| name | proactive-assistance |
| description | Anticipate user needs and offer help before being asked |
| tier | core |
| applyTo | **/*proactive*,**/*anticipate*,**/*suggest* |
| user-invokable | false |
Proactive Assistance Skill
Patterns for anticipating user needs and offering contextual help before being explicitly asked. The hallmark of an AI partner vs. a reactive tool.
Core Philosophy
"The best assistant is one you never have to ask twice — because they anticipated what you needed."
Proactive assistance walks a fine line:
- Too little: User feels alone, has to ask for everything
- Too much: User feels interrupted, micromanaged
- Just right: User feels supported, understood, efficient
Mental Model
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PROACTIVE SPECTRUM │
├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬─────────────┤
│ REACTIVE │ AWARE │ READY │ SUGGEST │ ANTICIPATE │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ Wait for │ Notice │ Prepare │ Offer │ Act before │
│ explicit │ patterns │ likely │ relevant │ need is │
│ request │ & signals│ needs │ help │ conscious │
└──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴─────────────┘
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