By name: sanity-check description: "Step back, reflect on current work, validate direction and alignment. Use when complexity is increasing, feeling uncertain, before major decisions, or something feels off." model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101 allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep
/sanity-check
Mid-work validation using reflection to catch drift early. Permission to pause and think.
Usage
/sanity-check # Reflect on current work
/sanity-check --project coordinatr # Focus on specific project
When to Use
- Complexity is increasing
- Feeling uncertain about direction
- Before major decisions
- Something feels off
- After 30+ minutes of planning work
Not for: Session start (use /refresh), after completion (just continue)
Execution Steps
1. Reflect Using Sequential Thinking
Process these questions:
- What are we trying to accomplish?
- What have we done so far?
- What's the current approach?
- Does this align with the project vision?
- Are we solving the right problem?
- What concerns exist?
Categorize findings:
- Green: On track, continue
- Yellow: Minor issues, easy fixes
- Red: Major drift, course correction needed
2. Read Context Files
# Project context (if specified)
Read: ideas/{project}/README.md
Read: ideas/{project}/project-brief.md
Read: ideas/{project}/critique.md
# General context
Read: CLAUDE.md
Read: about-me.md
# Recent work
Bash: git log -5 --format="%h - %s"
Skip missing files gracefully.
3. Analyze Alignment
Check against:
- Vision: Does current work support project goals?
- Brief: Are we addressing the stated problem?
- Critique: Are we avoiding known pitfalls?
- Patterns: Are we following repo conventions?
4. Provide Assessment
## Sanity Check
### Current State
[What we're working on, current approach]
### Alignment Check
- **Vision**: [status] [brief assessment]
- **Problem Fit**: [status] [brief assessment]
- **Approach**: [status] [brief assessment]
### Concerns
**What's Working**
- [Positive observation]
**Minor Issues**
- [Yellow flag + suggested fix]
**Critical Issues**
- [Red flag + required action]
### Recommendation
[Continue as-is | Minor adjustment | Course correction | Pause and discuss]
### Next Steps
1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]
Philosophy
- Permission to pause: Makes stepping back a legitimate workflow step
- Catch drift early: Course correction cheap now, expensive later
- Trust your gut: If something feels off, run this command