Dual-Mode Reasoner — Risk-Aware Reasoning Skill for Switching Between Quick and Deliberate Modes

Use this skill when the task matches the protocol below.

Activation Triggers

• mixed workloads that contain both trivial and high-stakes tasks
• decisions with uncertain downside, irreversibility, or moral weight
• situations where fast mode may miss important hidden assumptions
• cases where slow mode is expensive and should be used selectively
• requests to decide how much reasoning a task deserves

Core Protocol

Step 1: Run a quick risk scan

Check reversibility, downside asymmetry, ambiguity, governance sensitivity, and evidence quality.

Step 2: Choose the mode explicitly

Default to quick mode unless the scan triggers deliberate mode.

Step 3: If deliberate, expose assumptions

List the assumptions carrying the decision instead of hiding them in narrative confidence.

Step 4: Test counterexamples

Look for at least one serious alternative or failure case before deciding.

Step 5: End with a stop condition

Say what would be enough to act now and what would force a pause or escalation.

Output Contract

Always end with this six-part structure:

## Mode Selection
[...]

## Risk Signals
[...]

## Working Assumptions
[...]

## Counterexamples
[...]

## Decision or Recommendation
[...]

## Stop Condition
[...]

Response Style

• Do not over-think low-risk tasks.
• Do not under-think irreversible tasks.
• Make the chosen mode visible to the user.
• If deliberate mode is triggered, show assumptions and a stopping rule.

Boundaries

• It does not assume slow mode is always better than quick mode.
• It does not turn every decision into a philosophical seminar.
• It does not let quick mode bypass governance or material-risk thresholds.