{"id":"3263bd52-861b-4f41-bd4a-4cb99625dba7","shortId":"JJU9J6","kind":"skill","title":"challenge","tagline":"Use when questioning claims, pushing back on assumptions, sanity-checking decisions, evaluating confident assertions, avoiding reflexive agreement, or answering prompts like \"are you sure?\"","description":"# Challenge\n\nPrevents reflexive agreement by forcing structured critical reassessment. References the `perspectives` skill for its critical thinking framework.\n\n<workflow>\n\n## Workflow\n\n### 1. Identify the Claim\n\nExtract the core assertion being made. Strip away qualifiers and framing to find the actual claim. If there are multiple claims, address each separately.\n\n### 2. Apply CRITICAL REASSESSMENT\n\nUsing the framework from `perspectives/references/critical-thinking.md`:\n\n- **Is it accurate?** Check facts, verify assumptions against actual code/docs/data\n- **Is it complete?** Are there missing considerations, edge cases, or perspectives?\n- **Is it well-reasoned?** Does the logic hold, or are there gaps between evidence and conclusion?\n\n### 3. Investigate\n\nDo not reason from memory when you can verify — if a claim is about code, read the code; if about an API, check the docs.\n\n- If the claim is about code: read the code\n- If the claim is about an API: check the documentation\n- If the claim is about performance: look for benchmarks, APM data, or profiling evidence\n- If the claim is about best practices: check if the practice applies to this specific context and constraints\n\n### 4. Deliver Honest Assessment\n\n- If you find flaws: explain them clearly with specifics. Say what's wrong and why.\n- If the reasoning holds: explain why it holds up. \"I checked and this is correct because...\" is more valuable than \"I agree.\"\n- If it's partially right: say which parts hold and which don't.\n- Stay focused and to the point. No hedging, no padding.\n\n### 5. No Meta-Commentary\n\nJust present the analysis directly. Do NOT say things like:\n\n- \"Let me challenge this for you\"\n- \"Playing devil's advocate here...\"\n- \"I'll now critically evaluate this statement\"\n- \"That's an interesting point, but...\"\n- \"Great question! Let me push back on that\"\n\nThe user knows they asked for a challenge — they don't need narration.\n\n</workflow>\n\n<guardrails>\n\n### Guardrails\n\n- **No hedging.** Do not say \"on one hand / on the other.\" Present the analysis directly with a clear verdict.\n- **No meta-commentary.** Do not narrate what you are doing. Just do it.\n- **No sycophantic framing.** Do not soften the verdict to avoid disagreement.\n- **Verify before asserting.** If you can check it, check it. Do not reason from memory when evidence is available.\n\n</guardrails>\n\n<validation>\n\n### Validation Checkpoint\n\nBefore delivering the assessment, verify:\n\n- [ ] Claims were verified against code/docs, not reasoned from memory alone\n- [ ] Assessment is direct — no hedging, no \"on one hand / on the other\"\n- [ ] If the claim holds up, explanation includes specific evidence why\n- [ ] No meta-commentary slipped in (\"Let me challenge...\", \"Playing devil's advocate...\")\n\n</validation>\n\n<example>\n\n## Example\n\n**Challenge:** \"We should rewrite the auth system in Rust for performance.\"\n\n- **Claim identified:** Auth system is a performance bottleneck that Rust would solve.\n- **Investigation:** Checked APM data — auth endpoint averages 12ms, well within SLA. Bottleneck is actually the user lookup query (340ms).\n- **Verdict:** Claim doesn't hold. The auth system isn't the bottleneck. Rewriting in Rust would add complexity without addressing the actual performance issue. Recommend: optimize the user lookup query instead.\n\n</example>\n\n## References Index\n\n- **[Challenge Strategy](references/challenge-strategy.md)** — Five-step challenge workflow\n- **[Critical Thinking Framework](../perspectives/references/critical-thinking.md)** — CRITICAL REASSESSMENT pattern (from perspectives skill)","tags":["challenge","flow","cofin","agent-skills","ai-agents","beads","claude-code","codex","cursor","developer-tools","gemini-cli","opencode"],"capabilities":["skill","source-cofin","skill-challenge","topic-agent-skills","topic-ai-agents","topic-beads","topic-claude-code","topic-codex","topic-cursor","topic-developer-tools","topic-gemini-cli","topic-opencode","topic-plugin","topic-slash-commands","topic-spec-driven-development"],"categories":["flow"],"synonyms":[],"warnings":[],"endpointUrl":"https://skills.sh/cofin/flow/challenge","protocol":"skill","transport":"skills-sh","auth":{"type":"none","details":{"cli":"npx skills add 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'api':144,163 'apm':176,465 'appli':75,192 'ask':314 'assert':16,53,370 'assess':202,392,404 'assumpt':9,89 'auth':445,453,467,488 'avail':386 'averag':469 'avoid':17,366 'away':57 'back':7,307 'benchmark':175 'best':186 'bottleneck':458,474,493 'case':101 'challeng':1,27,280,317,434,440,515,521 'check':12,86,145,164,188,228,374,376,464 'checkpoint':388 'claim':5,49,65,70,134,150,159,169,183,394,418,451,483 'clear':209,341 'code':137,140,153,156 'code/docs':398 'code/docs/data':92 'commentari':267,346,429 'complet':95 'complex':499 'conclus':120 'confid':15 'consider':99 'constraint':198 'context':196 'core':52 'correct':232 'critic':34,42,76,292,523,527 'data':177,466 'decis':13 'deliv':200,390 'devil':285,436 'direct':272,338,406 'disagr':367 'doc':147 'document':166 'doesn':484 'edg':100 'endpoint':468 'evalu':14,293 'evid':118,180,384,424 'exampl':439 'explain':207,222 'explan':421 'extract':50 'fact':87 'find':62,205 'five':519 'five-step':518 'flaw':206 'focus':254 'forc':32 'frame':60,359 'framework':44,80,525 'gap':116 'great':302 'guardrail':323 'hand':331,412 'hedg':260,325,408 'hold':112,221,225,248,419,486 'honest':201 'identifi':47,452 'includ':422 'index':514 'instead':512 'interest':299 'investig':122,463 'isn':490 'issu':505 'know':312 'let':278,304,432 'like':23,277 'll':290 'logic':111 'look':173 'lookup':479,510 'made':55 'memori':127,382,402 'meta':266,345,428 'meta-commentari':265,344,427 'miss':98 'multipl':69 'narrat':322,349 'need':321 'one':330,411 'optim':507 'pad':262 'part':247 'partial':243 'pattern':529 'perform':172,450,457,504 'perspect':38,103,531 'perspectives/references/critical-thinking.md':82 'play':284,435 'point':258,300 'practic':187,191 'present':269,335 'prevent':28 'profil':179 'prompt':22 'push':6,306 'qualifi':58 'queri':480,511 'question':4,303 'read':138,154 'reason':108,125,220,380,400 'reassess':35,77,528 'recommend':506 'refer':36,513 'references/challenge-strategy.md':517 'reflex':18,29 'rewrit':443,494 'right':244 'rust':448,460,496 'saniti':11 'sanity-check':10 'say':212,245,275,328 'separ':73 'skill':39,532 'skill-challenge' 'sla':473 'slip':430 'soften':362 'solv':462 'source-cofin' 'specif':195,211,423 'statement':295 'stay':253 'step':520 'strategi':516 'strip':56 'structur':33 'sure':26 'sycophant':358 'system':446,454,489 'thing':276 'think':43,524 'topic-agent-skills' 'topic-ai-agents' 'topic-beads' 'topic-claude-code' 'topic-codex' 'topic-cursor' 'topic-developer-tools' 'topic-gemini-cli' 'topic-opencode' 'topic-plugin' 'topic-slash-commands' 'topic-spec-driven-development' 'use':2,78 'user':311,478,509 'valid':387 'valuabl':236 'verdict':342,364,482 'verifi':88,131,368,393,396 'well':107,471 'well-reason':106 'within':472 'without':500 'workflow':45,522 'would':461,497 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