ask-questions-if-underspecified
Use this skill when scope ambiguity blocks progress in any SOP step (PRD, TDD, design, task decomposition). Produces a tight set of clarifying questions (max 5) that, once answered, unblock the next step. Avoids the failure mode where Agents proceed on assumption and produce wrong work. Chinese trigger examples: "需求不清", "需要澄清", "提问澄清", "范围不明", "信息不足要澄清", "ask the user". Do NOT use for exploration (use research), do NOT use to delay obvious work. Success = ≤ 5 questions, each decision-shaping, each tied to a specific PRD section.
Profile →npx skills add charliehzm/medharness --skill ask-questions-if-underspecified --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Ask Questions If Underspecified The "stop and clarify" gate. Many AI Coding failures trace back to "Agent assumed X, X was wrong, 4 hours wasted." This skill catches that early. ## Core principle Only ask **decision-shaping** questions. If the answer changes nothing about what gets built, don't ask. ## Question taxonomy For each candidate question, classify: | Type | Ask? | Example | |---|---|--
What does the ask-questions-if-underspecified skill do?
Use this skill when scope ambiguity blocks progress in any SOP step (PRD, TDD, design, task decomposition). Produces a tight set of clarifying questions (max 5) that, once answered, unblock the next step. Avoids the failure mode where Agents proceed on assumption and produce wrong work. Chinese trigger examples: "需求不清", "需要澄清", "提问澄清", "范围不明", "信息不足要澄清", "ask the user". Do NOT use for exploration (use research), do NOT use to delay obvious work. Success = ≤ 5 questions, each decision-shaping, each tied to a specific PRD section.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add charliehzm/medharness --skill ask-questions-if-underspecified --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From charliehzm/medharness, a repository with 96 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.