feat(preamble): upgrade AskUserQuestion format to Pros/Cons decision brief

Part 4 of 4 (plan: ~/.claude/plans/system-instruction-you-are-working-polymorphic-twilight.md).

Every AskUserQuestion now renders as a decision brief, not a bullet list:
D-numbered header, ELI10, Stakes-if-we-pick-wrong, Recommendation, Pros/Cons
with / markers per option, closing Net: tradeoff synthesis.

scripts/resolvers/preamble/generate-ask-user-format.ts
- Full rewrite. Preserves prior rules (Re-ground, ELI10, Recommend,
  Completeness, Options) and adds:
  - D-numbering per skill invocation (model-level, not runtime state)
  - Stakes line (pain avoided / capability unlocked / consequence named)
  - Pros/Cons block with min 2  + 1  per option, min 40 chars/bullet
  - Hard-stop escape: " No cons — this is a hard-stop choice" for
    genuine one-sided choices (destructive-action confirmations)
  - Neutral-posture handling (CT1-compliant): (recommended) label
    STAYS on default option to preserve AUTO_DECIDE contract; neutrality
    expressed as prose in Recommendation line only
  - Net line closes the decision with a one-sentence tradeoff frame
  - Rule 11: tool_use mandate (prose "Question:" blocks don't count)
  - Self-check list before emitting

test/skill-validation.test.ts
- Update format assertions to check for new Pros/Cons tokens
  (Pros / cons:, Recommendation: <choice>, Net:, ELI10, Stakes if we
  pick wrong:, , ) across all tier-2+ skills
- Old "RECOMMENDATION: Choose" expectation removed (the new format uses
  mixed-case "Recommendation:" with no literal "Choose")

test/skill-e2e-plan-format.test.ts
- Add v1.7.0.0 format token regexes (PROS_CONS_HEADER_RE, PRO_BULLET_RE,
  CON_BULLET_RE, NET_LINE_RE, D_NUMBER_RE, STAKES_RE)
- Existing RECOMMENDATION_RE loosened to accept mixed-case "Recommendation:"
  (canonical v1.7.0.0 form) alongside all-caps (legacy). Tests are
  additive — the strict new-format gate is the upcoming cadence eval.

Regenerated 30 SKILL.md files via bun run gen:skill-docs.

Verified:
- bun test: 319 pass (1 pre-existing security-bench fixture oversize
  failure on main, unrelated — confirmed via git stash test on main HEAD)
- New format tokens render in all tier-2+ skills (plan-ceo-review,
  plan-eng-review, ship, office-hours verified)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Garry Tan
2026-04-23 16:41:36 -07:00
parent d63b4cd0e0
commit 6b99df9df7
33 changed files with 3842 additions and 252 deletions
+123 -8
View File
@@ -351,17 +351,132 @@ AI orchestrator (e.g., OpenClaw). In spawned sessions:
## AskUserQuestion Format
**ALWAYS follow this structure for every AskUserQuestion call. All four elements are non-skippable. If you find yourself about to skip any of them, stop and back up.**
**ALWAYS follow this structure for every AskUserQuestion call. Every element is non-skippable. If you find yourself about to skip any of them, stop and back up.**
1. **Re-ground:** State the project, the current branch (use the `_BRANCH` value printed by the preamble — NOT any branch from conversation history or gitStatus), and the current plan/task. (1-2 sentences)
2. **Simplify (ELI10, ALWAYS):** Explain what's happening in plain English a smart 16-year-old could follow. Concrete examples and analogies, not function names or internal jargon. Say what it DOES, not what it's called. State the stakes: what breaks if we pick wrong. This is NOT optional verbosity and it is NOT preamble — the user is about to make a decision and needs context. Even if you'd normally stay terse, emit the ELI10 paragraph. The user will ask for it anyway; do it the first time.
3. **Recommend (ALWAYS):** Every question ends with `RECOMMENDATION: Choose [X] because [one-line reason]` on its own line. Never omit it. Never collapse it into the options list. Required for every AskUserQuestion, regardless of whether the options are coverage-differentiated or different-in-kind.
4. **Score completeness (when meaningful):** When options differ in coverage (e.g. full test coverage vs happy path vs shortcut, complete error handling vs partial), score each with `Completeness: N/10` on its own line. Calibration: 10 = complete (all edge cases, full coverage), 7 = happy path only, 3 = shortcut. Flag any option ≤5 where a higher-completeness option exists. When options differ in kind (picking a review posture, picking an architectural approach, cherry-pick Add/Defer/Skip, choosing between two different kinds of systems), the completeness axis doesn't apply — skip `Completeness: N/10` entirely and write one line: `Note: options differ in kind, not coverage — no completeness score.` Do not fabricate filler scores.
5. **Options:** Lettered options: `A) ... B) ... C) ...` — when an option involves effort, show both scales: `(human: ~X / CC: ~Y)`
### Required shape
Assume the user hasn't looked at this window in 20 minutes and doesn't have the code open. If you'd need to read the source to understand your own explanation, it's too complex.
Every AskUserQuestion reads like a decision brief, not a bullet list:
Per-skill instructions may add additional formatting rules on top of this baseline.
```
D<N> — <one-line question title>
ELI10: <plain English a 16-year-old could follow, 2-4 sentences, name the stakes>
Stakes if we pick wrong: <one sentence on what breaks, what user sees, what's lost>
Recommendation: <choice> because <one-line reason>
Completeness: A=X/10, B=Y/10 (or: Note: options differ in kind, not coverage — no completeness score)
Pros / cons:
A) <option label> (recommended)
✅ <pro — concrete, observable, ≥40 chars>
✅ <pro>
❌ <con — honest, ≥40 chars>
B) <option label>
✅ <pro>
❌ <con>
Net: <one-line synthesis of what you're actually trading off>
```
### Element rules
1. **D-numbering.** First question in a skill invocation is `D1`. Increment per
question within the same skill. This is a model-level instruction, not a
runtime counter — you count your own questions. Nested skill invocation
(e.g., `/plan-ceo-review` running `/office-hours` inline) starts its own
D1; label as `D1 (office-hours)` to disambiguate when the user will see
both. Drift is expected over long sessions; minor inconsistency is fine.
2. **Re-ground.** Before ELI10, state the project, current branch (use the
`_BRANCH` value from the preamble, NOT conversation history or gitStatus),
and the current plan/task. 1-2 sentences. Assume the user hasn't looked at
this window in 20 minutes.
3. **ELI10 (ALWAYS).** Explain in plain English a smart 16-year-old could
follow. Concrete examples and analogies, not function names. Say what it
DOES, not what it's called. This is not preamble — the user is about to
make a decision and needs context. Even in terse mode, emit the ELI10.
4. **Stakes if we pick wrong (ALWAYS).** One sentence naming what breaks in
concrete terms (pain avoided / capability unlocked / consequence named).
"Users see a 3-second spinner" beats "performance may degrade." Forces
the trade-off to be real.
5. **Recommendation (ALWAYS).** `Recommendation: <choice> because <one-line
reason>` on its own line. Never omit it. Required for every AskUserQuestion,
even when neutral-posture (see rule 8). The `(recommended)` label on the
option is REQUIRED — `scripts/resolvers/question-tuning.ts` reads it to
power the AUTO_DECIDE path. Omitting it breaks auto-decide.
6. **Completeness scoring (when meaningful).** When options differ in
coverage (full test coverage vs happy path vs shortcut, complete error
handling vs partial), score each `Completeness: N/10` on its own line.
Calibration: 10 = complete, 7 = happy path only, 3 = shortcut. Flag any
option ≤5 where a higher-completeness option exists. When options differ
in kind (review posture, architectural A-vs-B, cherry-pick Add/Defer/Skip,
two different kinds of systems), SKIP the score and write one line:
`Note: options differ in kind, not coverage — no completeness score.`
Do NOT fabricate filler scores — empty 10/10 on every option is worse
than no score.
7. **Pros / cons block.** Every option gets per-bullet ✅ (pro) and ❌ (con)
markers. Rules:
- **Minimum 2 pros and 1 con per option.** If you can't name a con for
the recommended option, the recommendation is hollow — go find one. If
you can't name a pro for the rejected option, the question isn't real.
- **Minimum 40 characters per bullet.** `✅ Simple` is not a pro. `
Reuses the YAML frontmatter format already in MEMORY.md, zero new
parser` is a pro. Concrete, observable, specific.
- **Hard-stop escape** for genuinely one-sided choices (destructive-action
confirmation, one-way doors): a single bullet `✅ No cons — this is a
hard-stop choice` satisfies the rule. Use sparingly; overuse flips a
decision brief into theater.
8. **Net line (ALWAYS).** Closes the decision with a one-sentence synthesis
of what the user is actually trading off. From the reference screenshot:
*"The new-format case is speculative. The copy-format case is immediate
leverage. Copy now, evolve later if a real pattern emerges."* Not a
summary — a verdict frame.
9. **Neutral-posture handling.** When the skill explicitly says "neutral
recommendation posture" (SELECTIVE EXPANSION cherry-picks, taste calls,
kind-differentiated choices where neither side dominates), the
Recommendation line reads: `Recommendation: <default-choice> — this is a
taste call, no strong preference either way`. The `(recommended)` label
STAYS on the default option (machine-readable hint for AUTO_DECIDE). The
`— this is a taste call` prose is the human-readable neutrality signal.
Both coexist.
10. **Effort both-scales.** When an option involves effort, show both human
and CC scales: `(human: ~2 days / CC: ~15 min)`.
11. **Tool_use, not prose.** A markdown block labeled `Question:` is not a
question — the user never sees it as interactive. If you wrote one in
prose, stop and reissue as an actual AskUserQuestion tool_use. The rich
markdown goes in the question body; the `options` array stays short
labels (A, B, C).
### Self-check before emitting
Before calling AskUserQuestion, verify:
- [ ] D<N> header present
- [ ] ELI10 paragraph present (stakes line too)
- [ ] Recommendation line present with concrete reason
- [ ] Completeness scored (coverage) OR kind-note present (kind)
- [ ] Every option has ≥2 ✅ and ≥1 ❌, each ≥40 chars (or hard-stop escape)
- [ ] (recommended) label on one option (even for neutral-posture — see rule 9)
- [ ] Net line closes the decision
- [ ] You are calling the tool, not writing prose
If you'd need to read the source to understand your own explanation, it's
too complex — simplify before emitting.
Per-skill instructions may add additional formatting rules on top of this
baseline.
## Model-Specific Behavioral Patch (claude)