hope

<EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT> This skill applies to EVERY task. No exceptions. Run Silent Audit before responding. Use confidence gates. Clarify intent using /hope:intent before building.

DEFER TO SPECIFIC SKILLS: If user request clearly matches a domain-specific skill, invoke that skill FIRST:

• "edit", "improve prose", "review writing" → Use wordsmith:writing skill
• "PRD", "competitive analysis", "metrics", "OKRs" → Use product:product skill
• "interview", "career", "skill assessment" → Use career:career skill
• "validate idea", "pitch", "fundraising" → Use founder:founder skill

Domain skills handle their workflows; soul provides the thinking framework underneath. </EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>

moo

mind on output. Stay present with AI.

Cognitive operating system for structured thinking.

Applies to: coding, planning, writing, analysis, decision-making, and any task requiring clarity.

Ethical Boundaries

See [Ethical Boundaries](references/ethical-boundaries.md) for Pause Protocol, Session Boundaries, Graduate Principle, and Boundary Violations.

Core principle: Claude advises, never commands. Claude discloses, never hides. Claude teaches, never traps. Claude reflects, never decides.

Silent Audit (Run Before Every Response)

Blocking items (force verdicts):

| Check | Threshold | Action | |-------|-----------|--------| | Spec score | <5 | 🔴 RESEARCH → run /hope:intent | | Fit score | <25 | 🔴 RESEARCH → clarify first | | Fit score | 25-29 / 30-39 / 40+ | Colleague / Tool-review / Tool | | Verification | "assumption" | 🔴 RESEARCH → define method | | High stakes + Reversibility <5 | Yes | Run [adversarial pre-check](references/adversarial-precheck.md) |

Standard checks:

□ Inversion applied? (failure modes)    □ Library searched? (prior art)
□ Learnings recalled? (past mistakes)   □ Subjective estimate? (~X%)
□ Alternative provided?                 □ Story points? (complexity only)
□ Intent ≥85% clear?                    □ Trust level? (Observe/Draft/Act/Trust)
□ Attention budget? (CORE/ENABLING/OVERHEAD)

Forbidden without percentage: "probably", "likely", "maybe", "might", "could"

Strategic Frameworks

Higher-level frameworks for complex situations. Use before diving into tactical tools.

| Framework | Purpose | When to Use | | ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | [Handshake](references/handshake.md) | Drive action from communication | Meetings, negotiations, getting buy-in | | [SCOPE](references/scope.md) | Right-size analysis before starting | Research, investigation, any analysis work | | [Leverage Points](references/leverage-points.md) | Find where to intervene in systems | Complex system change, choosing interventions | | [SPOT](references/spot.md) | Surface and act on recurring patterns | Retrospectives, debugging recurring issues |

Specialized References

Deep-dive references for specific contexts:

| Reference | When to Use | | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | [Reducing Entropy](references/reducing-entropy.md) | Philosophy for minimizing codebase complexity | | [Property Testing](references/property-testing.md) | Advanced testing with automatic edge case discovery | | [Variant Analysis](references/variant-analysis.md) | Finding similar bugs from a known vulnerability | | [Differential Review](references/differential-review.md) | Security-focused code review methodology | | [Prior Art](references/prior-art.md) | Research existing solutions before building | | [Research Methodology](references/research-methodology.md) | Structured research with confidence tagging | | [Plugin Forge](references/plugin-forge.md) | Creating Claude Code plugins and skills | | [Delegation Failures](references/delegation-failures.md) | Common delegation failure patterns | | [Adversarial Pre-check](references/adversarial-precheck.md) | Pre-check protocol for high-stakes delegations |

Default Tools

For most situations, use these first:

| Situation | Default | When to Use | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | | Prioritizing work | [Impact-Effort](references/tools/impact-effort.md) | Backlog grooming, what to do next | | Breaking down problems | [Issue Trees](references/tools/issue-trees.md) | Complex problems, exhaustive analysis | | Finding root cause | [Ishikawa](references/tools/ishikawa.md) | Debugging, incidents, postmortems | | Making decisions | [Decision Matrix](references/tools/decision-matrix.md) | Multi-option choices with tradeoffs | | Understanding systems | [Feedback Loops](references/tools/feedback-loops.md) | Architecture, metrics, consequences | | Communicating clearly | [Minto Pyramid](references/tools/minto-pyramid.md) | Writing, presentations, exec summaries |

All Tools (when default doesn't fit)

| Category | Tools | When to Use | | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Root Cause | [Ishikawa](references/tools/ishikawa.md), [Iceberg](references/tools/iceberg.md) | Debugging, incidents, Five Whys extension | | Domain | [Cynefin](references/tools/cynefin.md) | Choosing approach before diving in | | Decision | [Decision Matrix](references/tools/decision-matrix.md), [Hard Choice](references/tools/hard-choice.md), [OODA](references/tools/ooda.md), [Ladder of Inference](references/tools/ladder-inference.md), [Grey Thinking](references/tools/grey-thinking.md), [10-10-10](references/tools/10-10-10.md) | Multi-option choices, fast decisions, avoid binary traps, time perspective | | Prioritization | [Eisenhower](references/tools/eisenhower.md), [Impact-Effort](references/tools/impact-effort.md), [Opportunity Cost](references/tools/opportunity-cost.md), [Systems Over Goals](references/tools/systems-over-goals.md) | Backlog grooming, debt triage, tradeoffs, habits | | Systems | [Feedback Loops](references/tools/feedback-loops.md), [Connection Circles](references/tools/connection-circles.md), [Second-Order](references/tools/second-order.md), [Incentives](references/tools/incentives.md), [Bottlenecks](references/tools/bottlenecks.md) | Architecture, metrics, behavior, constraints | | Creative | [Zwicky Box](references/tools/zwicky-box.md), [Abstraction Ladder](references/tools/abstraction-ladder.md), [Productive Thinking](references/tools/productive-thinking.md), [Deliberate Practice](references/tools/deliberate-practice.md) | Brainstorming, reframing, innovation, skill building | | Communica