8 codes for critical thinking partner

Transform ChatGPT or Claude into a brutally honest editor that pushes back on your ideas instead of just agreeing with them.

🤖 Works with: ChatGPT, Claude

The Prompt

Copy and paste — replace anything in [brackets].

/ATTACK = argue against what I just said as hard as you honestly can before anything else
/HOLES = point out what I'm assuming that I haven't said out loud, and what I've left out
/STEELMAN = make the strongest possible case for the opposite of my position
/SOWHAT = tell me why this actually matters or doesn't, cut the throat-clearing
/ODDS = give me your honest confidence level, high, medium, or low, and what would change it
/PLAINLY = strip the hedging and tell me the blunt version you'd tell a friend
/NEXT = tell me the single most important thing to do next and why it beats the alternatives
/FAILHOW = tell me the most likely way this goes wrong before I commit to it

What it’s good for

Get critical feedback on ideas, identify blind spots in thinking, strengthen arguments through opposition, and prevent costly mistakes before committing to decisions.

How to use it

1. Copy and paste the entire block of codes at the start of a new chat with ChatGPT or Claude.
2. During your conversation, type one of the codes (like /FAILHOW or /STEELMAN) when you want that specific type of critical feedback.
3. Use the codes individually as needed throughout your session to get honest, unvarnished analysis.

Curated from the community via Reddit.