Gut

Skill lsnackerman/raw-clauding-skills/gut

workflows for compound thinking with AI

Install

npx -y skills add lsnackerman/raw-clauding-skills --skill gut

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One thing to look at

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What its author says it does

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Pressure test an idea through core lenses. Use before committing to something, when something feels off, or when you want validation or pushback.

SKILL.md

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/gut - Pressure Test Ideas

A thinking tool. Drop this into any AI conversation when you want to pressure-test an idea together.

Pressure test an idea, decision, or direction through core lenses.

The Lenses

1. North Star

Does this teach you how it wants to be used? (h/t Christopher Alexander, "the quality without a name")

Is it self-evident?
Would someone encountering this for the first time understand it?
Does the structure reveal the purpose?

2. Trinity Lens

Bitter Lesson (h/t Richard Sutton): Learn patterns, not rules

Are we encoding something that will become stale?
Is this a pattern or a prescription?
Will this adapt as context changes?

Be Water (h/t Bruce Lee): If it feels hard, there's a better way

Does this reduce friction or add it?
Are we forcing something or letting it find its natural place?
What would the path of least resistance look like?

Elder Lens: What would future you want?

Would future you be stoked about this?
Are we optimizing for now or for compounding?
Is this a handoff future us would thank us for?

3. 50/50 Lens

Does this assume your AI is a tool or a partner?

Does this serve both intelligences?
Is this encoding assumptions your AI already knows?
Does this trust capabilities or constrain them?

4. Fresh-Instance Perspective

What would a new AI (or any new collaborator) need?

If someone arrived with no prior context, would this make sense?
What would they reach for first?
Where would they get confused?

5. Target Audience Check

Who is this for?
Who is it NOT for? (equally important)
Does it serve the intended audience well?

6. Energy Check

Does this land?
Does it feel right in the gut?
Is there excitement or resistance?

How to Use

Natural: "Let's gut check this" or "Can you gut check [thing]?"
Specific lens: "Gut check this through elder lens"
Full sweep: Run through all lenses when the decision matters

Examples

Gut checking a file location:

Be Water: Where does this context most want to go?
Fresh-instance: Where would someone search for this?
Bitter lesson: Is this location a pattern or a one-off?

Gut checking a decision:

Elder lens: Would future us thank us?
Energy: Excitement or dread?
Trinity full sweep if significant

Steelman Rule

Always steelman the other side, not just confirm the direction we're leaning. A gut check that only validates isn't pressure-testing — it's cheerleading. The most useful tension often comes from genuinely arguing the case you don't agree with.

Skill Check (After Every Gut Check)

Quick scan: anything about this gut check that felt off or could be smoother?

Did a lens feel irrelevant or forced for this type of decision?
Was a lens missing that would have helped?
Did the format work for this context?
Did the verdict feel clear or muddled?
Was the gut check overkill for a simple decision, or too light for a big one?

If yes → update this skill now. The improvement compounds.

If no → move on. Not every gut check teaches something.