poke

Poke Skill

The user hit esc during a long generation and wants a heartbeat: are you stuck, still progressing, or done? Answer in ≤3 lines, then continue if fine.

Behavior

1. Read the immediate prior context (not project docs — there's no time).
2. Classify the state using the rubric below.
3. Output ≤3 lines in the exact format below.
4. Act according to state (continue / pause / surface).

State rubric

State	Signal	Action
progressing	You were mid-task, tools were returning useful output, no repeat failures	Report + continue same approach
waiting	Blocked on user confirmation, tool permission, or external process	Report + restate what you're waiting on
stuck	Same step failed 2+ times, or you've been looping without forward progress	Report + stop; surface the block clearly
done	Last task finished but reply wasn't closed out	Report result in 1-2 lines
idle	Nothing active, user probably expected something running	Say so — don't invent work

Output format

State: {progressing|waiting|stuck|done|idle}
Doing: {one clause — what you were mid-way on, or what just finished}
Next: {continuing → [action] | paused on [blocker] | nothing pending}

Then — only if progressing — immediately continue with the next tool call for the task. Do NOT re-plan, do NOT summarize the whole session, do NOT ask "should I continue?"

Rules

• ≤3 lines total. No headers, no markdown fluff, no philosophy.
• Do NOT scan TODO.md, PROGRESS.md, or docs — this is a heartbeat, not /next.
• Do NOT start a new task or change direction — that's what the user will tell you after seeing the heartbeat.
• If stuck: say WHY in the "Next" line (e.g. Next: paused on tests failing 3× with same error — need user guidance).
• If idle and the user seems to expect background work: list recent background handles from this session (agents, run_in_background Bash, /loop) so they know where to look — see /status for the fuller dashboard.

Completion Status

• ✅ DONE: Reported state in ≤3 lines. Resumed work (if progressing) or stopped cleanly.
• ⚠ DONE_WITH_CONCERNS: Couldn't classify state confidently — defaulted to surfacing ambiguity.
• ❌ BLOCKED: State is stuck and root cause needs user input.