grill-me
by mattpocockgrill-me is a decision-support skill that interviews you one question at a time about a plan, design, or proposal until the key branches are understood. Use it when you want structured pushback, clearer tradeoffs, or a rigorous grill-me guide for high-stakes choices.
This skill scores 67/100, which means it is listable but only as a moderately useful, lightly documented workflow aid. Directory users can expect a clear trigger and a real interaction pattern for stress-testing a plan, but they should also expect to do some interpretation because the repository provides little operational detail beyond the core instruction.
- Clear trigger language: use when the user wants to be "grilled" or to stress-test a plan.
- Concrete interaction pattern: asks one question at a time and provides a recommended answer for each branch.
- Some workflow intent is explicit: it says to explore the codebase if a question can be answered there.
- Very sparse documentation: no headings, scripts, references, or supporting resources to guide adoption.
- Limited execution detail: no install command or examples, so agents may still need guesswork on edge cases and scope.
Overview of grill-me skill
What grill-me does
grill-me is a decision-support skill that interrogates a plan, design, or proposal one question at a time until the key branches are understood. It is useful when you want the model to act less like a passive assistant and more like a rigorous reviewer that surfaces assumptions, tradeoffs, and missing decisions.
Best fit for this skill
The grill-me skill is a strong fit for product planning, architecture reviews, feature scoping, and any situation where the next step depends on resolving ambiguity. It is especially helpful for users who want to be “grilled” on their idea, or who need structured pushback before committing to a direction.
What makes it different
The main differentiator in grill-me is its one-question-at-a-time discipline. Instead of dumping a long checklist, it tries to walk the decision tree in order and resolve dependencies as they appear. It also asks the model to inspect the codebase when the answer can be derived from existing files, which makes the grill-me skill more grounded than a generic questioning prompt.
How to Use grill-me skill
Install and activate grill-me
Install grill-me with:
npx skills add mattpocock/skills --skill grill-me
Then activate it in the environment where your skill runner loads installed skills. If you are adapting the skill manually, start by reading SKILL.md in skills/productivity/grill-me.
Give it a decision, not a vague topic
grill-me usage works best when you provide a concrete plan or design to challenge. Good inputs name the object being reviewed, the decision to make, and the current uncertainty.
Better:
- “Grill me on whether to split auth into a separate service for this app.”
- “Use grill-me for Decision Support on our dashboard redesign; focus on onboarding and retention.”
- “Grill me on this launch plan: timeline, ownership, dependencies, and risks.”
Weak inputs:
- “Grill my idea.”
- “Help me think.”
How to prompt it well
A good grill-me guide prompt tells the skill what domain it is questioning, what outcome matters, and what constraints should not be ignored. Include:
- the goal
- the current proposal
- known constraints
- what would count as a bad decision
- any codebase, product, or org context it should prioritize
This helps the skill ask sharper questions and provide better recommended answers for each branch.
Files to read first
Start with SKILL.md. In this repository, that is effectively the whole skill. There are no supporting rules/, resources/, or scripts/ files, so the install decision is mostly about whether you want this questioning style at all. If you are porting it elsewhere, read your host repo conventions next so the skill does not conflict with your own workflow.
grill-me skill FAQ
Is grill-me a general chat skill?
No. grill-me is narrower than general brainstorming. It is designed for structured interrogation of a plan or design, not open-ended ideation. If you want brainstorming, a broader planning prompt may be better.
When should I not use grill-me?
Do not use grill-me when you need a quick summary, a simple recommendation, or a one-shot draft. The skill is best when the cost of a bad assumption is high and you want the model to pressure-test decisions before you commit.
Does grill-me work for codebase questions?
Yes, but only in the specific way the skill asks for: if a question can be answered by exploring the codebase, it should explore the codebase instead of guessing. That makes the grill-me skill better for repository-aware review than for abstract debate.
Is it beginner-friendly?
It is beginner-friendly if you can name a concrete decision and tolerate follow-up questions. It is less suitable if you want the model to take over the whole planning process without being challenged.
How to Improve grill-me skill
Start with one decision and one risk
The best way to improve grill-me results is to narrow the scope. Ask it to grill one decision at a time, such as architecture, launch scope, or implementation order. The more focused the prompt, the better the skill can walk the branch tree without drifting.
Add constraints the model should not miss
Include hard constraints early: deadlines, team size, stack, compliance, budget, user segment, or dependency limits. grill-me is strongest when it can pressure-test tradeoffs against real constraints instead of idealized options.
Answer with specifics, not abstractions
When the skill asks a question, respond with concrete facts. For example, “2 engineers for 6 weeks” is more useful than “limited resources.” Specific answers reduce follow-up churn and help the skill resolve branches faster.
Iterate after the first pass
Treat the first grill-me run as a diagnostic, not a final verdict. If the output exposes a weak assumption, rerun the skill with that assumption clarified. That iterative loop is where grill-me for Decision Support becomes most valuable: each round should remove ambiguity, not just generate more opinions.