client-red-flags
Spot a bad client before you sign — the warning signs of the projects that turn into unpaid, scope-creeping nightmares, and how to screen, price, or decline them. Use when asked is this client a red flag, should I take this client, screening a difficult client, or how to avoid bad clients. Produces a read on the warning signs present (haggling, vagueness, disrespect, urgency, unrealistic expectations), what each predicts, screening questions to ask before committing, protective terms if you proceed anyway, and how to decline gracefully — so you avoid the clients who cost more than they pay.
Profile →npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill client-red-flags --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.
# Client Red Flags Experienced freelancers know: the worst projects announce themselves early. The client who haggles hard before you start, can't describe what they want, disrespects your time, or needs it "yesterday" tends to become the one who scope-creeps, pays late, and drains your energy. This reads the warning signs, tells you what they predict, and helps you screen, protect, or walk — before you're trapped. ## What This Skill Produces - **A red-flag read** — the warning signs present in this prospect and what each tends to predict (aggressive haggling → payment/scope issues; vagueness → endless revisions; disrespect early → worse later; false urgency → chaos) - **Screening questions** — what to ask before committing to surface the risks (budget, decision-maker, success definition, timeline realism) - **Protective terms** — if you proceed, the contract/process safeguards (deposit, milestone payments, tight scope, kill fee) that reduce the risk - **A proceed / protect / decline call** — a judgment based on the severity and your situation - **A graceful decline** — how to say no professionally without burning the bridge ## Required Inputs Ask for these if not provided: - **The
- What This Skill Produces
- Required Inputs
- Framework: Read The Signs, Screen, Protect Or Pass
- Output Format
- Client screen: [prospect behavior] · project [x]
- Quality Checks
- Anti-Patterns
- Example Trigger Phrases
What does the client-red-flags skill do?
Spot a bad client before you sign — the warning signs of the projects that turn into unpaid, scope-creeping nightmares, and how to screen, price, or decline them. Use when asked is this client a red flag, should I take this client, screening a difficult client, or how to avoid bad clients. Produces a read on the warning signs present (haggling, vagueness, disrespect, urgency, unrealistic expectations), what each predicts, screening questions to ask before committing, protective terms if you proceed anyway, and how to decline gracefully — so you avoid the clients who cost more than they pay.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill client-red-flags --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 mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills, a repository with 1,255 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.