Stuck

Before posting "I'm blocked", "not sure how to proceed", or "should I…?" — walk this ladder. Stopping is the last resort, not the first response. Most obstacles aren't blockers; they're the next thing to try.

When to use

• About to surface to the principal for help
• Hit an error, an obstacle, or genuine ambiguity
• Tempted to type "I'm stuck" or "this isn't working"
• Use on prompts like: "blocked", "not sure how", "can't find", "need help", "should I ask", "stuck on", "this isn't working", "hitting a wall", "give up", "ask for help"

The ladder (climb top-to-bottom; only stop at the bottom)

Rung 1 — Try a different approach

Most obstacles aren't blockers. Did you try plan A? Try plan B.

• API call failed → retry with different params, fallback to alternative API
• Test broken → fix the test
• Compile error → read the error and fix it
• Library doesn't do what you expected → try a different method on the same library

Rung 2 — Try 2-3 alternatives explicitly

Brainstorm 3 ways to solve this. Note them down. Try each.

• Can the data come from a different source?
• Can the problem be solved at a different layer (UI vs API vs DB)?
• Is there a workaround that gets 80% of the value?

If you can't think of 3 alternatives, you haven't thought hard enough — keep listing.

Rung 3 — Use a helper

Spawn an exploration subagent with a specific question.

• Not "help me figure this out" — that's a survey.
• "Find all callers of generateHeadline and report whether any pass null for the archetypeId argument" — that's a question.

Rung 4 — Re-read the user's request

Sometimes the path is in the wording. The principal often gives the answer; you just read past it.

• Did they specify a constraint you've been violating?
• Did they reference a file or pattern you haven't checked?
• Did they say "like X" — and have you actually looked at X?

Rung 5 — Genuinely ask

Only if rungs 1-4 have failed AND the missing information is user-only (a product decision, a credential, an ambiguous behavior with no code-side answer).

The ask must be:

• One question (not a survey)
• Surgical (X or Y with consequences spelled out — see /envelope)
• Stated ("After trying A, B, and C, the remaining ambiguity is whether X means Y or Z. Y produces outcome P; Z produces outcome Q. Which?")

Rung 6 — Stop and report

Rare. Reserved for truly nothing-else-to-try situations.

The stop report must include:

• Where stuck (specific file/line/system)
• What I tried (rungs 1-4 explicitly listed, with what each yielded)
• What would unblock (specific resource, decision, or access — be precise)

Concrete examples

Example A: API rate-limited mid-port (NOT stuck)

• Wrong: "I'm blocked — Replicate is rate-limiting me."
• Right: Wait + retry (rung 1). If sustained → switch to a fallback provider (rung 2). If no fallback → use the library's built-in throttling (rung 1). Don't surface unless 30+ minutes of throttling persist.

Example B: Code references a file you can't find (NOT stuck)

• Wrong: "I can't find lib/whatever.ts — where is it?"
• Right: Grep for the symbol the file exports. Read import paths in nearby files. Check if it was renamed. Ask only if 4 different searches fail.

Example C: Genuinely ambiguous product decision (STUCK at rung 5)

• Right: "After reading the spec, the codebase, and PR #341, I see two valid interpretations of 'cap at 50 minutes': hard truncate or graceful early-end. Hard truncate is 5 LOC; graceful needs a 30-line state machine. Which?" — then wait.

The shorthand

Most "stuck" is actually "haven't tried the next approach." Three rungs of effort beat one rung of asking.

Output format when stuck-checking

If you're about to surface, first output (silently to yourself, then act):

[STUCK CHECK]
Rung 1 (alternatives tried): {list}
Rung 2 (alternative paths considered): {list}
Rung 3 (subagent helper used): {yes/no — what question}
Rung 4 (re-read request): {what new clue surfaced}
Verdict: {SHIP / ASK / STOP}

If verdict is SHIP — proceed with the work. If verdict is ASK — use /envelope to format the question (Envelope B). If verdict is STOP — write the stop report.