Skill Catalog

Pick the question, then the method

There are seventeen skills: the epistemic usage guide and sixteen methods. The groups below match the method map on How the Pieces Fit and only make the list easier to scan. You can use any method on its own, in any order.

Start with the usage guide

Method	The question it helps answer	What you get back
Epistemic	How do I use this suite on this task?	The agent loads the instructions that apply and tells you briefly what each method added

Frame the question

Method	The question it helps answer	What you get back
Metacognate	Is our reasoning aimed at the right outcome?	A corrected assumption, a better check, a clearer statement of confidence, or a note that the approach holds
Recon	What are we missing about this task before we start?	A corrected brief, a map of the decisions ahead, or a record of what an outside project could offer
Resolve	What kind of evidence could settle this question?	An answer or a named limit, worked out by reasoning, found in published research, or tested with a small throwaway probe
Open Questions	Which decisions belong to the user?	An interview, then a list of what was decided, deferred, dropped, or is still on hold

Examine a decision

Method	The question it helps answer	What you get back
Perspective	What does one focused angle show, such as whether this can be undone?	A supported finding or improvement, a confirmation that the approach is adequate, or a named gap in the evidence
Gauntlet	Does an important decision hold up when several separate reviews examine it?	GO, CONDITIONAL, or NO-GO, with disagreements kept and the limits of the review stated

Verify an outcome

Method	The question it helps answer	What you get back
Health	What state is the system in right now?	OK, WARN, CRITICAL, or UNKNOWN for each thing checked, with what was seen
Triage	What caused this failure?	A verdict (cause found, narrowed, unknown, or not broken) with the observation that tells the explanations apart
Did It Land	Did the change take effect where it is used?	LANDED, REVERTED, or UNVERIFIED, for the place and time that were checked
Watch	Who will notice if a limit is crossed after this session ends?	A record of where the watch stands. It is marked PROVEN only after a running check has sent a safe test alert through the real path to the person who agreed to receive it
Evidence-Locked UAT	Does what the user sees and does meet criteria set before testing? (UAT is user acceptance testing.)	An acceptance result tied to what was observed, with what was left out

Carry work forward

Method	The question it helps answer	What you get back
Write Goal	What counts as done, and can your agent's app track it as a goal?	A written definition of done; a goal is switched on only when you allow it
Decision Ledger	Can the next session find this reasoning and recheck it?	One record the next session can use, reusing an existing one when it is enough
Manifest	Does this long job need a formal record that survives interruptions?	A mission record the next session can resume from; only someone other than the agent that did the work can accept it as done
Outsource	Can another agent or tool pick this up without this chat?	A fixed handoff packet it can work from, a check of whatever comes back, or — when ownership itself moves — a recorded acceptance and a completed handover
Context Audit	Are the agent's loaded instructions conflicting or stale?	A list of conflicts or duplicates and a proposed fix you can review

For close calls between similar methods, see How the Pieces Fit. For worked examples, see Workflow Recipes.