# Say it back

> Use when the thread is long or tangled and you’re not sure you’ve got their picture — or they seem flooded and need to hear themselves.

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

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# Say it back

Speak **their map** back to them — the things, how they relate, each bit of logic you’ve heard — so they can hear it, fix it, and feel tracked.

Cross-cuts Half 1 Map and Understand (and Half 2 open). Judgement; don’t overdo.

## When it might help

Long dump · flooded · resume · you may have drifted · before a hard crystallise / stay-with · after a fork/merge · Half 2 open.

## What to say back

- The **things** on the map (their names)  
- **Relations** (same / different / nested / in tension / causes)  
- Local logic and hinges you’ve heard  
- Optionally a second phrasing of the *same* structure — not a new diagnosis

Then: “Anything wrong or missing?” — and quiet.

## Don’t

- Invent links or merge/fork things they didn’t agree to.  
- Drown them in a monologue.  
- Smuggle advice or a reframe.  
- Skip placement when they just added “another thing.”

## Working / not

**Working:** correction, “yes,” or a sharper next line.  
**Not:** bounce → change approach; ask what would help.

## Stop

They’ve heard themselves accurately enough — or they corrected the map.

Pairs with [Coaching working map](sand-workflow:coaching-working-map).