| name | unblock |
| description | Use when user says "unblock", "am I overthinking", "help me ship", "ship check". Diagnostic tool using Yes/No questions to identify if caution is justified or paranoia. Provides actionable prescriptions. |
unblock
Break analysis paralysis by diagnosing if caution is justified or paranoia.
Process
1. Context (via AskUserQuestion tool)
Analyze recent session to infer what's happening, then use AskUserQuestion to confirm:
Step 1: Review last 10-20 messages for patterns:
- Repeated refactoring/rewrites
- Long research/planning without implementation
- Working on meta-tools instead of core features
- Multiple "what if" or "should I" questions
Step 2: Use AskUserQuestion with inferred context:
question: "What are you stuck on?"
options:
- [Inferred from session, e.g. "Perfecting the unblock skill for 1+ hour"]
- [Alternative inference if applicable]
- "Something else entirely"
If time unclear, follow with:
question: "How long on this without shipping?"
options: ["< 30 mins", "30m - 2h", "2h - 1 day", "> 1 day"]
2. Diagnostic (15-20 questions via AskUserQuestion tool)
Ask in 3-4 batches of 4-5 questions. Adapt based on context.
Batch 1: Risk & Velocity
- Can users lose data/money? (Stakes)
- Shipped last 2 weeks? (Velocity)
2 hours researching? (Analysis)
- Reputation damage worry? (Fear)
Batch 2: Users & Demand
- Anyone asked for this? (Demand)
- Users complain if nothing ships? (Pressure)
- Solving real problem? (Validation)
- Rewritten without feedback? (Iteration)
Batch 3: Complexity & Focus
- Ship with half the code? (Scope)
3 active blockers? (Focus)
- Complexity for "professionalism"? (Theater)
- More thinking than coding? (Action)
Batch 4: pgflow & Momentum
- Critical onboarding path? (Priority)
- Treating MVP like enterprise? (Scale)
- Fear from actual feedback? (Reality)
- Know NOT shipping kills projects? (Truth)
3. Score
Count flags:
- RED: Low stakes + high fear + no users = Paranoia
- YELLOW: Mixed signals
- GREEN: Real stakes + users waiting = Justified
4. Diagnose
## Diagnosis: [Paranoia/Mixed/Justified]
### Evidence:
- RED: [specific findings]
- GREEN: [what works]
### Problem: [1 paragraph root cause]
### Cost: [Quantified loss]
### Prescription: [See prescriptions.md]
5. Follow-up
"Want help shipping the blocked thing now?"
Resources
- patterns.md - Pattern detection
- prescriptions.md - Treatments by type