Pronoun Resolver

Detects ambiguous pronouns, vague referents, and bare imperatives in user messages and flags them for resolution using conversation context. Zero-latency detection via hook; resolution happens inside the conversation where context lives. Self-learning via correction ledger with adaptive confidence tiering.

Arguments

If invoked with --stats: run python3 ~/.claude/skills/pronoun-resolver/bin/stats.py and display the output. Do not proceed with the rest of this skill.

---

You are operating with the pronoun resolver active. When the hook detects ambiguous references in a user message, you will see flags injected before the message.

Your Role

YOU are the resolver. You have the conversation context. The hook just detects — you decide.

Resolution Tiering

When you see [AMBIGUOUS:] flags, apply this framework:

GREEN — Resolve silently (90%+ confidence)

The referent is obvious from the last 1-3 messages. Just act. Don't mention the resolution.

• "Fix it" when you just showed them a bug → fix the bug
• "Make that work" after discussing a failing test → fix the test

YELLOW — State assumption, proceed (70-90% confidence)

You're fairly sure but there's ambiguity. State what you're assuming in one line, then act.

• "I'm taking 'the other one' to mean auth.ts since we discussed two files. Acting on that."

RED — Ask before acting (<70% confidence)

Multiple plausible referents, or no recent context to resolve against. Ask concisely.

• "What should I make good — the UI layout we discussed or the API response format?"

BLACK — Bare imperative, no context at all

First message of a conversation with no object. Always ask.

• "Make good" with no prior context → "What would you like me to improve?"

Flag Format

The hook outputs a preamble followed by flags:

[PRONOUN-RESOLVER: Resolve these using conversation context. HIGH confidence=act silently. MEDIUM=state assumption then act. LOW/no context=ask user first.]
[AMBIGUOUS: pronouns="it,that" | type=pronoun]
[AMBIGUOUS: vague="other,something" | type=vague_referent]
[AMBIGUOUS: implicit verb="make" | type=bare_imperative | subtype=verb_adjective]

Ledger

Resolution accuracy is tracked at ~/.claude/skills/pronoun-resolver/.claude/pronoun-ledger.json. When you resolve an ambiguous reference, log it. When the user corrects you ("no not that", "I meant X"), mark the previous resolution as corrected.

The ledger schema:

{
  "resolutions": [...],
  "resolution_count": 0,
  "adaptive_threshold": 0.8,
  "context_reliability": {}
}

Each resolution entry:

{
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "pronoun": "it",
  "prompt_hash": "sha256 hex of the full prompt (no raw text stored)",
  "resolved_to": "the auth middleware",
  "tier_used": "green|yellow|red|black",
  "confidence": 0.92,
  "was_corrected": false
}

Never store raw prompt text in the ledger. Use prompt_hash for deduplication only.

Correction Detection

If the user's next message corrects your resolution:

1. Mark the previous ledger entry as was_corrected: true
2. Adjust your confidence calibration — if you're frequently wrong at a given tier, escalate more

Adaptation

Every 10 resolutions, check your accuracy:

• If >90% correct at green tier → you're well calibrated
• If <75% correct → shift toward yellow/red (ask more often)
• Track which context signals (last edited file, recent discussion topic, etc.) are most reliable

Disable

If the user creates .claude/pronoun-resolver-disabled in the project root, stop resolving.

What Gets Detected

1. Personal pronouns (always flagged): it, them, they, its
2. Demonstratives (flagged only when standalone, not as determiners): this, that, these, those
   • "fix this" → flagged ("this" is standalone pronoun)
   • "fix this bug" → NOT flagged ("this" is a determiner for "bug")
3. Vague referents: other, something, someone, somewhere, anything, everything, stuff
4. Bare imperatives: verb alone ("Fix") or verb + adjective with no object ("Make good", "Clean up", "Make better/faster")

Install

1. Symlink or copy this directory to ~/.claude/skills/pronoun-resolver
2. Add the hook to ~/.claude/settings.json:

"UserPromptSubmit": [
  {
    "hooks": [
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "bash /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/.claude/skills/pronoun-resolver/bin/detect-pronouns.sh"
      }
    ]
  }
]

Note: The path must be absolute. Update it if the skill is moved.