formalize-problem

Formalize Problem

Transform a research goal into precise, testable hypotheses with explicit success/failure conditions.

Usage

Invoke this skill by name with the research goal as a quoted string. On slash-command hosts, prefix with / (e.g. /formalize-problem "<goal>").

formalize-problem "determine if the security proof in Section 4 holds under asynchrony"

Instructions

1. Read Inputs

Always read:

• reaper-workspace/notes/clarified-goal.md — refined research goal, scope, assumptions, and success criteria
• reaper-workspace/notes/paper-summary.md — what the paper claims and how. If this file does not exist (paper-less mode), proceed without it — use the literature review and clarified goal as primary inputs instead.
• The research goal from the argument (use the refined goal from clarified-goal.md if available)

Read selectively from:

• reaper-workspace/notes/literature.md — focus on the "Key Prior Results" and "Gaps Identified" sections, not the full paper tables. Only deep-read individual paper entries if a specific prior result is needed for hypothesis screening. In paper-less mode, this becomes the primary technical context — read it more thoroughly.

2. Identify the Core Question

What exactly needs to be resolved? Be specific. "Is this protocol secure?" is too vague. "Does the safety proof of Protocol X hold when the adversary is adaptive rather than static?" is testable.

3. Pin Down Model Assumptions (must be unambiguous before hypotheses)

Pin down every dimension of the system/trust model. If any dimension is left vague, the investigation will produce ambiguous results. Consult ../reaper/references/model.md for the domain-appropriate checklist of dimensions that must be specified. Every field must have a concrete answer, not "TBD".

Every hypothesis must reference these model assumptions by specifying which parameters it holds under. A hypothesis that states a claim without pinning every relevant dimension is rejected.