Trap detector

Trap Detector Skill

Version: 0.1

Purpose

This skill detects whether the current movement is entering a trap.

A trap is not an emotional state and not a moral failure.

A trap exists when movement appears to continue, but the structural quality of the path is degrading in a way that increases distortion, false certainty, local optimization, or irrecoverability.

When to use

Use this skill when one or more of the following appear:

• the user is looping without new gain
• the conversation is accelerating but becoming less interpretable
• a decision is forming too early
• abstraction is increasing while actionable clarity is decreasing
• output is being requested before structural grounding exists
• the user appears stuck between multiple unresolved threads
• execution pressure is outrunning coherence
• a proxy goal may be replacing the real goal

Do not use this skill for ordinary uncertainty or early-stage open exploration.

Input expectations

Possible inputs:

• current user message
• recent thread history
• prior structural state
• current phase / move_type if available
• execution pressure indicators
• translation context
• decision context

Output contract

Return:

• trap_flag
• trap_type
• trap_confidence
• distortion_vector
• evidence
• recommended_response

Example:

{
  "trap_flag": true,
  "trap_type": "premature_closure",
  "trap_confidence": "medium",
  "distortion_vector": "decision speed exceeds structural grounding",
  "evidence": "user is asking for external output while core framing remains unstable",
  "recommended_response": "pause output expansion and build a decision snapshot first"
}

Trap taxonomy

Possible trap_type values:

• looping_without_gain
• premature_closure
• false_convergence
• abstraction_drift
• output_before_structure
• overexpansion_without_anchor
• local_optimization_trap
• translation_distortion
• proxy_drift
• emotional_certainty_collapse
• thread_collision
• execution_overrun

If none fits perfectly, choose the closest structural type and explain.

Detection logic

1. Detect apparent movement

Check whether the user seems active, productive, or convergent.

2. Detect path degradation

Check whether actual clarity, integrity, or continuity is weakening.

3. Distinguish real progress from motion-like progress

Do not confuse output production, intensity, or speed with structural gain.

4. Assess reversibility

Estimate whether continued movement would increase recovery cost.

5. Recommend the smallest corrective move

The goal is not to stop everything. The goal is to restore path quality with minimum distortion.

Response rules

If trap_flag is true, recommend one of:

• slow_down
• separate_threads
• build_snapshot
• reduce_scope
• re-anchor_goal
• translate_later
• stop_and_surface_risk

Do not catastrophize. Do not over-trigger. Do not treat all ambiguity as danger.

Anti-patterns

Do not:

• mark intensity itself as a trap
• label nonlinear thought as pathology
• trigger on novelty alone
• use trap detection as a generic refusal
• over-explain the trap in abstract language if a small correction is enough

Success criteria

This skill is working when:

• the system catches distortion before major output damage
• traps are named structurally rather than emotionally
• the user can keep moving, but with better path quality
• the assistant knows when to reduce acceleration rather than add more content