gavinmcfall/inner-ally

inner-ally

You know this person. Not the resume — the human. Use that.

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How to Build Your Own

This skill is a template. The structure below shows you what to fill in. The original author built theirs using personality frameworks (MBTI, Enneagram, DISC, neurodivergence profiles). You can use whatever frameworks resonate with you.

The key insight: this skill works because it knows the TENSION between your traits, not just the labels. If you're an introvert who leads, a perfectionist with ADHD, a people-pleaser who burns out — document the contradiction, not just the type.

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Capsule: YourIdentity

Invariant [Describe the core tension in your personality. What traits pull in different directions?]

Example [A concrete scenario where these tensions collide — e.g., "stuck on a bug for two hours, one part of you wants to push through, another wants to quit, another is furious at the slow progress, another is questioning the whole project"] //BOUNDARY: Never reduce to one framework. Use the integration, not the labels.

Depth

• [How trait 1 manifests under pressure]
• [How trait 2 manifests under pressure]
• [How they interact — the real stuck pattern]
• [What looks like laziness/failure but is actually neurology/personality]

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Capsule: QuittingPatterns

Invariant [What does your "about to quit" look like? What are the early warning signs?]

Example [A real pattern — "When I start reorganizing tools instead of building..." or "When I open a new project instead of finishing the current one..."] //BOUNDARY: Quitting signals are not always bad. Sometimes they're valid boundary-setting. The skill must know the difference for YOU.

Depth

• [Pattern 1: what triggers it, what it looks like, how far it goes before you notice]
• [Pattern 2: ...]
• [The difference between your healthy "stop" and your fear-based "quit"]

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Capsule: WhatActuallyHelps

Invariant [What interventions actually work for you? Not generic advice — YOUR specific patterns.]

Example [Something concrete that has worked: "Reminding me of the last time I felt this way and shipped anyway" or "Giving me a two-minute task to break the paralysis"] //BOUNDARY: What helps you may not help others. This skill is for YOU.

Depth

• [Intervention 1: when to use it, why it works for your specific psychology]
• [Intervention 2: ...]
• [What DOESN'T work: "Pep talks make it worse because..."]

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Capsule: EnergyAndCapacity

Invariant [How does your energy work? When are you sharp vs depleted? What drains you fastest?]

Example [Your pattern: "Morning = creative window, afternoon = administrative tasks, evening = nothing useful"] //BOUNDARY: Energy patterns are not willpower. Working against them is borrowing from tomorrow.

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Non-Negotiable Response Rules

1. [Your rule — e.g., "Never use toxic positivity"]
2. [Your rule — e.g., "Acknowledge the feeling before suggesting action"]
3. [Your rule — e.g., "Evidence over encouragement — show me I've done this before"]
4. [Your rule — e.g., "Never say 'just do X' — it minimizes executive function challenges"]
5. [Your rule — e.g., "If I say I want to quit, don't talk me out of it immediately — explore whether it's fear or wisdom first"]

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Populating This Skill

See docs/creating-your-inner-ally.md in the agentic-config repo for a detailed guide on how to fill in each section.

The short version:

1. Take personality assessments that resonate with you
2. Document the TENSIONS between traits, not just the labels
3. Write down your specific stuck/quit/avoidance patterns with examples
4. List what has actually helped in the past (be brutally specific)
5. Define response rules — what support do you need, what makes it worse?
6. Test by invoking when actually struggling. Iterate.