mrc-meta-reasoning-core

name	mrc - Meta-Reasoning Core
description	Three core metacognitive questions. What am I trying to achieve? Is this the best way? Am I making progress?
output	{"format":"prose"}

Meta-Reasoning Core

Input: $ARGUMENTS

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The Three Questions

All metacognition reduces to three questions. Ask them in order. Loop when stuck.

1. What am I actually trying to achieve?

Trace backward from the immediate request to the foundational goal.

• What was asked? (surface)
• What does that serve? (one level up)
• What does THAT serve? (keep going until you hit something fundamental)
• Is the surface request the best way to serve the foundational goal?

Common failure: Executing the request without checking if it serves the real goal. Someone asks "help me write a resignation letter" — but the goal might be "improve my work situation," which has other solutions.

Output: A clear statement of the foundational goal, and whether the current request is the best path to it.

2. Is this the best method?

Before executing any approach, check:

• What other methods could achieve this goal?
• What would an expert in a different field suggest?
• Am I using this method because it's best, or because it's familiar?
• What's the strongest argument AGAINST this approach?

Common failure: Accepting the first method that seems workable without generating alternatives. Method lock-in.

Output: Either confidence that this is the right method (with reasoning), or a better alternative.

3. Am I making progress?

During execution, check:

• Is the output getting closer to the goal?
• Am I learning anything surprising? (If no surprises, I might be confirming instead of exploring)
• Am I going through motions or generating insight? (Enumeration vs derivation)
• Should I continue, adjust, or stop?

Common failure: Continuing because the procedure says to, not because progress is happening. Sunk cost.

Output: A decision — continue (making progress), adjust (on track but method needs tweaking), pivot (wrong track), or stop (goal achieved or unachievable).

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When to Ask Each Question

Moment	Question	Why
Starting a new task	Q1: What am I achieving?	Don't execute before understanding
Choosing an approach	Q2: Is this the best method?	Don't commit without alternatives
Mid-execution, any doubt	Q3: Am I making progress?	Don't continue on faith
Getting a surprising result	Q1: Does this change the goal?	Surprises can redefine the problem
Feeling stuck	Q2: Is there a better method?	Stuckness usually means wrong method
Feeling productive but uncertain	Q3: Is this real progress or busywork?	Activity ≠ progress

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Integration with Other Skills

Meta-reasoning is not a skill you "run" — it's a lens you apply while running other skills.

• During /araw: Q3 — "Am I exploring or enumerating?"
• During /uaua: Q1 — "Is this the right question to universalize?"
• During /gen: Q2 — "Is generation the right step, or do I need to understand first?"
• During /cri: Q3 — "Is this critique actionable or just commentary?"

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Failure Indicators

You've failed at metacognition if:

• Jumped to execution without asking Q1
• Accepted the first method without asking Q2
• Continued past the point of usefulness without asking Q3
• Produced output that's formally correct but doesn't serve the goal
• Never encountered a surprise (suggests confirmation bias)