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‎docs/blog/.authors.yml‎

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dakota:
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name: Dakota Fabro
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description: AI Builder, Engineering Fellow x Educator x Dev Advocate
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avatar: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/dakotafabro
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‎docs/blog/2026-02-05-rp-why-skill.md‎

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---
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draft: false
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title: "Level Up Your AI Game with rp-why"
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description: "A Goose skill that measures the cognitive complexity of your AI collaboration using the Gas Town × DOK framework."
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date: 2026-02-05
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authors:
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- dakota
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---
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![rp-why skill banner](../images/rp-why-blog/rp-why-banner.png)
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## What is rp-why?
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rp-why is your personal AI collaboration coach. It answers two critical questions:
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1. **Are you using the most effective AI tools for your work?**
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2. **Are you asking questions that demonstrate cognitive depth?**
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Think of it as a fitness tracker for your AI practice—it shows you where you are, where you could be, and how to get there.
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**Want the theory?** Check out [Measuring the Cognitive Complexity of Human-AI Collaboration](#) on the Block Engineering Blog.
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**Want to use it?** Keep reading.
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---
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## The Problem
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| Without rp-why | Impact |
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|----------------|--------|
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| Using powerful AI agents to ask "what time is it in Tokyo?" | Wasted resources |
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| No visibility into your AI usage patterns | Blind spots |
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| Stuck at the same level without knowing it | Stagnation |
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| Wasting sophisticated tools on simple tasks | Unrealized ROI |
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| With rp-why | Outcome |
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|-------------|---------|
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| Match your tools to your task complexity | Efficiency |
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| See your patterns clearly with data | Awareness |
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| Get actionable nudges to level up | Growth |
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| Track your growth over time | Progress |
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---
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## Get Started in 3 Commands
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### Step 1: Initialize Your Baseline
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```
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/rp-why init
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```
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This analyzes your conversation history and creates your personal baseline. Takes ~30 seconds.
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### Step 2: Check Your Current Session
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```
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/rp-why current
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```
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See how this session compares to your typical patterns. Are you stretching or coasting?
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### Step 3: Track Your Progress
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```
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/rp-why compare
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```
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Compare today against your baseline. Celebrate wins. Identify opportunities.
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---
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## The Two Dimensions
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### Dimension 1: Gas Town Stage (Tool Sophistication)
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Where are you on the AI adoption ladder?
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| Stage | Level | Description |
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|-------|-------|-------------|
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| 1-2 | Chatbot Curious | Basic web chatbots, occasional use |
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| 3-4 | IDE Integrated | Copilot, chat in your editor |
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| 5 | Agent Autonomous | CLI tools like Goose running independently |
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| 6-8 | Multi-Agent Master | Orchestrating multiple AI agents, agentic workflows |
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### Dimension 2: DOK Level (Question Depth)
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How complex are your prompts?
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| Level | Name | Example Prompts |
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|-------|------|-----------------|
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| DOK 1 | Recall | "What is X?" "List Y" "Define Z" |
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| DOK 2 | Apply | "How would I...?" "Compare A and B" |
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| DOK 3 | Strategic | "Design a system for..." "Analyze trade-offs..." |
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| DOK 4 | Extended | "Research over multiple sessions..." "Create a framework..." |
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---
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## The Quadrant Map
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Find yourself on the map:
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```
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LOW DOK HIGH DOK
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(Simple Questions) (Complex Questions)
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┌────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┐
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HIGH │ │ │
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STAGE │ UNDERUTILIZING │ FRONTIER │
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(Powerful │ │ │
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Tools) │ You have a Ferrari │ You're pushing │
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│ and you're driving │ boundaries! │
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│ to the mailbox. │ Document what you │
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│ → Level up your │ learn. │
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│ questions! │ → Share your │
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│ │ discoveries! │
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├────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤
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LOW │ │ │
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STAGE │ LEARNING ZONE │ THINKING AHEAD │
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(Basic │ │ │
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Tools) │ Natural starting │ Your brain exceeds │
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│ point. Focus on │ your tools! │
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│ learning the tools. │ → Time to upgrade │
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│ → Try one new │ your AI toolkit! │
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│ capability today! │ │
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└────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┘
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```
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**Goal:** Move toward the **FRONTIER** quadrant (top-right)
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---
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## What the Output Looks Like
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```
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╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
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║ SESSION ANALYSIS ║
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╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
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GAS TOWN STAGE: 5 (Agent Autonomous)
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DOK DISTRIBUTION
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────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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DOK 1 (Recall): ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 17%
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DOK 2 (Apply): ████████████░░░░░░░░ 52%
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DOK 3 (Strategic): ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 26%
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DOK 4 (Extended): █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 5%
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QUADRANT: Underutilizing
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────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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You have a Ferrari and you're driving to the mailbox.
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→ Level up your questions!
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GROWTH NUDGES
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────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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1. Shift 2-3 DOK 2 prompts to DOK 3 by adding "analyze trade-offs"
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2. Before simple queries, ask: "Can I make this more strategic?"
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3. Try one DOK 4 extended investigation this week
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🪞 REFLECTION
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────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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What's the most strategic question you could ask right now?
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```
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---
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## Instant Upgrades for Your Prompts
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### Transform DOK 1 → DOK 2
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| Before | After |
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|--------|-------|
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| "What is a microservice?" | "How would I decide between microservices and a monolith for my project?" |
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### Transform DOK 2 → DOK 3
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| Before | After |
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|--------|-------|
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| "How do I set up CI/CD?" | "Design a CI/CD strategy that balances speed, reliability, and team workflow for a 5-person team." |
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### Transform DOK 3 → DOK 4
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| Before | After |
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|--------|-------|
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| "Design a caching strategy" | "Over the next few sessions, help me research, prototype, and document a caching architecture. Start by analyzing our current bottlenecks." |
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---
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## Weekly Workflow Integration
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### Monday: Fresh Start
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- Run `/rp-why init` (or `/rp-why compare` if you already have a baseline)
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- Set intention: "This week I'll aim for 30% DOK 3+ prompts"
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### Daily: Quick Check
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- End each session with `/rp-why current`
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- 30 seconds to see your patterns
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### Friday: Reflect
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- Run `/rp-why compare`
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- Celebrate progress, identify next week's focus
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---
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## Gamify Your Growth
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### Achievements to Unlock
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| Badge | Achievement | Criteria |
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|-------|-------------|----------|
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| 🥉 | Bronze | Reduce DOK 1 prompts below 25% |
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| 🥈 | Silver | Achieve 35%+ DOK 3 prompts in a session |
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| 🥇 | Gold | Complete a DOK 4 multi-session project |
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| 💎 | Diamond | Reach the Frontier quadrant consistently |
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### Personal Challenges
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| Challenge | Description |
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|-----------|-------------|
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| "No DOK 1" Day | Every prompt must be DOK 2+ |
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| "Strategic Session" | Aim for 50%+ DOK 3 prompts |
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| "Deep Dive Week" | One DOK 4 project across 5 sessions |
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---
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## FAQ
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**Q: How long does baseline generation take?**
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A: About 30 seconds. It analyzes your available conversation history.
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**Q: Will this slow down my workflow?**
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A: No! The commands take seconds. Think of it as a quick glance at your fitness tracker.
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**Q: What if I'm in the "Underutilizing" quadrant?**
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A: That's the most common position for Goose users! It means you have powerful tools—now it's time to ask bigger questions.
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**Q: How often should I check?**
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A: Daily `/rp-why current`, weekly `/rp-why compare`. Takes under a minute total.
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**Q: Can I share my progress with my team?**
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A: Yes! The output is designed to be shareable. Screenshot or copy the quadrant visualization.
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---
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## Start Now
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Your first command:
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```
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/rp-why init
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```
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Then ask yourself:
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> "What's the most strategic question I could ask right now?"
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That's the rp-why mindset.
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---
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## Attribution
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- **Gas Town Framework**: Steve Yegge, ["Welcome to Gas Town"](https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-town-4f25ee16dd04) (January 2026)
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- **DOK Levels**: Norman Webb (1997)
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- **Full Framework Deep-Dive**: [Measuring the Cognitive Complexity of Human-AI Collaboration](#) (Block Engineering Blog)
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<head>
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<meta property="og:title" content="Level Up Your AI Game with rp-why" />
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<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
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<meta property="og:url" content="https://block.github.io/goose/blog/2026/02/05/rp-why-skill.html" />
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<meta property="og:description" content="A Goose skill that measures the cognitive complexity of your AI collaboration using the Gas Town × DOK framework." />
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<meta property="og:image" content="https://block.github.io/goose/blog/images/rp-why-blog/rp-why-banner.png" />
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<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
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<meta property="twitter:domain" content="block.github.io" />
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<meta name="twitter:title" content="Level Up Your AI Game with rp-why" />
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<meta name="twitter:description" content="A Goose skill that measures the cognitive complexity of your AI collaboration using the Gas Town × DOK framework." />
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<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://block.github.io/goose/blog/images/rp-why-blog/rp-why-banner.png" />
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</head>
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