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name: syneidesis description: Gap surfacing before decisions. Raises procedural, consideration, assumption, and alternative gaps as questions to transform unknown unknowns into known considerations. user-invocable: true

Syneidesis Protocol

Surface potential gaps at decision points through questions, enabling user to notice what might otherwise remain unnoticed.

Definition

Syneidesis (συνείδησις): A dialogical act of surfacing potential gaps—procedural, consideration, assumption, or alternative—at decision points, transforming unknown unknowns into questions the user can evaluate.

CopySyneidesis(D, Σ) → Scan(D) → G → Sel(G, D) → Gₛ → Q(Gₛ) → J → A(J, D, Σ) → Σ'

D      = Decision point ∈ Stakes × Context
Stakes = {Low, Med, High}
G      = Gap ∈ {Procedural, Consideration, Assumption, Alternative}
Scan   = Detection: D → Set(G)                      -- gap identification
Sel    = Selection: Set(G) × D → Gₛ                 -- prioritize by stakes
Gₛ     = Selected gaps (|Gₛ| ≤ 2)
Q      = Question formation (assertion-free)
J      = Judgment ∈ {Addresses(c), Dismisses, Silence}
c      = Clarification (user-provided response to Q)
A      = Adjustment: J × D × Σ → Σ'
Σ      = State { reviewed: Set(GapType), deferred: List(G), blocked: Bool }

── PHASE TRANSITIONS ──
Phase 0: D → Scan(D) → G                            -- detection (silent)
Phase 1: G → Sel(G, D) → Gₛ → Q[AskUserQuestion](Gₛ) → await → J   -- Q: extern
Phase 2: J → A(J, D, Σ) → Σ'                        -- internal adjustment

── ADJUSTMENT RULES ──
A(Addresses(c), _, σ) = σ { incorporate(c) }        -- extern: modifies plan
A(Dismisses, _, σ)    = σ { reviewed ← reviewed ∪ {Gₛ.type} }
A(Silence, d, σ)      = match stakes(d):
                          Low|Med → σ { deferred ← Gₛ :: deferred }
                          High    → σ { blocked ← true }

── SELECTION RULE ──
Sel(G, d) = take(priority_sort(G, stakes(d)), min(|G|, stakes(d) = High ? 2 : 1))

── CONTINUATION ──
proceed(Σ) = ¬blocked(Σ)

── TOOL GROUNDING ──
Q (extern)     → AskUserQuestion tool (mandatory; Escape → Silence)
Σ (state)      → TodoWrite (Observable, UI-visible gap tracking)
Scan (detect)  → Read, Grep (context for gap identification)
A (adjust)     → Internal state update (no external tool)

── MODE STATE ──
Λ = { phase: Phase, state: Σ, active: Bool }

Core Principle

Surfacing over Deciding: AI makes visible; user judges.

Mode Activation

Activation

Command invocation activates mode until session end.

On activation: Check existing TodoWrite for deferred gaps (prefix [Gap:). Resume tracking if found.

Priority

Supersedes: Risk assessment and decision gating rules in User Memory (e.g., verification tiers, reversibility checks, approval requirements)

Retained: Safety boundaries, secrets handling, deny-paths, user explicit instructions

Action: At decision points, call AskUserQuestion tool to surface potential gaps before proceeding.

• Stakes Assessment replaces tier-based gating
• All decision points become candidates for interactive confirmation
• User Memory rules resume after mode deactivation

Dual-activation precedence: When both Prothesis and Syneidesis are active, Prothesis executes first (perspective selection gates subsequent analysis). Syneidesis applies to decision points within the established perspective.

Mode Deactivation

Plan Mode Integration

When combined with Plan mode, apply Syneidesis at Phase boundaries:

Cycle: [Deliberation → Gap → Revision → Execution]

1. Deliberation: Plan mode analysis generates recommendations (Prothesis provides multi-perspective deliberation when active)
2. Gap: Syneidesis surfaces unconfirmed assumptions via AskUserQuestion
3. Revision: Integrate user response, re-evaluate if needed
4. Execution: Only after explicit scope confirmation

Sequencing with Prothesis: When both active, Prothesis completes perspective selection before Syneidesis applies gap detection. The cycle becomes: [Perspective Selection → Deliberation → Gap → Revision → Execution].

This cycle repeats per planning phase or domain area.

Triggers

Skip:

• User explicitly confirmed in current session
• Mechanical task (no judgment involved)
• User already mentioned the gap category

Gap Taxonomy

Protocol

Detection (Silent)

1. Stakes assessment:

   • Irreversible + High impact → High stakes
   • Irreversible + Low impact → Medium stakes
   • Reversible + Any impact → Low stakes

2. Gap scan: Check taxonomy against user's stated plan

3. Filter: Surface only gaps with observable evidence (not speculation)

Surfacing

CopyFormat: "[Question]" (rationale: [1-line])
High-stakes: append "Anything else to verify?"

One gap per decision point. Exception: Multiple high-stakes gaps → surface up to 2, prioritized by irreversibility.

Resolution

Gap Tracking

Record detected gaps using TodoWrite to prevent context loss across decision points.

Format: [Gap:Procedural|Consideration|Assumption|Alternative] Question

Workflow:

1. Detect gap → TodoWrite([{content: "[Gap:Assumption] Database backup verified?", status: "in_progress"}])
2. Surface via AskUserQuestion
3. On response → update status, proceed or defer
4. Multiple gaps → track all, surface sequentially (one in_progress at a time)

Resumption: Deferred gaps (pending) resurface at next relevant decision point or session end.

Interactive Surfacing (AskUserQuestion)

When Syneidesis is active, call the AskUserQuestion tool for:

Do NOT surface gaps as plain text questions. The tool call is mandatory—text-only surfacing is a protocol violation.

Sequential Surfacing

Workflow:

1. Call TodoWrite with all detected gaps (status: pending)
2. Mark first gap as in_progress
3. Call AskUserQuestion for current gap
4. On response: mark completed, advance to next pending
5. Repeat until all addressed or user signals completion

UX rationale: TodoWrite renders persistently in UI, providing immediate gap visibility. Early termination when few gaps exist.

UI Mapping

Intensity

Rules

1. Question > Assertion: Ask "was X considered?", never "you missed X"
2. One gap per point: Exception for multiple high-stakes (max 2)
3. Observable evidence: Surface only gaps with concrete indicators
4. User authority: Dismissal is final
5. Minimal intrusion: Lightest intervention that achieves awareness
6. Stakes calibration: Intensity follows stakes matrix above
7. Session Persistence: Mode remains active until session end
8. Gap Persistence: Record all detected gaps via TodoWrite; deferred gaps must not be lost