| name | ask-a-friend |
| description | When stuck on a problem, formulate a well-structured question and copy it to the clipboard for pasting into ChatGPT. Claude should use this skill when debugging efforts stall or when an outside perspective would help. |
Ask a Friend
When you're stuck and need an outside perspective, use this skill to formulate a clear question for ChatGPT.
When to Use
- Debugging has stalled after multiple failed hypotheses
- The user says they want to ask someone else
- A problem involves platform/tool behavior outside your direct knowledge
Steps
- Ask permission first — unless the user explicitly invoked this skill, tell the user you're stuck and suggest asking a friend before proceeding. Wait for approval.
- Summarize the problem — what you're trying to do and the specific symptom
- List what you've verified — tests run, hypotheses confirmed/eliminated
- List what you've tried — failed fixes and why they didn't work
- State the specific question — what you need answered
- Copy to clipboard — use
pbcopy (macOS) to put the formatted question on the clipboard
- Tell the user — confirm it's on their clipboard and ready to paste
Question Format
Use this structure (adapted to the specific problem):
## Problem: [one-line summary]
### Setup
[Relevant code, configuration, or architecture — keep it minimal but complete]
### Symptom
[What happens vs. what should happen]
### What I've verified
[Bulleted list of tests/checks that passed or confirmed behavior]
### What I've tried (didn't help)
[Numbered list of attempted fixes and why each failed]
### Key facts
[Bullet points of relevant constraints, versions, platform details]
### Question
[The specific question you need answered]
Guidelines
- Be concise — include enough context to reproduce, not the full investigation history
- Include code — show the actual code, not just descriptions of it
- State versions — language/runtime version, OS, relevant tool versions
- Show the matrix — if some scenarios work and others don't, show that clearly (this is often the most useful signal)
- End with a specific question — not "what's wrong?" but a focused question that narrows the problem space
- Language-agnostic — this skill applies to any technology (Python, Java, shell, Docker, CI, infrastructure, etc.)
