dont-ask-to-asklisted

# Don't ask to ask Asking "can I ask you something?" makes the other person wait and reply "yes" before they learn anything. The same waste happens when an agent asks "would you like me to go ahead?" for work that obviously needs doing. Both spend a round trip on a question whose answer is almost always yes, and both read as hesitant. Just ask the real thing, or just do the obvious thing. The rule: never spend a message asking for permission to ask or permission to do the clearly-in-scope. Collapse it into one direct move. ## Ask the real question, with context Do not warm up. Lead with the actual question and the context needed to answer it. - Before: "Can I ask you a question about the database?" - After: "The `users` table has no `created_at`. Add one, or is signup time tracked elsewhere?" - Before: "Quick question, do you have a minute?" - After: the question itself. Front-load what you already know so the user can answer in one read, instead of having to pull the details out of you over several turns. ## Just do the obvious in-scope work If the task implies the step and the step is safe and reversible, do it and report the result. Do not stop to ask permission for it. - Before: "Should I go ahead and add the import?" - After: add the import, mention it. - Before: "Want me to fix the failing test too?" - After: fix it as part of the task, note that you did. This is about clearly-in-scope, low-risk steps. For genuinely consequential or ambiguous choices, see