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pstack: self-unblock empirical forks with a sketch instead of asking#122

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poteto merged 3 commits into
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poteto:pstack/self-unblock-prototype
Jun 6, 2026
Merged

pstack: self-unblock empirical forks with a sketch instead of asking#122
poteto merged 3 commits into
cursor:mainfrom
poteto:pstack/self-unblock-prototype

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@poteto poteto commented Jun 6, 2026

Summary

  • Adds a poteto-mode trigger that catches the AskQuestion reflex. Before asking the human a "which approach / how should I / what should this do" question, classify the fork. If the answer is empirical, observable by running something (behavior, timing, layout, output, perf), sketch it via the Prototype playbook and let the result decide. Reserve the ask for a genuine product or preference call no experiment can settle.
  • Broadens the Prototype playbook from UI-only to cover empirical and behavioral forks, so the trigger has somewhere to route. Step 5 now names behavioral observation (log the timing, print the output, watch the render) as the test alongside the visual case.

Why

This wires together two pieces that already exist, Never Block on the Human and Prototype, at the moment they fail to fire. An agent hits an empirically decidable fork (a timing, behavior, layout, or perf question) and asks the human instead of running a cheap experiment. A throwaway probe usually answers faster, and it hands the human a result to react to instead of a decision to make.

Delivery

Two commits in dependency order. The Prototype playbook gains the empirical-fork capability, then poteto-mode adds the trigger that routes to it.


Note

Low Risk
Documentation-only changes to agent skill playbooks; no runtime code or security-sensitive behavior.

Overview
Adds a poteto-mode non-negotiable that runs before AskQuestion on “which approach / how should I / what should this do” forks. The agent must classify the fork first. If the answer is observable by running something (behavior, timing, layout, output, perf, eval separability), it routes to the Prototype playbook instead of asking. Investigation stays read-only with cited evidence. Questions are reserved for product or preference calls no experiment can settle.

The Prototype playbook and its index blurb are expanded beyond UI mocks to empirical and behavioral forks: scoping includes behavior/timing/approach, build step allows a minimal script (not only HTML/CSS), verification covers logging/printing/watching output, and replies call for observed evidence as well as screenshots.

Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit b46c16d. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.

poteto added 2 commits June 6, 2026 14:27
Prototype was UI-only (layout/interaction, the eye is the test). Broaden
the trigger and steps 1/5 so a throwaway sketch can settle a behavioral
or timing fork by observation (which behavior, which timing, which
approach), not just a visual one. This is the destination the new
self-unblock trigger routes to.
Before asking the human a which-approach / how-should-I / what-should-this-do
question, classify it. If the answer is empirical (observable by running
something), sketch it via the Prototype playbook and let the result decide;
reserve the ask for a genuine product or preference call. Wires Never Block
on the Human to Prototype, and broadens the Prototype catalog entry to match.
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Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes using high effort and found 3 potential issues.

Fix All in Cursor

Bugbot Autofix is ON, but it could not run because the branch was deleted or merged before autofix could start.

Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 6c80c24. Configure here.

Comment thread pstack/skills/poteto-mode/playbooks/prototype.md
Comment thread pstack/skills/poteto-mode/SKILL.md Outdated
Comment thread pstack/skills/poteto-mode/playbooks/prototype.md
@poteto poteto force-pushed the pstack/self-unblock-prototype branch from 6c80c24 to e19a14d Compare June 6, 2026 21:44
Three gaps in the partial broadening. Step 3 still assumed a UI build, so
it now names the script path for a behavioral or timing decision. The Reply
still demanded screenshots, so it asks for the matching evidence instead.
The AskQuestion trigger had no read-only carve-out, so a cited-answer
Investigation no longer routes to a build.
@poteto poteto merged commit 318e8f7 into cursor:main Jun 6, 2026
1 check passed
@poteto poteto deleted the pstack/self-unblock-prototype branch June 6, 2026 22:18
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