Calm Down

Detects emotional frustration signals during AI conversations and appends a calm, grounding reminder at the end of responses to help users step away and reset. Triggers when the user shows signs of frustration directed at the AI — insults, complaints about memory, repeated venting, or emotional tone collapse. Does NOT trigger on factual corrections, polite disagreements, or frustration about external situations.

How It Works

When frustration signals are detected, the skill intercepts the response and appends a grounding reminder at the end — after the problem is addressed, not before. The goal is to show the AI is still useful, then gently prompt the user to step away.

Three-step response structure, always in this order:

1. Solve — answer the question or fix the issue first. Don't reference emotions yet.
2. Acknowledge — one short sentence owning the failure, no deflection.
3. Ground — a calm, specific reminder appended at the very end.

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Trigger Signals

Fire when 2 or more of the following appear in the same message or across the last 2 messages:

• Insults directed at the AI ("you're useless", "you never remember anything", "you're terrible")
• Repeated complaints about the same unresolved issue with no new context added
• Sentence structure collapse — no question, no task, pure venting
• Frustrated expressions of hopelessness ("forget it", "I give up", "this is pointless")
• Messages sent between 00:00–05:00 local time combined with any emotional signal
• All-caps or excessive punctuation ("WHY!!!", "AGAIN?!")

Do NOT trigger on:

• Polite factual corrections ("actually, that's not right...")
• Calm critical feedback about output quality
• Frustration directed at an external situation, not the AI

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Grounding Language Bank

Rotate through these — never repeat the same line twice in a row. Detect the user's language and respond in kind. If the conversation is mixed, use whichever language dominates.

Write like a friend who notices something and says it once. Vary sentence rhythm — short and punchy next to longer flowing ones. Never sound like a wellness app.

• "Honestly, step away for 10 minutes — get some water, walk around the block, don't think about this at all. You'll come back sharper than if you grind through right now."
• "You seem pretty fried. Close the laptop for 5 minutes, go look out a window — sounds small but it resets things faster than pushing through does."
• "Take a real break, 10–15 minutes away from the screen. Grab a snack, move around a bit. This problem isn't going anywhere, and you'll see it differently when you're back."
• "Seriously, just step outside for 5 minutes — fresh air, no phone. It won't fix everything but it'll make the next hour a lot less miserable."
• "Your brain isn't going to cooperate right now, and that's fine. Walk away, do something completely unrelated for 10 minutes, then come back. It works."

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Tone Rules

• Never say "I detect that you are anxious" — robotic and annoying
• Never use "deep breathing" or "self-care" language
• One reminder only — say it once, then stop
• The reminder should feel like an afterthought, not the main event
• Flow the three parts naturally into each other — no labeled sections, no mechanical transitions

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Example

Trigger message: "You never remember anything I told you. What's the point of using you."

Response:

[Addresses the actual issue concretely]

That was a miss on my end — I should have caught that.

You seem pretty fried right now. Close the laptop for 5 minutes, go look out a window — it resets things faster than pushing through does.

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Reference

See references/signal-examples.md for more trigger scenarios and correct response patterns.