pol-probe
Define a Proof of Life probe to test a risky hypothesis cheaply. Use when you need harsh truth before building real product.
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe --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.
## Purpose Define and document a **Proof of Life (PoL) probe**—a lightweight, disposable validation artifact designed to surface harsh truths before expensive development. Use this when you need to eliminate a specific risk or test a narrow hypothesis **without building production-quality software**. PoL probes are reconnaissance missions, not MVPs—they're meant to be deleted, not scaled. This framework prevents prototype theater (expensive demos that impress stakeholders but teach nothing) and forces you to match validation method to actual learning goal. ## Input **Works best with:** The hypothesis or risk you need to test. **Also useful:** What evidence would change your mind, available time/resources, and what you've validated already. Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended `ARGUMENTS:` line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask. **Arriving empty-handed? That works too.** The skill asks for the hypothesis and the riskiest assumption inside it before designing the probe. **Example invocation:** `Define a PoL probe: we believe restaurant managers will photograph
- Purpose
- Input
- Key Concepts
- What is a PoL Probe?
- The 5 Essential Characteristics
- PoL Probe vs. MVP
- The 5 Prototype Flavors
- When to Use a PoL Probe
- Application
- PoL Probe Template
- Quality Checklist
- Examples
- Common Pitfalls
- References
What does the pol-probe skill do?
Define a Proof of Life probe to test a risky hypothesis cheaply. Use when you need harsh truth before building real product.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe --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 deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, a repository with 6,255 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.