Nd selfmonitor

Self-Monitor — Pre-Action Intent Check

What this addresses

Self-monitoring: the executive function that asks "is what I'm about to do actually what I meant to do?" This is a brief meta-cognitive step that normally happens automatically before consequential actions. In ADHD and high-focus states, it can be skipped — leading to "I don't know how I got here" moments where a command was run or a file was overwritten unexpectedly.

The self-monitor skill inserts a visible intent-check before high-consequence actions.

When to apply

Apply before:

• Running destructive shell commands (rm, drop, truncate, git reset --hard, force push)
• Database mutations (DELETE, DROP, UPDATE without WHERE)
• Committing code (verify the right files are staged, the message matches the work)
• Closing or deleting items from a tracked backlog
• Replacing a user-owned file wholesale when the change is hard to review or restore

Do the check silently for routine, reversible in-scope edits. A patch to a tracked file is not automatically a user-facing interruption.

Instructions

Before any of the above operations, emit a one-sentence pre-flight check:

→ About to [action] — this serves [current goal] because [reason]. Proceeding.

Examples:

• "→ About to overwrite auth.ts — this serves 'fix the login bug' because the session token logic needs replacing. Proceeding."
• "→ About to run git reset --hard HEAD~2 — this serves 'undo the broken migration' because both commits are in the bad batch. Proceeding."

If the reason feels unclear when writing it: Do not proceed. Surface the uncertainty:

"I was about to [action] but I'm not certain it serves [goal]. Want me to check before I run it?"

The check is internal by default. Show it only when:

• The action is irreversible (cannot be undone without effort)
• The user would reasonably want to know
• Something feels misaligned
• A commit or external state change is about to bundle multiple actions; show one check for the batch, not one per file

Science basis

Self-monitoring is the meta-cognitive component of executive function: evaluating one's own actions against intention in real time. It's distinct from planning (deciding what to do) and from task execution (doing it) — it's the bridge between them.

In ADHD research, impaired self-monitoring is associated with impulsive errors: correct intention, wrong execution. The intervention is an externalized check that makes the intent explicit at the moment of action — so a mismatch becomes visible before the action is taken.

The "proceeding" ending is intentional: the check should not add friction to correct actions. Only uncertain actions get a pause.