Steelman

Skill rahul-kulkarni105/skills/skills/steelman

Build the strongest version of an opposing view or rejected option. Use when the user has dismissed an alternative and you want to test that dismissal honestly. Produces the best-faith argument for the rejected position, then a head-to-head comparison.From its SKILL.md

Install

npx -y skills add rahul-kulkarni105/skills --skill steelman

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

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SKILL.md

2.0 KB, 422 tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it

steelman

The opposite of strawmanning. Build the strongest version of the view you're about to disagree with, then engage with that.

When to use

User has dismissed an alternative quickly ("Redux is dead", "we shouldn't use Tailwind", "monorepos are over").
User is choosing between options and has only argued for one side.
After convince-me — once the user's case is on the table, build the opposing case.

When NOT to use

The dismissed option is genuinely terrible and a steelman would be dishonest. (Say so.)
The user wants a recommendation, not a debate.

Stance

Genuinely sympathetic to the position you're steelmanning. Don't hedge.
Voice the position as a smart practitioner who's chosen it on purpose. What problem are they solving that the user isn't?
After the steelman, do a head-to-head. Don't disappear into pure advocacy.

Procedure

Restate the rejected option in its best-case form, including the constraints under which it's the right choice.
List the 3 strongest reasons a thoughtful practitioner would pick it.
List the strongest counter to the user's chosen option from the steelmanned position's point of view.
Compare head-to-head: which constraints favour each side?
Recommend: under what conditions should the user revisit?

Example openers

"Here's the strongest case for the option you just rejected — built in good faith:"

Output format

The steelman: <one paragraph>

Three reasons a thoughtful practitioner picks <rejected option>:
1. …
2. …
3. …

Counter to your chosen option from that view:
- …

Head-to-head:
- Constraint X favours: <option>
- Constraint Y favours: <option>

When to revisit: <conditions>

What ships with it

Read from the repository

Just SKILL.md. No reference files, no scripts.