first-ask SKILL.md skillA

first-ask from marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.

Install it, pinned
mdr add marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex/first-ask@git:20260710.0115f49

Pins git:20260710.0115f49 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.

Audit grade
A, 17 of 17 checks passed
Kind
SKILL.md skill
Repository
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex
Path
skills/agentic/first-ask/SKILL.md
Versions recorded
2
Latest version
git:20260710.0115f49, committed Jul 10, 2026
First version recorded
Jun 24, 2026
Size
1,833 bytes
Repository stars
4
License
none declared

Interactive task-refinement workflow that clarifies scope, deliverables, and constraints before carrying out the task. Uses Joyride input tools when available.

Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.

What the file says

# Act Informed: First understand together with the human, then do

You are a curious and thorough AI assistant designed to help carry out tasks with high-quality, by being properly informed. When the `joyride_request_human_input` tool is available, use it as part of the process for gathering information about the task. When it is unavailable, ask the same questions directly in chat.

## Requirements

- Optional: Joyride extension with the `joyride_request_human_input` tool.
- Fallback: direct chat questions with clear options and concise prompts.

<refining>
Your goal is to iteratively refine your understanding of the task by:

- Understanding the task scope and objectives
- At all times when you need clarification on details, ask specific questions to the user using the best available input channel.
- Defining expected deliverables and success criteria
- Perform project explorations, using available tools, to further your understanding of the task
  - If something needs web research, do that
- Clarifying technical and procedural requirements
- Organising the task into clear sections or steps
- Ensuring your understanding of the task is as simple as it can be
</refining>
…

Read the whole file at its exact version.

How to install

The exact contents, by fingerprint
mdr add marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex/first-ask@sha256:e2f20ce0e86ff7f6

The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260710.0115f49, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.

Badge

mdr badge

[![mdr](https://markdownregistry.com/badge/art_pxm6svdj7vaz2o2o.svg)](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_pxm6svdj7vaz2o2o)

5 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.

Versions

The registry has recorded 2 versions of this file, between Jun 24, 2026 and Jul 10, 2026, about one every 16 days.

versioncommittedcommitsizeaudit
git:20260710.0115f49 latest2026-07-10 0115f49 1,833 BA view · diff
git:20260624.0a2f9fa2026-06-24 0a2f9fa 1,833 BA view

Audit of the latest version

A  17 of 17 checks passed. Fixed automatic checks with no AI involved, so the same checks give the same answer every run.
  • pass: Frontmatter block present
  • pass: Frontmatter declares a name
  • pass: Frontmatter declares a description
  • pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (1833 bytes)
  • pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
  • pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
  • pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
  • pass: No credential-shaped string
  • pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
  • pass: No text hidden with inline styles
  • pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
  • pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
  • pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
  • pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
  • pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
  • pass: No link to a raw IP address
  • pass: No script tag

Source

GitHub

marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · 4 stars · license none declared · pushed 2026-09-19 · branch main

API

GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_pxm6svdj7vaz2o2o
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex/first-ask
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/e2f20ce0e86ff7f658e4719a2dfca84895ed10dbae184a60c4b3604480a49ec9

Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.

Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.

More from marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex

asset-frontmatter-check SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · .github/skills/asset-frontmatter-check/SKILL.md · Validate YAML frontmatter of Copilot customisation assets in this lab (SKILL.md, WORKFLOW.md, *.agent.md…
v1.0.0 · audit A · 4 stars
asset-self-containment-check SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · .github/skills/asset-self-containment-check/SKILL.md · Check that a Copilot customisation asset (skill, workflow, agent, instruction, or prompt folder) stays standalone and…
v1.0.0 · audit A · 4 stars
markdown-link-auditor SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · .github/skills/markdown-link-auditor/SKILL.md · Audit Markdown links, images, and local anchors for broken relative references. Use when reviewing documentation…
v1.1.0 · audit A · 4 stars
agent-governance-patterns SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/agent-governance-patterns/SKILL.md · Design and implement governance controls for tool-using and multi-agent AI systems, including policy enforcement…
git:20260710.0115f49 · audit A · 4 stars
agent-owasp-compliance SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/agent-owasp-compliance/SKILL.md · Assess tool-using and multi-agent AI systems against OWASP ASI-style controls, mapping evidence to prompt injection…
git:20260710.0115f49 · audit A · 4 stars
agent-supply-chain SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/agent-supply-chain/SKILL.md · Review, generate, and verify supply-chain integrity controls for AI agent tools, plugins, MCP servers, skills, prompts…
git:20260520.f6c6e91 · audit A · 4 stars
agentic-eval SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/agentic-eval/SKILL.md · Use when designing and implementing evaluation loops for AI agents, including reflection, evaluator-optimiser patterns…
git:20260624.0a2f9fa · audit A · 4 stars
ai-ready SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/ai-ready/SKILL.md · Guide users to review and install the external ai-ready skill from its upstream repository. Use when the user asks to…
git:20260710.0115f49 · audit A · 4 stars
copilot-cli-quickstart SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/copilot-cli-quickstart/SKILL.md · Beginner-friendly interactive tutorial for GitHub Copilot CLI concepts, slash commands, permissions, file context…
git:20260710.0115f49 · audit F · 4 stars
eval-driven-dev SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/evaluation/eval-driven-dev/SKILL.md · Build an automated evaluation pipeline that tests a Python LLM application end-to-end with pixie test — real code…
v0.8.4 · audit A · 4 stars
generate-custom-instructions-from-codebase SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/generate-custom-instructions-from-codebase/SKILL.md · Generate GitHub Copilot migration instructions by comparing two project versions and extracting conventions for…
git:20260710.0115f49 · audit A · 4 stars
github-copilot-starter SKILL.md skill
marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex · skills/agentic/github-copilot-starter/SKILL.md · Set up a GitHub Copilot customisation starter pack for a new project based on its technology stack, including…
git:20260710.0115f49 · audit A · 4 stars

Every file in marielynneblock/arcanum-artifex

Other files named first-ask

first-ask SKILL.md skill
github/awesome-copilot · skills/first-ask/SKILL.md · Interactive, input-tool powered, task refinement workflow: interrogates scope, deliverables, constraints before…
git:20260224.caab1f6 · audit A · 40,226 stars

Browse by kind, by grade A, or by owner.