Level Up Your AI Game with rp-why

--- title: "Level Up Your AI Game with rp-why" description: "A goose skill that measures the cognitive complexity of your AI collaboration using the Gas Town × DOK framework." date: 2026-02-06 image: /img/blog/rp-why-banner.png authors: - dakota --- ![rp-why skill banner](/img/blog/rp-why-banner.png) ## What is rp-why? rp-why is your personal AI collaboration coach. It answers two critical questions: 1. **Are you using the most effective AI tools for your work?** 2. **Are you asking questions that demonstrate cognitive depth?** 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. **Want the theory?** Check out [Measuring the Cognitive Complexity of Human-AI Collaboration](https://engineering.block.xyz/blog/-gas-town-x-webbs-dok). **Want to use it?** Keep reading. ## The Problem **Without rp-why** * Teams use powerful AI agents for simple tasks, wasting resources. * Lack of usage visibility creates blind spots. * No feedback loop keeps people stuck and stagnant. * Sophisticated tools get burned on trivial work, killing ROI. **With rp-why** * Teams match tools to task complexity, driving real efficiency. * Usage data makes patterns visible and actionable. * Smart nudges help people level up continuously. * Progress is tracked over time, turning effort into measurable growth. ## The Two Dimensions ### Dimension 1: Gas Town Stage (Tool Sophistication) Where are you on the AI adoption ladder? | Stage | Level | Description | |-------|-------|-------------| | 1-2 | Chatbot Curious | Basic web chatbots, occasional use | | 3-4 | IDE Integrated | Copilot, chat in your editor | | 5 | Agent Autonomous | CLI tools like goose running independently | | 6-8 | Multi-Agent Master | Orchestrating multiple AI agents, agentic workflows | ### Dimension 2: DOK Level (Question Depth) How complex are your prompts? | Level | Name | Example Prompts | |-------|------|-----------------| | DOK 1 | Recall | "What is X?" "List Y" "Define Z" | | DOK 2 | Apply | "How would I...?" "Compare A and B" | | DOK 3 | Strategic | "Design a system for..." "Analyze trade-offs..." | | DOK 4 | Extended | "Research over multiple sessions..." "Create a framework..." | --- ## The Quadrant Map Find yourself on the map: ``` LOW DOK HIGH DOK (Simple Questions) (Complex Questions) ┌────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┐ HIGH │ │ │ STAGE │ UNDERUTILIZING │ FRONTIER │ (Powerful │ │ │ Tools) │ You have a Ferrari │ You're pushing │ │ and you're driving │ boundaries! │ │ to the mailbox. │ Document what you │ │ → Level up your │ learn. │ │ questions! │ → Share your │ │ │ discoveries! │ ├────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ LOW │ │ │ STAGE │ LEARNING ZONE │ THINKING AHEAD │ (Basic │ │ │ Tools) │ Natural starting │ Your brain exceeds │ │ point. Focus on │ your tools! │ │ learning the tools. │ → Time to upgrade │ │ → Try one new │ your AI toolkit! │ │ capability today! │ │ └────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┘ ``` **Goal:** Move toward the **FRONTIER** quadrant (top-right) --- ## What the Output Looks Like ``` ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ SESSION ANALYSIS ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ GAS TOWN STAGE: 5 (Agent Autonomous) DOK DISTRIBUTION ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── DOK 1 (Recall): ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 17% DOK 2 (Apply): ████████████░░░░░░░░ 52% DOK 3 (Strategic): ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 26% DOK 4 (Extended): █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 5% QUADRANT: Underutilizing ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── You have a Ferrari and you're driving to the mailbox. → Level up your questions! GROWTH NUDGES ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1. Shift 2-3 DOK 2 prompts to DOK 3 by adding "analyze trade-offs" 2. Before simple queries, ask: "Can I make this more strategic?" 3. Try one DOK 4 extended investigation this week 🪞 REFLECTION ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── What's the most strategic question you could ask right now? ``` --- ## Instant Upgrades for Your Prompts ### Transform DOK 1 → DOK 2 | Before | After | |--------|-------| | "What is a microservice?" | "How would I decide between microservices and a monolith for my project?" | ### Transform DOK 2 → DOK 3 | Before | After | |--------|-------| | "How do I set up CI/CD?" | "Design a CI/CD strategy that balances speed, reliability, and team workflow for a 5-person team." | ### Transform DOK 3 → DOK 4 | Before | After | |--------|-------| | "Design a caching strategy" | "Over the next few sessions, help me research, prototype, and document a caching architecture. Start by analyzing our current bottlenecks." | ## Weekly Workflow Integration ### Monday: Fresh Start - Run `/rp-why init` (or `/rp-why compare` if you already have a baseline) - Set intention: "This week I'll aim for 30% DOK 3+ prompts" ### Daily: Quick Check - End each session with `/rp-why current` - 30 seconds to see your patterns ### Friday: Reflect - Run `/rp-why compare` - Celebrate progress, identify next week's focus ## Gamify Your Growth ### Achievements to Unlock | Badge | Achievement | Criteria | |-------|-------------|----------| | 🥉 | Bronze | Reduce DOK 1 prompts below 25% | | 🥈 | Silver | Achieve 35%+ DOK 3 prompts in a session | | 🥇 | Gold | Complete a DOK 4 multi-session project | | 💎 | Diamond | Reach the Frontier quadrant consistently | ### Personal Challenges | Challenge | Description | |-----------|-------------| | "No DOK 1" Day | Every prompt must be DOK 2+ | | "Strategic Session" | Aim for 50%+ DOK 3 prompts | | "Deep Dive Week" | One DOK 4 project across 5 sessions | ## Start Now ### Installation Install the skill: ```bash npx skills add https://github.com/block/agent-skills --skill rp-why ``` Make sure you have the built-in [Skills extension](/docs/mcp/skills-mcp/) enabled in goose. ### Step 1: Initialize Your Baseline ``` /rp-why init ``` This analyzes your conversation history and creates your personal baseline. Takes ~30 seconds. ### Step 2: Check Your Current Session ``` /rp-why current ``` See how this session compares to your typical patterns. Are you stretching or coasting? ### Step 3: Track Your Progress ``` /rp-why compare ``` Compare today against your baseline. And ask yourself: > "What's the most strategic question I could ask right now?" That's the rp-why mindset. ## FAQ **Q: How long does baseline generation take?** A: About 30 seconds. It analyzes your available conversation history. **Q: Will this slow down my workflow?** A: No! The commands take seconds. Think of it as a quick glance at your fitness tracker. **Q: What if I'm in the "Underutilizing" quadrant?** A: That's the most common position for goose users! It means you have powerful tools—now it's time to ask bigger questions. **Q: How often should I check?** A: Daily `/rp-why current`, weekly `/rp-why compare`. Takes under a minute total. **Q: Can I share my progress with my team?** A: Yes! The output is designed to be shareable. Screenshot or copy the quadrant visualization. --- ## Attribution - **Gas Town Framework**: Steve Yegge, ["Welcome to Gas Town"](https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-town-4f25ee16dd04) (January 2026) - **DOK Levels**: Norman Webb (1997) - **Full Framework Deep-Dive**: [Measuring the Cognitive Complexity of Human-AI Collaboration](#) (Block Engineering Blog)