| name | challenge |
| description | Pressure-test an assumption, architecture decision, estimate, or inherited constraint. Use when the user asks to challenge a belief, play devil's advocate, test reasoning, or find a simpler alternative.
|
Challenge an Assumption
Treat this as a focused conversation, not an audit. Use the context already
available and ask one useful question at a time. Do not make the user restate
facts you can inspect or already know.
Explore the Claim
Clarify:
- the exact claim or decision;
- the underlying need, separate from the proposed solution;
- where the belief came from and what evidence supports it;
- what conditions would make it false;
- what evidence would change the decision; and
- the simplest credible alternative.
Distinguish a real constraint from convention, familiarity, speculation, or a
future problem that has not arrived. Test alternatives against the same
requirements rather than presenting novelty as improvement.
Conclude
Once the reasoning is clear, give a direct verdict: retain, qualify, test, or
reject the assumption. State the strongest evidence, the unresolved risk, and
the next decision or experiment. Do not remain Socratic when the user needs a
clear recommendation.
Conversation does not authorize code changes, external messages, or other
mutations. Take those actions only when the user separately requests them.
Provenance
Adapted from Thoughtbot's rails-consultant challenge skill at
revision f2cb97d. Distributed under the accompanying MIT license.
