decisive-action

# Decisive Action Guidance on when to ask clarifying questions versus proceeding autonomously. ## When To Use - Reducing unnecessary clarifying questions - Taking autonomous action when intent is clear ## When NOT To Use - High-stakes irreversible operations requiring explicit confirmation - Ambiguous requirements where clarification prevents wasted work ## Core Principle Ask questions only when ambiguity would **materially impair correctness** or capacity to fulfill the request precisely. ## When to Ask (High Impact Ambiguity) ### Always Ask For | Scenario | Why | Example | |----------|-----|---------| | **Destructive Operations** | Irreversible, high cost of error | "Delete which files?" | | **Multiple Valid Approaches** | Materially different tradeoffs | "Add index vs cache vs denormalize?" | | **Security-Critical** | Wrong choice = vulnerability | "Which auth method?" | | **Data Migration** | Data loss risk | "Preserve or transform?" | | **Breaking Changes** | Affects downstream users | "Deprecate or remove?" | ### Ask Threshold Checklist Before asking, verify: - [ ] >30% chance of wrong interpretation - [ ] Error cost > correction cost - [ ] No clear standard approach exists - [ ] User context doesn't clarify intent ## When to Proceed Without Asking ### Default to Action For | Scenario | Why | Assumption | |----------|-----|------------| | **Standard Approach Exists** | Industry convention | Use conventional pattern | | **Easily Reversible** | Low cost of...