prescriptive-actions
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.
When & Why to Use This Skill
The Prescriptive Actions Claude skill is a strategic decision-support tool designed to provide users with structured, actionable guidance and expert recommendations. It excels at transforming ambiguous 'what should I do' queries into clear, prioritized next steps by analyzing primary approaches, alternatives, and explicit tradeoffs such as cost, time, and risk. This skill is optimized for users seeking directional roadmaps and high-level strategic planning to achieve specific goals or resolve complex problems efficiently.
Use Cases
- Strategic Planning: Use this skill to evaluate different business approaches, such as choosing between two market entry strategies, by analyzing the pros, cons, and risks of each.
- Operational Problem Solving: Ideal for diagnosing workflow bottlenecks and prescribing a high-level directional fix with immediate, concrete next actions.
- Technical Decision Making: Assist developers and architects in choosing between system designs or technology stacks by providing a directional approach and explicit tradeoff analysis.
- Project Direction & Guidance: Perfect for the initial stages of a project when a user needs to define the best high-level approach and identify the first few critical steps to take.
| 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
- Restate the goal in one line.
- Recommend a primary approach.
- Provide alternatives when meaningful (A/B).
- Make tradeoffs explicit (cost, time, risk, complexity).
- Keep steps high-level and directional, not exhaustive.
- List assumptions clearly.
- 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)