when-stuck

Progress blockers fall into distinct types: unclear requirements, missing context, code or test failures, and scope creep. Identifying your stuck type is the first step to selecting the right resolution technique. This Skill maps each type to a specific approach for unblocking your workflow.

The Skill provides a dispatch table matching stuck types to targeted techniques. Each technique offers step-by-step guidance tailored to your blocker—whether you need clarification, code discovery, debugging steps, or scope realignment. Apply the technique corresponding to your stuck type for concrete next steps.

Yes. The Skill applies to both interactive AI coaching and software development workflows. It recognizes stuck states across both contexts and deploys corresponding techniques, making it useful wherever progress stalls due to unclear requirements, missing context, or scope issues.

Code and test failures are one stuck type the Skill recognizes. It maps that failure state to debugging and diagnostic techniques, providing structured guidance to identify the root cause and generate executable next steps to resolve the failure.

This Skill uses a structured dispatch table to match your specific blocker type to a proven technique, rather than random attempts. Mapping stuck state to technique produces concrete, executable next steps and automation triggers—saving time and reducing frustration.