clear-ask

Purpose

Convert a fuzzy request, thread, or note into a direct ask someone can understand and act on.

Use For

• Turning a rambling draft into a clear request
• Clarifying what decision is actually needed
• Making ownership and timing explicit before sending a message

Inputs

• Slack or email draft
• Meeting notes
• Project context
• Pasted workplace context
• A reduce-to-facts ledger or conversation-state record

Guardrails

• Read before write.
• Do not send the message unless explicitly asked.
• Separate known facts from assumptions.
• Flag missing owner, timing, or decision context.
• Prefer the smallest useful ask.

Portable Output Contract

• Use only the useful subset of source-backed facts, assumptions, source gaps, stakeholder sensitivities, potential misreads, and the suggested next action.
• Use the smallest useful output.
• Label assumptions and preserve source gaps, source anchors, and confidence labels.
• When consuming upstream state, do not promote an assumption, inference, open question, proposed action, or stakeholder position into a fact, decision, commitment, owner, or deadline without new source support.
• Keep unresolved approvals, owners, timing, and blockers explicit in the ask and draft.
• Do not send, publish, update tickets, create events, or mutate systems unless explicitly asked.

Output

• Clean ask
• Audience
• Owner
• Deadline / timing
• Decision needed
• Missing info
• Potential misread
• Why this ask is clearer
• Suggested message

Success Standard

The output should remove ambiguity and make the next action obvious within 5 minutes.