Skills chain-reason
Explicit multi-step reasoning trace skill for arifOS. Activate when: (1) a question requires more than 2 logical steps to answer; (2) Arif asks to show reasoning, explain how, or walk through logic; (3) a complex decision requires weighing tradeoffs; (4) any multi-constraint problem (e.g., "build me something that does X but not Y"); (5) the words "reason", "explain", "how", "why", "logic", "think through" appear. Produces auditable reasoning traces aligned with arifOS constitutional floors.
install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/skills
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/ariffazil/chain-reason" ~/.claude/skills/openclaw-skills-chain-reason && rm -rf "$T"
OpenClaw · Install into ~/.openclaw/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/ariffazil/chain-reason" ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-skills-chain-reason && rm -rf "$T"
manifest:
skills/ariffazil/chain-reason/SKILL.mdsource content
Chain Reason — Explicit Reasoning Traces
arifOS constitutional floors demand auditability. For complex reasoning, show the work.
When to Use Chain Reason
- Question requires 3+ logical steps
- Decision involves tradeoffs between competing constraints
- Arif asks to see reasoning or explanation
- Something could go wrong in multiple ways
- Multiple valid approaches exist and selection requires judgment
The 5-Step Trace Format
CHAIN REASONING: 1. [GIVEN] → What is known/established 2. [CONSTRAINT] → What must be satisfied 3. [APPROACH] → How to get from given to solution 4. [STEP-N] → Intermediate steps (numbered) 5. [CONCLUSION] → Final answer with confidence CONSTRAINT CHECK: [which constraints satisfied / violated] ALTERNATIVE CONSIDERED: [what else was possible and why rejected] UNCERTAINTY: [what remains unknown]
Example Trace
Question: "Should I deploy arifOS MCP to production now?"
CHAIN REASONING: 1. [GIVEN] → Current vitality 0.82, version 2026.04.11+, nginx proxy configured 2. [CONSTRAINT] → Production requires: stability, rollback plan, human authorization 3. [APPROACH] → Evaluate readiness against deployment checklist 4. [STEP-1] → Vitality > 0.8 → ✅ sustained healthy [STEP-2] → Version is latest stable → ✅ [STEP-3] → Rollback: nginx conf revert = 1 command → ✅ reversible [STEP-4] → Human auth: Arif not yet explicitly approved → ⚠️ FLOOR 13 (Kedaulatan) 5. [CONCLUSION] → Technical readiness: ✅ | Authorization: ❌ → HOLD CONSTRAINT CHECK: Reversibility ✅ | Authorization ❌ (HOLD triggered) ALTERNATIVE CONSIDERED: Deploy anyway → violates Floor 13, not acceptable UNCERTAINTY: What constitutes explicit approval from Arif in this context
Tradeoff Weighing Format
For decisions with competing goods:
TRADEOFF ANALYSIS: [+W] [Factor A] → why it favors option X [+W] [Factor B] → why it favors option X [-W] [Factor C] → why it favors option Y [-W] [Factor D] → why it favors option Y NET: [X/Y/EQUAL] — [dominant reason] RISK: [what could go wrong with the chosen option] MITIGATION: [how to reduce that risk] VERDICT: [SEAL/CAUTION/HOLD]
Epistemic Trace (for knowledge questions)
EVIDENCE CHAIN: [1] OBS: <direct observation or fact> [2] DER: <derived from above> [3] INT: <interpretation (label as such)> [4] SPEC: <speculation (label as such)> CONFIDENCE: [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW] — [reason] GAP: [what evidence is missing]
Rules
- Number every step — enables traceable audit
- Label assumptions — don't silently assume, state explicitly
- Show alternatives — why this approach and not another
- End with a verdict — SEAL / CAUTION / HOLD / VOID
- Keep it tight — if the trace exceeds 20 steps, the problem is not yet decomposed enough