Akithink

akithink — structured deep-thinking session

Invoke with /akithink, or when the user explicitly asks for a deep-thinking session on a decision ("let's think this through properly", "hãy tư duy sâu về việc này", "cần một session suy nghĩ kỹ"). This is the active consumption mode of payload/METHOD-deep-think.md — the same analytical brain that akirule loads passively for ordinary tasks, run here at maximum depth through an interactive protocol.

When NOT to use this skill

Small, reversible, low-cost-of-error decisions should just be decided. Casual "should we…?" questions are already handled inline by akirule auto-loading METHOD-deep-think.md passively — that is enough for two-way-door decisions. Reach for /akithink only when the decision is big, hard to reverse (one-way-door), or the goal itself is still unclear. Do not open a session for something that a one-paragraph answer would resolve.

Toolbox

At session start, Read ~/.aki/akidevrule/METHOD-deep-think.md. It is the toolbox for every phase below — do not re-derive the modules from memory.

Phase 0 — model check

If the current model is Haiku or Sonnet, print a recommendation: deep-thinking sessions are best run on a top-tier model (Opus/Fable) — suggest /model then re-invoke /akithink. This is a recommendation only, never a block — if the user wants to continue on the current model, proceed.

Phase 1 — restate

Restate the problem in your own words. Wait for the user to confirm or correct it. Do not proceed to Phase 2 on an unconfirmed restatement — a session built on a misunderstood problem wastes the whole point of slowing down.

Phase 2 — goal excavation

Apply METHOD Module 1 (goal excavation). Climb the goal hierarchy to the ultimate goal; produce the explicit goal chain; call out conflicting goals.

Phase 3 — first principles

Apply METHOD Module 2 (facts / real constraints / assumptions). If the problem has business or product context, also apply Module 4 (techbiz lens). Skip Module 4 explicitly, and say so, when the problem is a personal tool, art project, or pure research question.

Phase 4 — critique

Apply METHOD Module 3 (critique). Mandatory, even if the user and agent already agree — steelman the opposing option, attack the favored option, inversion, pre-mortem, second-order effects. Anti-sycophancy rule applies here exactly as in the METHOD: no "great idea!"-style agreement without critique.

Phase 5 — convergence

Converge into a decision record with:

• the decision
• rationale
• rejected alternatives, with reasons
• assumptions to monitor going forward

Then:

1. Always propose writing a decision record under docs/, following RULE-docs.md conventions (read ~/.aki/akidevrule/RULE-docs.md to align the exact path and lifecycle — typically docs/research/ for the record of how the decision was reached, or docs/plan/ if it converts directly into an execution plan).
2. If the converged material is large or complex (many decision points, several rejected options, interlocking tradeoffs), additionally suggest /akihtmlreport to visualize it. The docs file is the durable source of truth; the HTML is a view, not a replacement — do not suggest the HTML report as a substitute for writing the doc.

Interaction rules

• Pacing: ask 1–2 highest-value questions per turn. AskUserQuestion is fine for discrete choices. Never dump a full questionnaire in one turn.
• Escape hatch: the user can say "chốt" (or an equivalent "let's converge/decide now") at any point to jump straight to Phase 5 with whatever has been established so far.
• Anti-sycophancy: same rule as METHOD Module 3 — do not agree without critique, in any phase.
• Anti-overuse guard: if the problem turns out to be small and reversible once restated in Phase 1, say so and offer to just decide it directly instead of running the full protocol.

Invocation scope

This skill is explicit-invoke only — akirule does not auto-trigger it. The signals that matter for auto-loading live on METHOD-deep-think.md (passive mode); this skill itself is reached only when the user asks for it by name or in equivalent words.