p8tier-pick-8-tier

name	p8tier - Pick 8 Tier
description	Pick 8 skills from a specific tier. Maps user input to a tier level, filters the library, and returns a representative set. Standalone implementation of the TIER algorithm from /pick with N=8.
tier	tier4
categories	["Meta & Navigation"]
tags	["shortcut","pick","discovery","tier","quality"]
output	{"format":"prose"}

Pick 8 Tier

Input: $ARGUMENTS

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Core Principles

1. Tiers reflect maturity, not value. Tier1 skills are the most tested and reliable. Tier4 skills are specialized or new. A tier4 skill can be exactly right for a specific task that no tier1 skill covers. Tier communicates confidence level, not importance.

2. Tier names have synonyms. Users will say "core" (tier1), "important" (tier2), "domain" (tier3), "specialized" (tier4), "experimental," or "category." The matcher must handle all of these.

3. Eight skills per tier shows the tier's range. Each tier contains dozens of skills. Eight is enough to see the tier's breadth without listing everything. The 8 should represent the tier's diversity, not just its top-ranked skills.

4. Adjacent tier padding prevents empty results. Some tiers may have fewer than 8 skills. When this happens, pad from the adjacent tier (tier2 pads from tier1 or tier3) rather than returning a short list.

5. Tier context helps the user choose. The output should explain what this tier MEANS — what level of reliability, specialization, and depth the user can expect from skills in this tier.

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Phase 1: Tier Mapping

[A] USER_INPUT: [from $ARGUMENTS]

[B] TIER_MATCH:

Step 1: Map input to tier:
    "core" | "tier1" | "essential" | "fundamental" → tier1
    "important" | "tier2" | "key" | "recommended" → tier2
    "domain" | "tier3" | "specialized domain" | "field-specific" → tier3
    "specialized" | "tier4" | "niche" | "specific" → tier4
    "category" | "router" | "orchestrator" → category
    "experimental" | "new" | "beta" | "untested" → experimental

Step 2: If no match: fuzzy match against tier descriptions
    tier1: "Core foundational skills — most tested, most broadly applicable"
    tier2: "Important skills — well-tested, frequently useful"
    tier3: "Domain-specific skills — deep expertise in particular areas"
    tier4: "Specialized skills — narrow focus, specific use cases"
    category: "Router skills — classify input and route to other skills"
    experimental: "Experimental skills — new, unproven, potentially valuable"

Step 3: If still no match: list available tiers and ask

    MATCHED_TIER: [tier name]
    MATCH_CONFIDENCE: [exact / synonym / fuzzy]

---

Phase 2: Tier Profile

[C] TIER_PROFILE:

    Tier: [name]
    Description: [what this tier means]
    Total skills in tier: [N]
    Reliability expectation: [high / medium / low / unknown]
    Typical use: [when you'd specifically want this tier]

    Key characteristics:
        - Depth: [typical line count range]
        - Connectivity: [avg invokes + invoked_by]
        - Category spread: [how many categories represented]

---

Phase 3: Selection

[D] POOL:

Step 1: Filter skills.json to MATCHED_TIER
    Pool size: [N]

Step 2: IF pool >= 8:
    Rank within tier by:
        CONNECTIVITY: invokes + invoked_by count
        DEPTH: line_count (higher = more developed)
        BREADTH: number of categories + tags
        COMPOSITE = CONNECTIVITY × 2 + DEPTH + BREADTH

    Diversity enforcement:
        - No more than 2 skills from any single category
        - Swap if needed: replace lowest-scoring duplicate-category with highest-scoring uncovered-category

    Take top 8 after diversity enforcement

Step 3: IF pool < 8:
    Take all [N] from matched tier
    Remaining = 8 - N
    Pad from adjacent tier:
        tier1 → pad from tier2
        tier2 → pad from tier1 or tier3
        tier3 → pad from tier2 or tier4
        tier4 → pad from tier3
        category → pad from tier1
        experimental → pad from tier4
    Mark padded skills as "[from adjacent tier: X]"

[E] SELECTED: [8 skills with scores and sources]

---

Phase 4: Tier Landscape

[F] LANDSCAPE:

Step 1: Group the 8 picks by category
    [category]: /[id], /[id]
    [category]: /[id]
    ...

Step 2: Identify tier superstars:
    TOP_IN_TIER: /[id] — [why this is the tier's best skill]

Step 3: Identify underappreciated skills:
    UNDERRATED: /[id] — [why this deserves more attention]

Step 4: Tier comparison:
    How does this tier compare to adjacent tiers?
    - vs [higher tier]: [what this tier lacks / what it has that higher doesn't]
    - vs [lower tier]: [what this tier offers / what lower tier specializes in]

---

Phase 5: Output

ALGORITHM: TIER
TIER: [matched tier]
MATCH: "[user input]" → "[tier name]" (confidence: [exact/synonym/fuzzy])
POOL: [N skills in tier]
PICKED: 8

TIER OVERVIEW:
  [tier name]: [1-2 sentence description]
  Reliability: [high/medium/low/unknown]
  Total skills: [N]
  Best for: [when you'd want skills from this tier]

8 SKILLS FROM [TIER]:

  1. /[id] — [title] ★ [if top-in-tier]
     [1-line description]
     Category: [cat] | Connections: [N] | Lines: [N]

  2. /[id] — [title]
     [1-line description]
     Category: [cat] | Connections: [N] | Lines: [N]

  [continue to 8...]

  [if any padded:]
  Note: Skills [N-8] are from adjacent tier [name] — included to fill the set

TIER LANDSCAPE:
  Categories represented: [list with counts]
  Top skill: /[id] — [why]
  Underrated: /[id] — [why]

TIER COMPARISON:
  vs [higher tier]: [key differences]
  vs [lower tier]: [key differences]

EXPLORE MORE:
  All [N] skills in [tier]: /pick [N] tier [tier name]
  Adjacent tier: /p8tier [adjacent tier name]
  Cross-tier best: /p10useful

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Failure Modes

Failure	Signal	Fix
Failed tier match	User input doesn't map to any tier	List available tiers with descriptions
Category clustering	5+ picks from same category within the tier	Enforce 2-per-category cap
Padding not disclosed	Adjacent-tier skills mixed in without marking	Clearly mark "[from adjacent tier]" on padded picks
Tier bias in description	Lower tiers described as "worse" rather than "more specialized"	Frame each tier by its purpose, not its rank
No tier context	Skills listed without explaining what the tier means	Tier overview with reliability and use-case is mandatory
Ignoring connectivity	Skills ranked by line count only, missing hub skills	Connectivity should be weighted 2x in composite score

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Depth Scaling

Depth	Tier Mapping	Selection	Landscape
1x	Direct match only	Top 8 by connectivity	List only
2x	Synonym + fuzzy matching	Composite score + diversity enforcement	Top + underrated + tier comparison
4x	Full tier analysis with profile	Optimized selection with quality audit	Full landscape + cross-tier analysis
8x	Tier evolution analysis (how tiers relate historically)	Complete tier audit	Tier ecosystem map with promotion candidates

Default: 2x. These are floors.

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Pre-Completion Checklist

• User input mapped to a tier with confidence level
• Tier described with overview, reliability, and use-case
• Exactly 8 skills returned
• No more than 2 per category within the 8
• Adjacent-tier padding clearly marked if used
• Top-in-tier and underrated skills identified
• Tier comparison with adjacent tiers provided
• Path to explore more of the tier shown

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Integration

• Shortcut for: /pick 8 tier $ARGUMENTS
• Use when: You want to explore skills at a specific quality/maturity level
• Routes to: The 8 picked skills; /p8tier [adjacent] for comparison
• Related: /p7cat (filter by category instead), /p10useful (best across all tiers)
• Differs from /p7cat: cat filters by topic; tier filters by maturity level
• Differs from /p10useful: useful picks the best regardless of tier; tier constrains to one tier
• Differs from /p10diverse: diverse spans tiers and categories; tier focuses within one tier