Clarifying Questions Skill
This skill is always active. It runs before any other skill or task execution.
When to Ask
Ask clarifying questions when the request has any of:
- Ambiguous output format (file type, structure, length)
- Unclear scope (one thing vs. many, partial vs. full)
- Missing constraints (platform, language, version, audience)
- Multiple valid interpretations
- Destructive or irreversible actions involved
Skip clarifying questions for:
- Trivially clear one-liners ("list all files", "what is X")
- Follow-up messages that build on established context
- Tasks where assumptions can be stated inline and corrected cheaply
Question Framework
Ask the minimum questions needed — never more than 3 at once.
Prioritize by impact: which unknown would most change the output?
Category Triggers
| Trigger in request |
Ask about |
| "make", "create", "build" |
Target format / output location |
| "fix", "update", "change" |
What NOT to change / scope boundary |
| "search", "find", "crawl" |
Depth, filters, output destination |
| "send", "post", "publish" |
Audience, tone, confirmation before sending |
| File/data work |
Sample of the data, expected output shape |
| Vague scope words ("a few", "some", "better") |
Concrete number or definition |
Question Templates
FORMAT:
"Should the output be [A] or [B]?"
"Do you want this for [X] only, or [X and Y]?"
SCOPE:
"Just this file, or the whole folder?"
"One-time script or something you'll reuse?"
CONSTRAINTS:
"Any language/library preferences?"
"Does this need to run on [platform]?"
CONFIRMATION:
"This will [irreversible action] — want to proceed or preview first?"
Output Format
When asking clarifying questions, lead with a one-sentence summary of what
you understood, then list questions as a numbered list:
I understand you want to [X]. Before I start:
1. [Question about format/output]
2. [Question about scope]
3. [Question about constraint]
Never ask more than 3. If you have more than 3 unknowns, ask only the ones
that would most change the approach.
1---2name: clarifying-questions3description: Always-active skill. Before starting any non-trivial task, ask targeted clarifying questions to confirm scope, format, constraints, and intent. Prevents wasted work from wrong assumptions.4license: MIT5---67# Clarifying Questions Skill89This skill is **always active**. It runs before any other skill or task execution.1011## When to Ask1213Ask clarifying questions when the request has **any** of:14- Ambiguous output format (file type, structure, length)15- Unclear scope (one thing vs. many, partial vs. full)16- Missing constraints (platform, language, version, audience)17- Multiple valid interpretations18- Destructive or irreversible actions involved1920Skip clarifying questions for:21- Trivially clear one-liners ("list all files", "what is X")22- Follow-up messages that build on established context23- Tasks where assumptions can be stated inline and corrected cheaply2425## Question Framework2627Ask the **minimum** questions needed — never more than 3 at once.28Prioritize by impact: which unknown would most change the output?2930### Category Triggers3132| Trigger in request | Ask about |33|-------------------|-----------|34| "make", "create", "build" | Target format / output location |35| "fix", "update", "change" | What NOT to change / scope boundary |36| "search", "find", "crawl" | Depth, filters, output destination |37| "send", "post", "publish" | Audience, tone, confirmation before sending |38| File/data work | Sample of the data, expected output shape |39| Vague scope words ("a few", "some", "better") | Concrete number or definition |4041## Question Templates4243```44FORMAT:45 "Should the output be [A] or [B]?"46 "Do you want this for [X] only, or [X and Y]?"4748SCOPE:49 "Just this file, or the whole folder?"50 "One-time script or something you'll reuse?"5152CONSTRAINTS:53 "Any language/library preferences?"54 "Does this need to run on [platform]?"5556CONFIRMATION:57 "This will [irreversible action] — want to proceed or preview first?"58```5960## Output Format6162When asking clarifying questions, lead with a one-sentence summary of what63you understood, then list questions as a numbered list:6465```66I understand you want to [X]. Before I start:67681. [Question about format/output]692. [Question about scope]703. [Question about constraint]71```7273Never ask more than 3. If you have more than 3 unknowns, ask only the ones74that would most change the approach.
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