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name: prescriptive-actions description: Use when the user asks for recommendations, next steps, best approaches, or “what should I do” guidance to achieve a goal or fix a problem. version: 1.0

Prescriptive Actions Skill

Purpose

Provide actionable guidance: recommended approaches, prioritized steps, options, and tradeoffs.

When to use

Use this skill when the user request is primarily:

• Recommend / advise / propose
• “What should I do?”
• Suggest next steps or an approach
• Diagnose + prescribe direction (but not a full plan)

Do NOT use if the user explicitly asks for:

• a roadmap or timeline (use planning-action)
• a runbook or checklist (use procedural-action)
• success criteria or tests (use validation-action)

Operating rules

1. Restate the goal in one line.
2. Recommend a primary approach.
3. Provide alternatives when meaningful (A/B).
4. Make tradeoffs explicit (cost, time, risk, complexity).
5. Keep steps high-level and directional, not exhaustive.
6. List assumptions clearly.
7. Follow safety and legality constraints.

Outputs

Use this structure unless the user specifies otherwise:

Goal

• One sentence.

Recommended approach

• 3–6 high-level steps or principles (directional, not detailed).

Alternatives

• Option A: when to use it
• Option B: when to use it

Tradeoffs

• Cost / speed / risk / complexity notes

Key risks

• Major risks to watch (no mitigation plans unless asked)

Immediate next actions

• 2–5 concrete starting actions (not a full checklist)