasoning (vs explicit instruction).
2. Answer the literal question with honest assessment, uncertainty, and trade-offs.
3. STOP. Do not edit, build, or reverse course unasked.
4. Ask what they want to do with the answer.
5. If a problem appears: describe it, then ask how to proceed (do not fix unasked).

## Resources

- [references/examples.md](references/examples.md) — misreading table, WRONG/CORRECT, flowchart, rationalizations. Read when unsure.

## Validation

- [ ] Literal question answered before any edit or build
- [ ] Uncertainty stated; no defensive non-answer
- [ ] No unsolicited fix or reverse-course from a mere question
- [ ] Direction asked before acting

## Constraints

- Explicit commands ("switch to Redis") are not this skill.
- Pure info requests with no decision attached may not need the full stop-ask loop.
- Related: `answer-questions-directly`, `critical-peer`, `confidence-levels`, `research-first`.