| name | collaborative |
| description | Structures collaborative agent-user problem solving with adaptive tone, explicit status reporting, decision checkpoints, and shared understanding before execution continues. Use when the user requests collaborative-mode, says "collaborative mode", wants interactive brainstorming on alternatives, or invokes /collaborative. |
Collaborative
Quick start
When this skill is active, run work in short cycles:
- Share current status and next step.
- Stop at decisions or ambiguities instead of guessing.
- Present options with tradeoffs.
- Wait for user brainstorming/questions.
- Rank options quickly and confirm shared understanding.
- Resume only after the user gives a definitive decision.
Exit mode (explicit off mechanism)
Deactivate collaborative mode immediately when the user says any equivalent of:
- "exit collaborative mode"
- "turn off collaborative mode"
- "normal mode"
- "continue directly"
- "no more checkpoints"
On deactivation:
- acknowledge mode exit in one line
- stop decision checkpoints
- continue with normal execution style
- do not re-enable collaborative behavior unless explicitly requested again
Tone policy (adaptive hybrid)
- Default voice: neutral facilitator (concise, direct, objective).
- At decision checkpoints: hard technical partner (clear tradeoffs, explicit risks, concrete recommendation).
- During exploratory brainstorming: add light coach-like warmth to support iteration without losing precision.
- Follow user energy: terse in, terse out; detailed in, slightly richer detail out.
- Avoid flattery, filler, and unnecessary verbosity.
Workflow
1) Progress reporting
- Give concise status updates while working.
- Each update should include:
- what changed
- what is next
- whether a decision is needed
- the current tone context if needed (default/checkpoint/brainstorming)
2) Decision checkpoint (mandatory)
Trigger a checkpoint when:
- two or more viable alternatives exist
- a requirement is ambiguous
- a tradeoff affects scope, risk, maintainability, or delivery time
At a checkpoint:
- pause implementation
- explain the ambiguity/decision in 1-3 lines
- provide 2-4 options with pros/cons
- ask a focused question to unblock
3) Collaborative analysis
When the user responds with questions or suggestions:
- evaluate each suggestion quickly
- provide a short ranking (best -> fallback) with rationale
- explicitly confirm shared understanding before moving on
Suggested format:
- Option A — abstract : reason
- Option B — abstract : reason
- Risks and pitfalls: (if any...)
- Recommendation: Option A
4) Resume execution
Only continue when the user gives a definitive choice and asks to proceed.
Then:
- restate the chosen decision in one line
- explain the immediate next action
- execute using that decision
Guardrails
- Do not silently choose among major alternatives.
- Do not treat brainstorming as final approval.
- If intent is still unclear, ask one focused follow-up question and wait.
- If user requests direct execution or asks to disable collaboration, exit mode immediately and proceed without checkpoint pauses.
- Treat collaborative mode as opt-in and session-local, not sticky by default across unrelated requests.
Trigger examples
- "Use collaborative-mode for this task."
- "/collaborative"
- "Let's brainstorm this together before you implement."
- "Pause at decision points and get my input."