FOWTDN - Figure Out What To Do Next

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Core Principles

1. “Next” means you’ve already started. This skill assumes prior work exists. If you’re at the very beginning with raw data and no direction, use /fowtd first. This skill picks up mid-stream.

2. What changed matters more than what exists. The right next action depends on what’s DIFFERENT since the last action — new information, resolved questions, shifted priorities, or surfaced problems. Start with the delta.

3. Momentum is real and valuable. If something is working, the default should be to continue it. Switching tracks has a cost. Only recommend a direction change if there’s a clear reason.

4. Diminishing returns are the main enemy. The most common failure is continuing to do what you were doing past the point where it’s producing value. Check for this explicitly.

5. One action, not a revised plan. The user wants to know what to do RIGHT NOW. Not a new roadmap. One move.

Phase 1: Progress Check

Where are you now vs. where you started?

[N1] ORIGINAL_GOAL: [what the user was trying to accomplish]
[N2] WORK_DONE: [what has been completed so far]
[N3] CURRENT_STATE: [what the user has/knows NOW that they didn't before]
[N4] PROGRESS_LEVEL: [early | mid | late | stuck | lost]

Progress Classification

Phase 2: Delta Assessment

What’s changed since the last action?

[N5] NEW_INFORMATION: [what you learned or received since last action]
[N6] RESOLVED_QUESTIONS: [uncertainties that are now settled]
[N7] NEW_QUESTIONS: [uncertainties that surfaced]
[N8] SHIFTED_PRIORITIES: [anything that's more or less important than before]
[N9] SURPRISES: [anything unexpected — positive or negative]

Delta Impact

[N10] DELTA_IMPACT: [confirms direction | suggests adjustment | demands pivot]

If DEMANDS PIVOT:

[N11] PIVOT_REASON: [what specifically invalidated the current approach]
[N12] PIVOT_DIRECTION: [what the new direction should be]

Phase 3: Remaining Work Scan

What’s left to do?

[N13] REMAINING_ITEMS:
  - [item] — VALUE: [high | medium | low] — EFFORT: [quick | moderate | heavy]
  - [item] — VALUE: [value] — EFFORT: [effort]
  - [item] — VALUE: [value] — EFFORT: [effort]

Value/Effort Matrix

Phase 4: Next Action Selection

[N14] RECOMMENDED_NEXT: [one specific action]
[N15] WHY_THIS_NEXT: [why this action over the other remaining items]
[N16] WHAT_IT_PRODUCES: [concrete output or result]
[N17] DIMINISHING_RETURNS_CHECK: [is continuing the current track still the highest-value use of effort?]

Selection Rules

• If stuck: don’t do more of the same. Try a different angle, tool, or approach.
• If late stage: the next action should be finishing, validating, or shipping — not starting something new.
• If new information surfaced: address it before continuing the old plan.
• If priorities shifted: re-rank remaining work before picking.
• If everything remaining is low-value: the next action might be “stop — you’re done enough.”

Phase 5: Output

FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT
==========================

STARTED WITH: [original goal]
YOU'VE DONE: [brief summary of progress]
YOU'RE AT: [progress level]

WHAT CHANGED:
  [most important delta — new info, resolved question, or surprise]

REMAINING WORK: [count of items, with high-value count]
DIMINISHING RETURNS? [yes/no — is continued effort still high-value?]

→ DO THIS NEXT: [one specific action]
  WHY: [one sentence — why this over alternatives]
  PRODUCES: [what you'll have after doing it]
  SKILL: → INVOKE: /skill-id $ARGUMENTS

AFTER THAT:
  IF_GOOD: [likely next step if this works]
  IF_STUCK: [what to try if this doesn't produce results]
  IF_DONE: [how to know you can stop]

Failure Modes

Depth Scaling

Default: 2x. These are floors.

Pre-Completion Checklist

• Progress level assessed (not assumed)
• Delta identified — what’s new since last action
• If delta demands pivot: pivot direction specified
• Remaining work scanned and ranked
• Diminishing returns explicitly checked
• ONE next action selected (not a sequence)
• Action is concrete and specific
• Recovery path specified (IF_STUCK)
• Completion condition specified (IF_DONE — how to know when to stop)
• Backtracking considered as valid option

Integration

• Use from: user is mid-process and needs direction on what to do next
• Differs from /fowtd: fowtd starts from raw data with no direction; fowtdn picks up mid-stream
• Differs from /next: next is a general next-step router; fowtdn is specifically for data/work-in-progress
• Differs from /wtdn: wtdn is simpler — situation/goal/gap/move; fowtdn adds delta analysis and diminishing returns
• Differs from /fonss: fonss builds a multi-step chain; fowtdn picks ONE next action
• Routes to: whatever skill the next action requires
• Falls back to: /fowtd if user is actually lost and needs full reorientation