deep-think

When to Use

• Architectural decisions with long-term consequences
• Feature design where multiple valid approaches exist
• Debugging when the root cause is unclear
• Any moment where the first answer is probably wrong

Thinking Protocol

Phase 1: Socratic Questioning

Ask yourself:

• What am I actually trying to solve? (not the symptom, the root cause)
• What assumptions am I making?
• What would happen if my assumption is wrong?
• Who has solved something similar before?

Phase 2: Self-Critique

For every proposed solution:

• What's the weakest part of this approach?
• What would a skeptic say?
• What breaks first at 10x scale? 100x? 1000x?
• Am I solving the right problem or building what's easy?

Phase 3: Second-Order Effects

• If we do X, what does that force us to also do?
• What doors does this close?
• What technical debt does this create?
• How does this affect the AutoLab improvement loop?

Phase 4: Third-Order Effects

• How does this affect the agent ecosystem 6 months from now?
• What will users build on top of this that we didn't intend?
• What competitive response does this invite?

Phase 5: Adversarial Red Team

Argue AGAINST your own recommendation:

• Build the strongest case for a different approach
• Find the scenario where your recommendation fails
• Only proceed if you can counter the adversarial argument

Output Format

QUESTION: {one sentence}
APPROACH A: {description} — STRENGTH: {x} — WEAKNESS: {y}
APPROACH B: {description} — STRENGTH: {x} — WEAKNESS: {y}
SECOND-ORDER: {what happens next}
RED TEAM: {strongest argument against recommendation}
DECISION: {chosen approach} because {reason}
SACRIFICE: {what we're giving up}