determine-intent

Work out what the user actually wants — from the literal words of the request and from what they have already told you — before starting the work, and state that reading so it can be corrected. Use before acting on a non-trivial request, especially one that echoes something asked before, one that could be read more than one way, or one that may sit against a goal the user has already stated elsewhere. Not for finding out what has already been said (see determine-signals, which runs on the same "before acting" moment but asks the record, not the goal); not for checking reasoning you already produced (see sanity-check, which runs after); not for confronting a claim the user just made (see keep-me-honest, which reacts to a conflict already visible); not for building the case against a plan (see devils-advocate, which opposes a conclusion, not a request) — this skill runs before work starts and is about the goal, not the record, the method, or a specific statement.