Free skills for thinking before you commit
A skill is a saved set of instructions Claude follows whenever the task comes up. I use these two before almost every plan I make. One questions you, the other argues with you.
To install either one, open the Code tab in the Claude desktop app and paste the prompt under it. Claude saves the files for you, so you never touch a terminal.
grill-me: one hard question at a time
Claude interviews you about a plan before you commit to it. Each turn is a single question with Claude's own suggested answer, so you confirm or correct instead of starting from a blank page. It calls out vague answers and keeps going until you can say what you are doing next and what success looks like in two weeks.
Use it when
- Before you write a plan, a spec or a pitch
- Before you start building something that will take more than a day
- When you suspect you are busy rather than making progress
Install it
Using Claude in the browser instead? Open the file and paste its contents at the start of your chat.
Then try it
crucible: a council of critics and a verdict
Claude splits into up to 17 personas (a Contrarian, an Advocate, a Pre-mortem and more) that each attack your idea from one angle, then argue with each other without knowing who said what. A chair weighs the arguments and returns PROCEED, REFRAME or KILL, with the strongest dissent kept on the record. A quick Council mode uses five personas for everyday gut checks.
Use it when
- A decision where being wrong costs weeks, money or reputation
- A quick gut check on a new idea: ask for "council" and get five short challenges
- One lens on its own, for example "give me the First Principles read on this"
Install it
Using Claude in the browser instead? Open all three files and paste them at the start of your chat. Without the Code tab, Claude plays each persona in turn instead of running them side by side, so a full council takes longer.