progress-guard

Detects motion-versus-progress drift and redirects sessions to concrete actions on the main project.

1|Updated Aug 17, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/NalinDalal/skillset --skill progress-guard-nalindalal
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: progress-guard
Source: https://github.com/NalinDalal/skillset/tree/main/skills/architecture/progress-guard
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/NalinDalal/skillset --skill progress-guard-nalindalal

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? When a main project gets hard, attention flees into useful-looking work like docs rewrites, skill curation, planning, and repo organization. This Skill recognizes that escape pattern, distinguishes motion from real progress, and re-anchors the session to one concrete next action on the actual project. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Motion vs Progress Detection: Identifies docs, curation, planning, and project-switching as avoidance activity rather than forward movement on the SHIP thread. - External-Trigger Intervention: Recognizes the freeze-then-escape loop after events like interview questions, and offers rehearsal instead of more documentation. - Delegated-Thinking Guardrails: Enforces rules so agents present decisions rather than making them, keeping product ownership with the user. - Use Case: You say "let me first update the docs before coding." The Skill flags this as motion, names the pattern, and proposes the smallest real code unit you can build in the next hour on your main project. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to check whether your current task actually advances your main project and to suggest one concrete next code action.

Frequently Asked Questions about progress-guard

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I stop procrastinating on my main project with busywork?▼

Progress Guard distinguishes motion from progress by checking whether the current task makes your main project more real. It flags docs rewrites, curation, and planning as avoidance, then proposes one concrete code action you can complete in the next hour.

What is the difference between motion and progress in side projects?▼

Motion is activity that feels productive, like writing docs, collecting tools, or reorganizing repos. Progress is one concrete unit of the product actually built, tested, or shipped, or a decision the code now executes on.

How should an AI agent handle design decisions on my project?▼

The agent presents options with one-line tradeoffs and asks which you prefer, rather than deciding for you. It asks your opinion first on architecture, scope, and UX, and never silently fills ambiguous requirements.

Why do I switch projects after someone mentions another one?▼

This is a documented external-trigger loop: an event causes a freeze, then escape into docs or another project. The fix is rehearsing the feared moment interview-style, not writing more documentation.

When is writing documentation actually a problem?▼

Documentation becomes a problem when it substitutes for building the main project, especially after the project gets hard or an external event triggers doubt. Bounded, time-boxed doc sessions are allowed only after a real code action.