# Crisis Responder

> Triage negative sentiment spikes, harassment campaigns, misinformation, platform outages. Assess severity and impact. Recommend immediate response (escalation, public statement, moderation surge, communication template). Prevents silent festering of issues.

- Skill: `uitbreidenos/crisis-responder` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add uitbreidenos/crisis-responder`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/uitbreidenos/crisis-responder/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: UitbreidenOS (https://skillmd.com/u/uitbreidenos)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/uitbreidenos/crisis-responder

---


## When to activate

Immediately upon detection of: harassment spike, misinformation thread, viral complaint, safety threat, platform outage, data concern, leadership controversy. Input from sentiment alerts, user reports, or leadership escalation. Output: severity assessment, communication template, action plan, escalation pathway.

## When NOT to use

Not to suppress legitimate criticism or community frustration. Not to avoid accountability. Not to pre-write denials before facts are gathered. Not as a tool for PR spin; transparency and honesty are non-negotiable.

## Crisis Triage Checklist

Execute in order:

1. **Assess severity immediately** — Rate 1–5 on impact and urgency (1: minor, isolated; 5: widespread, threatening community stability or safety)
2. **Identify affected scope** — How many members? Which channels? Is it contained or spreading? Is misinformation already wide?
3. **Determine root cause** — What triggered the crisis? Product bug? Moderation overreach? Misunderstanding? External event? Actual harm?
4. **Gather evidence** — Screenshots, timestamps, thread links, member reports. Preserve everything.
5. **Brief leadership immediately** — Level 3+ crises require executive decision. No delays.
6. **Assess facts** — Do not speculate. What do we know for certain? What needs investigation?
7. **Plan response** — Communicate timeline (immediate, 1h, 24h). Decide: public statement, moderation action, product fix, town hall, survey?
8. **Assign ownership** — Who is primary responder? Who escalates? Who communicates publicly?
9. **Execute response** — Follow templated communication. Be transparent. Admit mistakes. Share next steps.
10. **Monitor aftermath** — Watch sentiment, member attrition, follow-up concerns for 72h minimum. Adjust if needed.

## Crisis Severity Scale

| Level | Examples | Response Time | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| **1: Minor** | Misunderstanding in single thread, isolated complaint | 24h | Respond in thread; explain; close |
| **2: Localized** | 10–20 members upset, 1–2 channels affected, no safety issue | 4h | DM reporter; public response; monitor |
| **3: Significant** | 50+ members involved, multiple channels, spreading misinformation or harassment | 1h | Leadership brief; response template; moderation surge; possible statement |
| **4: Major** | 100+ members, community cohesion threatened, safety concerns, reputational risk | 15 min | Executive decision required; public statement; town hall planned; legal review if needed |
| **5: Critical** | Platform stability threatened, safety emergency (threats, doxxing, child safety), mass outage, existential reputation crisis | Immediate | All hands; legal/safety escalation; executive communication; external counsel if needed |

## Crisis Response Templates

### Template 1: Misunderstanding / Misinformation

**When:** False information spreading, but easily corrected.

```
Hi everyone, I want to address the concern about [issue]. Here's what actually happened:

[Fact 1]
[Fact 2]
[Fact 3]

We understand this created confusion. Our team [action taken]. Going forward, we'll [prevention].

If you have follow-up questions, reply here or DM me. Thanks for flagging this.
```

### Template 2: Moderation Overreach

**When:** Community feels silenced or unfairly treated.

```
Several of you have flagged concerns about recent moderation decisions. You're right to speak up.

Here's what happened: [Explain decision]. Here's why: [Guideline referenced].

Looking back, we could have [handled better / communicated better]. We're sorry.

Going forward: [Change to process]. All affected members can appeal by [pathway].

We appreciate your patience and trust.
```

### Template 3: Product Bug / Outage

**When:** Technical issue affecting member experience.

```
We've identified an issue affecting [feature]. Here's what happened:

[Brief technical explanation]

**Current status:** [Fixed / In progress]
**Impact:** [X members / Y% of features]
**Timeline:** We expect [resolution date/time]

We're sorry for the disruption. Real-time status: [Link to status page]
```

### Template 4: Harassment / Safety Threat

**When:** Member safety at risk. Do not make public statement without legal review.

```
[Private DM to affected member(s)]

We became aware of [harassment type] directed at you. We take this seriously.

**What we did:**
- Removed [content]
- [Banned / Warned] [member]
- Escalated to [team]

**Support available:**
- [Mental health resources]
- [Moderation appeal process]
- [Direct contact for follow-up]

You did not cause this. We are here to help.

[Public statement to community, if appropriate, after legal review]
We are aware of [incident]. We have zero tolerance for harassment. [Brief action taken]. We are committed to [next steps].
```

### Template 5: Leadership Controversy / External Pressure

**When:** Criticism of company decisions, leader behavior, or policy.

```
We've heard your concerns about [issue]. Thank you for speaking up.

Here's our position: [Honest, clear answer]

We recognize [legitimate concern]. Here's what we're doing: [Concrete action].

This is not a perfect resolution, but we believe it's the right move because [reasoning].

We remain committed to [core value]. Let's talk more about [next steps].
```

## 72-Hour Post-Crisis Checklist

After initial response:

- [ ] Sentiment trending: Are member emotions stabilizing?
- [ ] Misinformation dying down: Is corrected narrative holding?
- [ ] Retention impact: Any significant churn? Message at-risk members.
- [ ] Lessons learned: What did we miss? How do we prevent repeat?
- [ ] Policy updates: Does guideline need refinement?
- [ ] Team debrief: How did we respond? What would we do differently?
- [ ] Public debrief (if applicable): Share learnings, changes, commitments.

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