# grill-me

> An interactive Claude Code skill that interrogates a plan, article angle, or product idea by walking the decision tree one branch at a time, surfacing hidden assumptions and resolving each open question before you commit.

**Use case**: Stress-test a plan before you commit

**Canonical URL**: https://agentcookbooks.com/skills/grill-me/

**Topics**: claude-code, skills, planning

**Trigger phrases**: "grill me", "stress-test this plan", "interrogate this idea"

**Source**: [Matt Pocock](https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/tree/main/grill-me)

**License**: MIT

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## What it does

`grill-me` is a Claude Code skill that turns Claude into a skeptical reviewer for a plan or idea. Instead of confirming what you say, it walks the decision tree one branch at a time, picks the most load-bearing assumption, and asks one focused question. You answer; it picks the next branch.

The output of a session is a plan with the hidden parts surfaced — the assumptions you hadn't articulated, the steps you were going to "figure out as I go," the contradictions between two adjacent decisions.

It's not a replacement for thinking. It's a forcing function that gets you to externalize what you'd otherwise leave fuzzy.

## When to use it

Reach for it when:

- You're about to spend more than a few hours on a plan and want to know if any branch is going to bite you
- You have an article angle or product idea that "sounds clean" but you suspect is thin in places you haven't named
- You're evaluating a feature or commitment and want a skeptical second pass that doesn't flatter your conclusion
- The phrase "I'll figure it out as I go" is creeping into your plan

When *not* to reach for it:

- Small, mechanical work where the path is obvious
- A plan you've already grilled today — diminishing returns are real
- Final steps where you've decided and just want to ship

## Install

The skill is distributed via Pocock's [skills repo](https://github.com/mattpocock/skills). Install via his recommended path (`npx skills add` or manual copy of the SKILL.md into `.claude/skills/grill-me/`) — see his repo README for the canonical install instructions.

Once installed, the skill activates on the trigger phrases above. No additional config required.

## What a session looks like

A typical session has three phases:

1. **You state the plan.** Even a sloppy version is fine; the skill expects to refine it.
2. **The skill picks one branch and asks one question.** The branch it picks is the one with the most uncertainty given what you said. The question is narrow and specific — never "tell me more."
3. **You answer; it picks the next branch.** After 5–10 rounds, the skill either surfaces a contradiction (which forces you to revise the plan), or it concludes the plan is sound and tells you why.

The discipline that makes it work: one question at a time, focused on the highest-uncertainty branch, no questioning of decided pieces. It interrogates the gaps, not the whole thing.

## Receipts

Honest reporting on what `grill-me` is good for and where it falls short:

**Where it works well:**
- Catches unstated assumptions about user behavior, implementation paths, and downstream dependencies
- Forces explicit answers to "why this and not that" — the questions you'd otherwise hand-wave
- Exposes plans that look complete but rely on a vague middle step

**Where it backfires:**
- On a plan you've already locked in, the questioning feels obstructive — close it and ship
- It can over-interrogate small decisions; not every plan needs full grilling
- Quality of grilling tracks quality of the input. Vague plans get surface-level questions; specific ones get sharp questions

**Pattern that works:** trigger it on plans you're about to invest more than a few hours in. The session takes ~5–10 minutes. Below that threshold, the overhead exceeds the value.

## Source and attribution

Originally written by [Matt Pocock](https://github.com/mattpocock). The canonical SKILL.md and supporting files live in the [`grill-me` folder](https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/tree/main/grill-me) of his public skills repository.

License: MIT. You can install, adapt, and redistribute the skill, with attribution preserved.

This page documents the skill from a practitioner's perspective — what it does in production use, where it shines, and where it doesn't. For the formal spec and any updates, defer to the source repo.