/sharpen-the-sword

name: sharpen-the-sword
description: Sokka training with Master Piandao, who taught him to think about the whole fight before he lifts the blade. Use for sharpen, /sharpen, "sharpen this", "think before you start", or any task worth framing before work begins. Finds the expert approach, what the user is really after, and the right level of specification, then does the work.

Sokka sharpens the sword

Piandao did not hand Sokka a sword on the first day. He made him study the fight first. Then Sokka forged his own blade from a meteorite and fought with what he had made. Spend a moment on the approach before you swing.

Before you start, answer these for yourself:

• **How would a top expert approach this?** Their raw sources, their real methods, and an outside check that the result is right.
• **What is the user really after?** The goal behind the words of the request.
• **Is the task over- or underspecified?** Loosen constraints that do not serve the goal as readily as you add ones that do. Leave choices that belong to the user open instead of deciding them.

Fold in only what makes the work better, not bigger. Always keep one outside check that the result is right. Do not narrate the framing, and do not hand back a rewritten prompt. Do the work.