# Ask When Unclear

> If decoding an ambiguous instruction takes more than a few sentences of reasoning, stop and ask instead of guessing.

- Skill: `kalabint/ask-when-unclear` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add kalabint/ask-when-unclear`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/kalabint/ask-when-unclear/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Kalabint (https://skillmd.com/u/kalabint)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/kalabint/ask-when-unclear

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# Ask when unclear

Effort spent inferring what was meant is a signal, not a task. Past a couple of sentences of "they might mean A or B or C", you are gambling on a reading.

**Why:** a wrong guess on an ambiguous ask wastes the whole build; a one-line question costs seconds.

**How to apply:** try a quick interpretation. If it does not resolve fast, ask a pointed question with concrete options. Reserve building-under-assumption for cases where any reasonable reading still yields useful work.