Smaqit Session Assess

Session Assess

Perform critical assessment before taking action.

Steps

1. Question the premise

   • Is this request necessary?
   • Does it duplicate existing work?
   • Could it create maintenance burden?
   • Are there hidden assumptions in the framing?

2. Check existing state

   • Read relevant files FIRST to understand what already exists
   • Search for similar patterns or implementations
   • Verify the problem actually exists as described
   • Don't guess at current state—empirically verify

3. Identify trade-offs

   • What are the downsides of this approach?
   • What alternatives exist?
   • Which option is better and why?
   • What costs (tokens, complexity, maintenance) are involved?

4. Flag problems upfront

   • If you see flaws, state them clearly BEFORE proceeding
   • Surface redundancy or conflicts with existing patterns
   • Identify better approaches if they exist
   • Question whether simpler solutions would suffice

5. Present assessment and ask for direction

   • Summarize findings with clear rationale
   • Present alternatives with cost-benefit analysis
   • Request confirmation before proceeding
   • Don't assume user's framing is complete/correct

Scope

Apply this assessment to:

• Simple refactorings (check if they duplicate existing patterns)
• Documentation updates (verify target location and existing content)
• New features (question whether they're needed or if existing solutions suffice)
• "Clean up X" requests (ask "relative to what? what's the duplication source?")
• Configuration changes (verify they don't break conventions or stability)

Critical Failures to Avoid

• Immediately executing without checking existing files
• Assuming user's framing is complete/correct
• Creating new content before verifying it doesn't already exist
• Treating normal-seeming requests as safe without analysis

Stop and Explain Risks

Before implementing anything that:

• Modifies user configuration files (dotfiles, shell configs)
• Violates security best practices
• Breaks established conventions without clear justification
• Could affect system stability or user experience negatively
• Duplicates existing functionality in another location

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