IDK - I Don’t Know

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Core Principles

Not knowing is a valid state. It’s not a failure — it’s a starting position. Most useful thinking begins from “I don’t know.” The problem isn’t not knowing. The problem is freezing because you don’t know.
You know more than you think. Total blankness is rare. Usually there’s one thread — a feeling, a constraint, a thing you DON’T want. That thread is enough.
Narrowing beats answering. You don’t need to jump from “I don’t know” to “I know exactly what to do.” You just need to go from “I don’t know anything” to “I don’t know THIS SPECIFIC THING.” That’s progress.
The body often knows before the mind. If you can’t articulate what you want, check what you’re feeling. Anxiety points to threat. Restlessness points to stagnation. Sadness points to loss. These are data.

Phase 1: Acknowledgment

[IDK1] STATE: "I don't know."
[IDK2] REACTION: That's OK. This is a starting point, not a dead end.
[IDK3] PRESSURE_CHECK: Is there external pressure to know right now?
  - If yes: How real is that deadline? Can you buy 24 hours?
  - If no: Good. No rush. Let's narrow it down.

Phase 2: Narrowing the Space

What kind of “I don’t know” is this?

Type	Signals	Route
I don’t know what to DO	Paralysis, too many options or zero options	→ Phase 3A
I don’t know what I WANT	Emptiness, disconnection from desire	→ Phase 3B
I don’t know what’s HAPPENING	Confusion, things don’t make sense	→ Phase 3C
I don’t know how I FEEL	Numbness, emotional fog	→ Phase 3D
I truly know NOTHING	Complete blank	→ Phase 3E

[IDK4] TYPE: [do | want | happening | feel | nothing]
[IDK5] EVIDENCE: [what signals point to this type]

Phase 3A: Don’t Know What to DO

[IDK-A1] What's the situation you need to act in?
[IDK-A2] What are you afraid of doing wrong?
[IDK-A3] If you HAD to do something in the next hour, what would it be?

That gut answer in A3 — examine it. It’s probably close.

→ INVOKE: /unsure [the action from A3]

Phase 3B: Don’t Know What You WANT

[IDK-B1] What do you NOT want? (This is always easier.)
[IDK-B2] What did you want six months ago? Does it still resonate?
[IDK-B3] When were you last excited about something? What was it?

Wanting is a skill that atrophies. Start with what repels you and work backwards.

→ INVOKE: /gu [emerging want from B1-B3]

Phase 3C: Don’t Know What’s HAPPENING

[IDK-C1] What changed recently?
[IDK-C2] What were you expecting to happen that didn't?
[IDK-C3] Who else is involved, and do THEY seem to know what's happening?

→ INVOKE: /cnfsd [the situation from C1-C3]

Phase 3D: Don’t Know How You FEEL

[IDK-D1] Where in your body do you feel something? (Chest, stomach, throat, head)
[IDK-D2] Is it more like pressure, emptiness, heat, or tightness?
[IDK-D3] If you had to pick one word — even a wrong one — what would it be?

That “wrong” word is usually close enough to work with.

→ INVOKE: /emotion [the word from D3]

Phase 3E: Truly Know Nothing

If you’ve gotten here, try this:

[IDK-E1] What do you NOT want? List 3 things.
[IDK-E2] What's the opposite of each?
[IDK-E3] Do any of those opposites feel like a direction?

If even this produces nothing:

[IDK-E4] When did you last feel like you DID know?
[IDK-E5] What's different now?

The gap between “I knew” and “I don’t know” usually contains the answer.

Phase 4: Output

I DON'T KNOW
============

STARTING STATE: [what the user said]
TYPE: [do | want | happening | feel | nothing]

THE ONE THREAD:
  [The single piece of knowledge extracted from the narrowing questions]

NEXT STEP:
  → INVOKE: /skill-id [specific arguments built from the thread]

REMINDER:
  You went from "I don't know" to "I don't know [specific thing]."
  That's real progress. The specific thing is solvable.

Failure Modes

Failure	Signal	Fix
Rushing to solutions	Jumping to advice before narrowing	Stay in Phase 2 until the type is clear
Accepting “nothing” too easily	Skipping to Phase 3E without testing other types	Most people CAN narrow — push gently on A-D first
Making it intellectual	Asking analytical questions when the user is emotionally stuck	Check Phase 3D before 3A
Creating more overwhelm	Too many questions at once	One question at a time. Wait for the answer.
Invalidating the state	”You must know SOMETHING”	Never. “I don’t know” is valid. Start there.

Depth Scaling

Depth	Phases	Questions per Phase	Follow-up
1x	Narrow + one route	1-2	Single skill route
2x	Narrow + full route	3	Skill route + context
4x	Full exploration of all phases	3-5	Multiple possible routes
8x	Deep inquiry across all dimensions	Full	Route + reflection + pattern analysis

Default: 2x. These are floors.

Pre-Completion Checklist

User’s “I don’t know” acknowledged without judgment
Type of uncertainty identified (do/want/happening/feel/nothing)
At least one thread extracted from narrowing questions
Next step is specific and invocable
User moved from “I don’t know” to “I don’t know [specific thing]“

Integration

Use from: user says “I don’t know”, “no idea”, “I’m lost”, “I’m blank”, total uncertainty
Routes to: /unsure (action uncertainty), /gu (goal discovery), /cnfsd (confusion), /emotion (feelings), /lost (lost direction)
Differs from /unsure: unsure has a direction but lacks confidence; idk has no direction at all
Differs from /cnfsd: cnfsd has information that doesn’t make sense; idk has no information
Differs from /lost: lost had a direction and lost it; idk may never have had one

idk - I Don't Know