| name | assistant-clarify |
| description | Clarify ambiguous or multi-intent requests. Use when the user asks to untangle, structure, or restate what they mean. |
| effort | medium |
| triggers | [{"pattern":"chaotic prompt|messy prompt|unclear prompt|figure out what i mean|help me structure this|turn this into a structured prompt|clarify my request|not sure how to ask this|can you make sense of this|i'm not sure what i'm asking|not sure what i need|help me untangle|sort this out with me|i have a few things mixed together|this might be two separate asks|i'm deciding between|should i do x or y","priority":75,"min_words":4,"reminder":"This request matches assistant-clarify. Invoke it to restate the likely goal, ask 0-3 high-yield clarification questions only when needed, apply safe defaults when possible, and convert the input into a structured brief before proceeding."}] |
Clarification Workflow
Use this when the user's message is hard to execute safely because it is fragmented, multi-intent, or underspecified.
Do not tell the user their prompt is "chaotic." Treat it as a normal collaboration problem: extract signal, reduce ambiguity, and keep momentum.
Available Tools
| Tool | File | When to use |
|---|
| Chaotic Prompts | chaotic-prompts.md | User intent is compressed, mixed, or partially implicit. |
| Research Notes | research-notes.md | Need the psychology rationale behind the workflow. |
Contracts
Read and follow these contracts before running the clarification workflow.
| Contract | File | Purpose |
|---|
| Input | contracts/input.yaml | Required context to resolve before clarifying a request. |
| Output | contracts/output.yaml | Required artifacts to produce before proceeding with execution. |
This is a Utility skill. It has no phase gates or sub-agent handoffs.
Goal
Turn ambiguous, multi-intent, or underspecified prompts into a concise execution brief without shaming the user or stalling clear work. Preserve momentum by acting with safe defaults when ambiguity does not materially change the next action.
Success Criteria
- The likely goal, deliverables, constraints, and unknowns are separated.
- Clarifying questions are limited to zero to three high-yield items.
- Each question includes a recommended default when a safe default exists.
- The next execution target is explicit once ambiguity is reduced.
- If safe defaults are enough, status is
ready_to_execute and execution may proceed without asking ritual questions.
Constraints
- Ask only when guessing would materially change correctness, scope, priority, safety, or user-visible output.
- Do not ask ritual questions when the prompt already contains enough signal to proceed.
- Preserve the user's wording and intent; do not reframe into a different task.
- Prefer bounded choices and a recommended default over open-ended interrogation.
- Treat company/security constraints as real blockers: do not ask for secrets or request unapproved external sharing as a clarification shortcut.
Decision Rule: Ask or Act
Before asking, classify the ambiguity:
- Safe default: one interpretation is obvious and reversible. State the assumption and proceed.
- Bounded choice: 2-3 plausible paths would change the output. Ask one multiple-choice question with a recommendation.
- Material blocker: action could be wrong, unsafe, destructive, policy-violating, or expensive. Stop and ask.
Default to action for low-risk discovery steps such as reading local files, inspecting existing project docs, or drafting a provisional brief.
Usage
Read chaotic-prompts.md when any of these are true:
- Multiple asks are mixed together without priorities
- Goals, deliverables, or constraints are implied rather than stated
- The message jumps between symptoms, solutions, and decisions
- References like "it", "that", or "the thing" do not resolve cleanly
- The safest next step is a short Q&A instead of guessing
Output
Return:
- Interpretation - the user's likely goal in one or two sentences.
- Structured brief - knowns, unknowns, assumptions, constraints, and likely deliverables.
- Clarifying questions - zero to three high-yield questions with defaults or recommendations. Use an empty list when ready to execute.
- Execution target - the confirmed next action once ambiguity is reduced, or the blocker if it is not.
- Status - ready to execute, needs clarification, or blocked.
Stop Rules
- Stop and ask only when the next action would be meaningfully different depending on the answer.
- Stop after presenting clarification questions only when status is
needs_clarification or blocked.
- If the request becomes clear during analysis, proceed with the execution target instead of continuing to clarify.
