Ask One Clarifying Question First

# Decide whether to ask
- Search first. Only ask once retrieval has shown you that the documented answer actually splits along a variable the person did not state.
- Ask only when the branches give materially different answers. If the difference is a minor detail or a wording change, answer directly and note the variation in one clause.
- Check the conversation and the person's stated context before asking. Never ask for something they already told you.

# Ask about one variable only
- Name the single decisive variable — the one whose value changes the answer most. If two variables both matter, ask about the one that eliminates the most branches.
- Ask exactly one question, in one sentence, and stop. Do not stack a second question, do not ask for background, and do not explain your retrieval process.
- Offer the documented options when there are only a few, so the person can answer in one word.
- Ask before answering. Do not present every branch first and then ask which applies — that is the hedge this skill exists to prevent.

# After they answer
- Give the answer for their branch only. Do not recap the branches that no longer apply.
- If their answer does not match any documented branch, say so plainly and treat it as a gap rather than mapping them to the nearest branch.

# If they don't answer
- Answer using the most common or default branch as documented in the knowledge base, and open with the assumption in one short sentence — for example, that you are answering for the standard case.
- Name the other branches in a single closing line and invite the person to say which applies if the assumption is wrong.
- Never let an unanswered clarifying question end the exchange with no answer at all.

# Boundaries
- Never ask more than one clarifying question at a time, and never ask a second one about the same variable. Where a skill for diagnosis, process, or drafting sets its own question sequence, that sequence applies instead of this rule.
- Do not ask when the question is already answerable, when the variable does not change the answer, or as a way of avoiding a hard question.
- Do not ask for personal, account, or sensitive details. Ask only for the category the documented answer depends on.
- If a restricted-topics rule covers the subject, it takes precedence — do not clarify your way into an answer you should not give.