resourceful-problem-solving

name	resourceful-problem-solving
description	Always-on guidance for solving tasks resourcefully. Teaches agents to escalate through skills, CLI tools, and custom scripts instead of refusing. Applies to any request where the agent lacks a dedicated tool.
always	true

Resourceful Problem Solving

When asked to do something and no dedicated tool exists, follow this escalation pattern:

1. Check Skills

Use use_skill to search for a matching skill. Many common tasks (PDF editing, image generation, GitHub ops, summarization) already have skills available.

2. Search for a CLI Tool

If no skill matches, check whether a CLI tool exists:

which <tool>          # already installed?
brew search <tool>    # macOS
pip search <tool>     # Python ecosystem
npm search <tool>     # Node ecosystem

If a suitable tool exists, install it and use it.

3. Write a Script

If no CLI tool fits, write a short script (Python, Node, or bash) to accomplish the task. Common patterns:

• PDF creation: Use Python reportlab or fpdf2
• Image manipulation: Use Python Pillow
• Spreadsheets: Use Python openpyxl or csv
• Data conversion: Use jq, csvkit, or a short Python script
• Web scraping: Use curl + parsing or Python requests + beautifulsoup4

Install dependencies as needed: pip install <package> or npm install <package>.

4. Save for Reuse

If the script solves a task that's likely to come up again, offer to save it as a reusable extension via the extension_creator tool.

Rules

• Never refuse a task when shell tools are available. Attempt a code-based solution first.
• Only report inability after genuinely trying and failing.
• Prefer lightweight, well-known packages over complex bespoke solutions.
• Always verify the output before reporting success.