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4x4

Pull 16 fast decisions out of the user with 4 sets of 4 open questions, then present an implementation plan. Only for risky changes, large product decisions, or large refactors. Run when the user types /4x4. Agents may suggest it in one line but never start it on their own.

Published by davidondrej ↗davidondrej/skills

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Clarify a large change through four question rounds

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/4x4 [risky change, large product decision or large refactor]. Use the current thread and only relevant scopes, ADRs and diff; do no research or subagent work. Ask four sets of four short open questions, one set at a time, choosing only unsettled decisions I must make and adapting later sets to my answers. Give no options or hints. After set four, present a concise plain-language implementation plan, noting conflicts and newly opened questions, then stop in chat until I say go.

Required inputs

  • [risky change, large product decision or large refactor]

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SKILL.md

name: 4x4description: 'Pull 16 fast decisions out of the user with 4 sets of 4 open questions, then present an implementation plan. Only for risky changes, large product decisions, or large refactors. Run when the user types /4x4. Agents may suggest it in one line but never start it on their own.'

4x4

Get the user's judgment, taste, and decisions in 4 quick rounds. 16 open questions. A full run should take them 2–3 minutes.

The 4 sets

These are defaults. Adapt their names and focus to pull the most judgment and taste out of the user for this topic.

  1. Product — what it does, who it's for, UI/UX, scope.
  2. Software design — architecture, data, boundaries, what to reuse or delete.
  3. Practical — execution order, rollout, what ships first.
  4. Edge cases — the 4 most likely ways this breaks or surprises users. Each question asks how to handle one.

Workflow

  1. Load context fast. Use what's already in the thread. Skim only the files and docs that matter (scopes, ADRs, the diff). No research, no subagents.
  2. Pick the order. Start with the set whose answers most change the others.
  3. Pick 4 questions per set. Choose the 4 decisions with the biggest impact that only the user can make. Never ask what the code, docs, or common sense already answer. Skip anything already decided.
  4. Show one set at a time. Never preview or list the other sets. Stop and wait. Show the next set only after the user answers.
  5. Adapt. Rewrite later sets based on earlier answers.
  6. Present the plan. After set 4, give plain step-by-step instructions to execute the work properly, built from the user's answers. Chat only. Then stop. Don't build or write docs until the user says go.

Message format

## Set 2/4 · Software design

1. Where should X live?

2. ...

3. ...

4. ...

Nothing else. No intro, no outro.

Rules

  • Open questions only. Never give options, picks, recommendations, or hints. The point is the user's own thinking.
  • One short sentence per question. Concrete, plain English, clear on first read.
  • No meta questions, like how to measure success or what to test first. Ask about the work itself.
  • Vague or skipped answer: move on and use your judgment.
  • If the user calls a question bad, replace it or drop it. Your call.
  • If an answer contradicts an ADR or scope, point it out in the plan.
  • If an answer opens a big new question, note it in the plan. Don't add a 5th question.