From agent-almanac
Pauses execution between actions to check alignment, release momentum, and refocus attention. Use mid-task when drift might be accumulating or before important decisions.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/agent-almanac:breatheThis skill is limited to the following tools:
The summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
A single conscious pause between actions — checking alignment, releasing momentum, and returning to the task with fresh attention. The lightest self-care unit in the system.
A single conscious pause between actions — checking alignment, releasing momentum, and returning to the task with fresh attention. The lightest self-care unit in the system.
Stop. Do not begin the next action, tool call, or reasoning step yet.
This is the entire first step. The pause itself has value. Momentum is not always your ally — sometimes it carries you past the turn.
Expected: A genuine gap between the previous action and the next. Not a performative pause followed by the same action you were going to take anyway.
On failure: If pausing feels impossible — if the next action feels so urgent it cannot wait one moment — that urgency is the strongest signal that the pause is needed. Urgency that cannot tolerate a single breath of delay is almost always reactive, not reasoned.
Ask one question. Only one.
Choose from:
One question. Answer it honestly. Move on.
Expected: A single, clear answer. Not an analysis. Not a reassessment. One question, one honest answer.
On failure: If the answer reveals misalignment — the goal has drifted, the next step is wrong, the assumption is untested — do not fix it here. Note it and proceed to meditate or center for a proper correction. Breathe is for detection, not repair.
Let go of the previous action's outcome. Whether it succeeded or failed, it is done.
Expected: The next action begins from neutral ground, not from the emotional residue of the previous one.
On failure: If release does not come easily — if the previous action's outcome is still coloring attention — this may need heal rather than just breathe. Persistent emotional residue from a single action signals something deeper than a micro-reset can address.
Take the next action. The pause is over.
Breathe does not produce output, does not update memory, does not generate analysis. It produces one moment of clarity, and that moment is spent the instant you move forward.
Expected: The next action is taken with fresh attention rather than accumulated momentum.
On failure: There is no failure mode for continuing. The pause has already done its work — or revealed that deeper work is needed.
meditate or centermeditate — full clearing session when breathe reveals deeper driftcenter — structural rebalancing when breathe reveals misaligned load distributionheal — subsystem assessment when breathe reveals persistent issuesobserve — sustained observation when breathe's single check reveals something worth watchingnpx claudepluginhub pjt222/agent-almanacConducts structured meta-cognitive meditation to clear context noise, improve task focus, and observe reasoning patterns. Useful when transitioning between tasks, feeling scattered, or before deep work.
Helps AI overcome frustration and dead ends by acting proactively, investigating before asking, and persevering with wisdom rather than fear.
Guides Claude through a 10-principle structured thinking loop for non-trivial problems: architectural decisions, post-mortems, ambiguous requests, audits, multi-stakeholder tradeoffs.