| name | probe |
| description | Run a cheap, reversible real probe to ground a belief instead of hallucinating. Use when dreamer confidence is low or when you catch yourself guessing about repository state. |
| allowed-tools | Bash(git status:*) Bash(git diff:*) Bash(git log:*) Bash(git branch:*) Bash(ls:*) Bash(pwd:*) Bash(tsc --noEmit:*) Bash(npx tsc --noEmit:*) Bash(pytest --collect-only:*) Bash(pytest -q --collect-only:*) Bash(ruff check:*) Bash(eslint --no-fix:*) Bash(npm ls:*) Bash(node --version:*) Bash(python --version:*) Bash(python3 --version:*) Bash(which:*) |
World Models research observation: when the learned dynamics model (M)
is unreliable, prefer a cheap real probe over an imagined rollout. This
skill is that safety valve.
When to use /probe
- Dreamer confidence < 0.5 for a proposed action.
- You catch yourself guessing about a file's contents, a dependency
version, or a test count.
- A PostToolUse hook reported high surprise and you want to re-ground
before the next step.
- You are about to state a prediction you can't actually defend.
Cheap, reversible probes (pre-approved)
The following are side-effect-free (or trivially reversible) and are
pre-approved in this skill's allowlist:
| Intent | Probe |
|---|
| What changed locally? | git status, git diff, git log -5 --oneline |
| What branch am I on? | git branch --show-current |
| What's in this directory? | ls -la <path> |
| Type check without emit | tsc --noEmit |
| What tests exist? | pytest --collect-only -q |
| Are there lint errors? | ruff check <path>, eslint --no-fix <path> |
| Is this dep installed? | npm ls <pkg>, node --version, python --version |
| Is this tool on PATH? | which <cmd> |
Procedure
- State the one-sentence QUESTION you want grounded.
- Choose the MINIMUM probe that answers it. Smaller is better — a
probe is not a survey.
- Run it; read the actual output.
- Update your working belief (and, if this probe was prompted by a
prior surprise, consider
/reflect next).
What /probe is NOT for
- Anything that writes to the filesystem.
- Anything that installs packages or touches the network.
- Anything that takes more than a few seconds.
- "While I'm here, let me also check…" — keep it to the single grounded
question.
For everything else, use /predict then run the action normally.
Arguments
$ARGUMENTS — the question you want grounded, in one sentence.
Your response should:
- Restate the question.
- Choose and run the single minimum probe.
- Report the observed answer (ground truth), nothing more.
