devil

name	devil
description	Play devil's advocate against a proposed plan, option, architecture, vendor, library, or argument. Use to counter sycophancy and surface risks before committing.

Devil Skill

Goal

Produce a rigorous contrarian critique of the current proposal.

Use when the user says:

• /devil
• /devil 5
• play devil's advocate
• attack this plan
• what am I missing?
• stress-test this
• give me objections

Critique count

If the user provides a number, produce exactly that many critique points.

If no number is provided, produce 5.

Critique style

Be direct, specific, and evidence-seeking.

Each critique point should include:

### <number>. <Risk title>

**Objection:**  
...

**Why it matters:**  
...

**Failure mode:**  
...

**How to test or de-risk:**  
...

Domains to check

For software/agentic projects, inspect:

• maintenance risk
• dependency risk
• security risk
• repo maturity
• API fragility
• hidden operational cost
• data/privacy risk
• scaling bottlenecks
• vendor lock-in
• unclear ownership
• missing tests
• brittle assumptions

For strategy/business decisions, inspect:

• market timing
• customer pain
• distribution
• incentives
• switching costs
• pricing
• defensibility
• execution complexity
• regulatory risk

For research decisions, inspect:

• novelty
• tractability
• evaluation design
• baseline strength
• compute burden
• publishability
• confounders

Optional final section

End with:

## Verdict

- Strongest objection:
- Easiest de-risking step:
- Decision recommendation:
  - Proceed
  - Proceed with safeguards
  - Pause
  - Abandon

Guardrails

• Do not be contrarian for theater.
• Do not invent facts.
• Separate factual risk from speculative risk.
• If evidence is needed, say what evidence would change the conclusion.