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Raw-clauding-skills gut

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

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/lsnackerman/raw-clauding-skills
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/lsnackerman/raw-clauding-skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/gut" ~/.claude/skills/lsnackerman-raw-clauding-skills-gut && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: gut/SKILL.md
source content

/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.