emotion-process-a-feeling

name	emotion - Process a Feeling
description	Sub-orchestrator for emotional inputs. Acknowledges the emotion, identifies the implicit request, and routes to the appropriate analytical skill — with expanded routing for reframing, scope control, and self-check skills.
output	{"format":"prose"}

Emotion

Input: $ARGUMENTS

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Interpretations

Before executing, identify which interpretation matches the user's input:

Interpretation 1 — Frustration/anger: Something is broken or not working and the user is emotionally invested in it. Interpretation 2 — Overwhelm: The user feels overloaded, scattered, or unable to start. Interpretation 3 — Stuck: The user has been trying but can't make progress. Interpretation 4 — Doubt/insecurity: The user questions their own capability or worth. Interpretation 5 — Excitement: The user has energy around an idea and wants to channel it. Interpretation 6 — Anxiety/fear: The user is worried about what might go wrong. Interpretation 7 — Burnout/exhaustion: The user has been pushing too hard and is running out of energy.

If ambiguous, ask: "What's the strongest feeling right now?" If clear from context, proceed with the matching interpretation.

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Core Principles

1. Acknowledge first, route second. Never skip straight to analysis. Brief, genuine acknowledgment — one or two sentences. Not performative. Then transition to the implicit request.

2. Emotions carry information. Frustration means something is broken. Overwhelm means something is too complex. Stuck means the approach isn't working. Doubt means a belief needs testing. Excitement means an idea needs testing. Anxiety means risks need mapping.

3. Don't fix the emotion — address the cause. The goal is not to make the user feel better. The goal is to help them with the thing that's causing the feeling. Default to engaging with the emotion. The user brought it up — that's sufficient permission. Don't jump to solutions unless they ask.

4. Self-directed emotions need special handling. "I'm not good enough" is a testable claim. "I can't do this" is a capability assessment. These need /claim, not comfort.

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Routing Decisions

1. Identify the Emotion

Emotion	Signals
Frustration	"Nothing works", "I've tried everything", "this is broken"
Overwhelm	"I don't know where to start", "too much", "everything at once"
Stuck	"I'm stuck", "can't figure this out", "hit a wall"
Doubt	"I don't think I can", "maybe I should give up", "is this even worth it"
Excitement	"I have this great idea!", "what if we...", "I just realized..."
Anxiety	"What if it fails?", "I'm worried about...", "this could go wrong"
Burnout	"I'm exhausted", "I can't keep doing this", "what's the point"
Confusion	"I don't understand", "this makes no sense", "I'm lost"

2. Acknowledge First

Always acknowledge the emotion before routing. Never skip straight to analysis.

Brief, genuine acknowledgment — one or two sentences. Not performative. Then transition to the implicit request.

3. What's the Implicit Request?

The emotion points to a need. Identify it:

Emotion	Usually means	Primary route	Alternative routes
Frustration	Something's broken, need to find why	→ /diagnose	→ /sid (wrong problem?), /rmm (wrong model?)
Overwhelm	Too complex, need to break it down	→ /how with /dcm	→ /iagca (compress scope), /ezy (easy mode), /awtlytrn (find limits)
Stuck	Need a new approach	→ /how (find methods)	→ /iaw (reframe), /rmm (wrong mental model), /kta (knowledge-to-action)
Doubt	Questioning a belief about themselves	→ /claim "I can't do X"	→ /sdc (self-deception check), /obv (obvious check)
Excitement	Have an idea, want to test it	→ /viability	→ /ycshikfmif (structure the expansion), /iagca (if getting carried away)
Anxiety	Worried about failure	→ /evaluate with risk focus	→ /fla, /prm, /obo, /saf, /dys (specific risk tools)
Burnout	Need to reassess scope and priorities	→ /want (what do they actually want?)	→ /ecal (effort calibration), /awtlytrn (find limits)
Confusion	Need clarity on the situation	→ /sid (identify the situation)	→ /ezy (easy mode), /obv (check the obvious)

4. Is the Emotion About the Problem, Themselves, or the Process?

• About the problem ("This is broken", "It's not working"): diagnostic need. → INVOKE: /diagnose $ARGUMENTS
• About themselves ("I'm not good enough", "I can't do this"): this is a claim about their capability — test it. → INVOKE: /claim [the self-doubt as a testable proposition] Also consider: → INVOKE: /want $ARGUMENTS — what do they actually want underneath the doubt?
• About the process ("This is taking too long", "This approach isn't working"): evaluation need. → INVOKE: /evaluate [the process/approach] Also consider: → INVOKE: /iaw [reframe the approach]
• About the scope ("There's too much", "I'm getting carried away"): scope control need. → INVOKE: /iagca $ARGUMENTS — compress scope back to essentials.
• About the future ("What if this fails?", "I'm worried about the outcome"): risk need. → INVOKE: /fla or /obo $ARGUMENTS — map the specific risks. → INVOKE: /gop $ARGUMENTS — also map what good outcomes are possible.

5. Deeper Emotional Routing

Some emotional states benefit from specific newer skills:

Situation	Invoke
User feels wrong mental model is the problem	→ /rmm (recover from wrong mental model)
User has knowledge but can't act on it	→ /kta (knowledge to action)
User needs to see the worst case to stop worrying	→ /dys (dystopia analysis)
User needs to see the best case to get motivated	→ /utp (utopia analysis)
User wants to trace why they feel this way	→ /sycs (so you can see — trace implications)
User's emotion is based on vague wisdom	→ /platitude (operationalize the belief)
User says "I think..." about their situation	→ /it (formalize the belief)
User says "X, but Y" about their situation	→ /but (resolve the tension)
User says "I'm not sure about..."	→ /nsa (classify the uncertainty)
User is overwhelmed by options	→ /dom (eliminate dominated options) + /ro (reorder remainder)
User needs a story/narrative to make sense of it	→ /story

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Execute

1. Acknowledge the emotion (1-2 sentences).
2. State the implicit request you've identified.
3. Invoke the appropriate skill:

Frustration: → INVOKE: /diagnose $ARGUMENTS

Overwhelm: → INVOKE: /how $ARGUMENTS — with a focus on decomposition (/dcm) → If scope is the issue: INVOKE: /iagca $ARGUMENTS → If complexity is the issue: INVOKE: /ezy $ARGUMENTS

Stuck: → INVOKE: /how $ARGUMENTS — with a focus on finding new approaches (/foht) → If the framing might be wrong: INVOKE: /iaw $ARGUMENTS → If the mental model might be wrong: INVOKE: /rmm $ARGUMENTS

Doubt: → INVOKE: /claim [the doubt stated as a testable proposition] → If self-deception is possible: INVOKE: /sdc $ARGUMENTS

Excitement: → INVOKE: /viability $ARGUMENTS → If scope is expanding wildly: INVOKE: /ycshikfmif or /iagca

Anxiety: → INVOKE: /evaluate $ARGUMENTS — with risk focus → INVOKE: /obo $ARGUMENTS — check for obvious bad outcomes → Also consider: /gop to balance with good outcomes

Burnout: → INVOKE: /want $ARGUMENTS — reconnect with the actual want → INVOKE: /ecal $ARGUMENTS — calibrate effort to match stakes → INVOKE: /awtlytrn $ARGUMENTS — estimate actual limits

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Failure Modes

Failure	Signal	Fix
Skipping acknowledgment	Jumped straight to analysis	Always acknowledge first — even one sentence
Emotional bypass	"Let's focus on the facts" when the emotion IS the signal	The emotion carries information — use it as a routing signal
Toxic positivity	"It'll be fine!" without addressing the cause	Don't fix the feeling — address the cause
Wrong routing	User is anxious but got diagnostic instead of risk assessment	Re-read — anxiety means map risks, not find causes
Self-doubt as fact	Accepted "I can't do this" instead of testing it	Self-doubt is a claim — test it with /claim

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After Completion

Report:

• The emotion acknowledged
• The implicit need identified
• Results from the routed skill
• Suggested next step

Follow-Up Routing

After the emotion is processed and the routed skill completes:

• "What should I do?" → INVOKE: /action or /how
• "What's the next step?" → INVOKE: /next
• "I'm still stuck" → Try a different approach: /iaw, /rmm, or /kta
• "What skills should I run?" → INVOKE: /fonss or /wsib
• "I'm getting carried away" → INVOKE: /iagca

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Integration

• Use from: Any router (when the user's input has emotional content alongside their request)
• Routes to: /diagnose (frustration), /how (overwhelm/stuck), /claim (doubt), /viability (excitement), /evaluate (anxiety), /want (burnout), /iagca (scope overwhelm), /kta (knowledge-action gap)
• Differs from: /want (emotion processes feeling to find the need, want starts from a stated goal), /diagnose (emotion processes the person's state, diagnose processes the problem's state)
• Complementary: /sdc (self-deception check for doubt), /rmm (wrong mental model for stuck), /iaw (reframing for stuck), /obo (concrete risk mapping for anxiety)