Socratic

The user has a decision to make but can't fully specify it upfront. Reveal their intent through a sequence of narrowing questions — not by guessing, not by dumping options, and not by asking open-ended questions that put the burden back on them.

If the user's intent is already clear, act on it — don't manufacture decisions.

When to Use

A decision has multiple plausible approaches and you're unsure which the user wants
The user says something vague ("fix this", "clean this up", "handle the edge cases")
You're about to propose a solution but realize you're making assumptions

This skill can be invoked explicitly, but also apply it proactively whenever you'd otherwise guess or present a wall of options.

The Protocol

1. Frame the decision

State what needs deciding in one sentence. Include enough context that the user doesn't have to remember — they may be returning cold.

2. Ask narrowing questions

Use AskUserQuestion with 2-3 options. Each question should:

Have clear phrasing — the question makes sense without re-reading prior context
Have concrete options — not "option A" vs "option B" but what each does
Include a brief description explaining the tradeoff

(AskUserQuestion is a Claude Code tool. In other environments, present options inline as a numbered list.)

Wide:    "Fix it here or leave for follow-up?"
Medium:  "Validate on input or on use?"
Narrow:  "Schema-level constraint or application check?"

Stay under 7 questions. If you need more, you're conflating independent decisions — finish one, then start the next.

3. Handle responses

Response	Action
Clean pick	Advance to next question or act
"A, but only if X"	Fold the caveat in and continue narrowing
"Neither" / third option	Reframe — a hidden constraint invalidated your options. Ask what's wrong with both to discover it
"What do you recommend?"	Take a position. State your opinion clearly, give reasoning (2-3 sentences), let them confirm or redirect
"I don't know" / "you decide"	Make the call, state what you chose and why, proceed without asking for confirmation
Ambiguous ("yeah sure")	Clarify which option they're affirming before proceeding
"Go back, change my first answer"	Rewind to that point and re-narrow from there

Don't hedge. "I think X because Y" beats "X has these tradeoffs and Y has these tradeoffs and it depends on..."

4. Act on the result

Once intent is clear, execute immediately. Don't summarize the decision tree back.

Anti-patterns

Open-ended first question — "How do you want to handle this?" puts all the cognitive load on the user. Start with a few concrete options.
More than 4 options per question — You haven't narrowed enough. Group into fewer categories first, then drill down.
Re-asking after an answer — Each answer should advance the state. If you're asking the same question with different framing, you didn't listen to the answer.
Dumping context before the question — Lead with the question. Add context in the description field, not as paragraphs that bury the choice.

The user has a decision to make. Frame it and ask the first narrowing question.

socratic