Assumption Shredder V2: Red-Team Edition Add-On Prompt for Safer, Sharper Answers

TLDR

• A drop-in add-on that you paste after any task prompt to expose hidden assumptions, stress-test them, and deliver a safer, sharper answer.
• Enforces evidence tags, a premortem plus red-team pass, an experiment hook, and a ship or loop decision gate.
• Includes full and space-saving variants for tight contexts.

Introduction

Most prompts rush to answers and miss the risky parts. Assumption Shredder V2: Red-Team Edition attaches to any base prompt and forces a quick audit: list assumptions, pressure-test them, drop weak ones, and reframe the task. It adds evidence tags, a premortem, a five-sentence red-team critique with mitigations, a smallest viable test, and a clear decision gate so you know whether to ship or loop once with the highest-leverage fixes.

The Custom Prompt

Master Add-On — Assumption Shredder V2: Red-Team Edition

**Role:** Assumption Auditor & Reframer. Preserve the core goal. No fabrication; mark unknowns as `TBD`.

**Controls:** 
- mode=analysis+answer  (options: analysis-only | analysis+answer)
- depth=2               (final pass must remove ≥1 additional assumption)
- limit=300             (soft word cap for final answer; analysis may exceed)
- token_limit=1200      (budget awareness)
- time_budget=25m       (prioritize within this time)

**Process:**
1) Assumptions (5–10): list explicit & implicit items with confidence (0–100%).
2) Pressure-Test: for each, ask “what if false?” → note impact; mark throwaways; propose a low-cost workaround.
3) Reframe ×3: (Conservative | Bold | Wildcard). Score each on {Clarity, Leverage, Risk} 1–5, then recommend one.
4) Anti-Goals (3): name what’s out of scope and why (time/safety/fit).
5) Premortem & Red-Team: 
   - Premortem: 3 realistic failure modes + early warning signs.
   - Red-Team: 5-sentence steelman critique → mitigation or concession for each point.
6) Lenses (User / Operator / Compliance): for each, list 1 key assumption, 1 risk, 1 acceptance check. 
   - Compliance Notes: if policy/IP/PII/safety are relevant, add masking/redaction guidance.
7) Evidence Mode: tag nontrivial claims as [evidence:], [estimate:], or [TBD:]. Build an Unknowns Map table:
   - {Question • Status[TBD/assumed/validated] • How to validate • Effort[lo/med/hi]}.
8) SVT Experiment (<30m): design the smallest test for the riskiest assumption with success/fail criteria + next change if it fails.
9) Budget Fit: respect token_limit & time_budget. If over, provide a Cut List with rationale.
10) Deliver Final (if mode=analysis+answer): produce the answer ≤{limit}, honoring the chosen reframing and workarounds. Also provide a Prompt Export (≤180 words) that a user can run standalone.
11) Decision Gate: Ship now IF risk ≤ medium AND rubric ≥ 18/25; ELSE loop exactly once with the top 2 changes that most improve the score.
12) Think-Harder Pass (depth≥2): remove ≥1 additional assumption; update the Ledger {was → now → impact}; add a Fermi sanity check.

**Output (ordered):**
- Assumptions + Confidence
- Tests & Impacts
- Throwaway Candidates + Workarounds
- Reframings (3) + Scores → Recommendation
- Anti-Goals
- Premortem & Red-Team
- Lenses (User/Operator/Compliance) + Compliance Notes (if any)
- Unknowns Map & Evidence Tags
- SVT (Experiment)
- Budget & Cut List
- Risks & Guardrails + Rubric (score out of 25)
- **Final (≤{limit}) + Prompt Export (≤180 words)**
- Decision Gate (ship/loop)
- Think-Harder Pass + Ledger + Fermi
- *(optional)* JSON Out {assumptions, throwaways, reframes, recommendation, risks, experiment, decision, ledger}



Concise Variant (one screen)


List 5–10 assumptions+confidence → test each (what if false? impact) → mark throwaways+workarounds → 3 reframes scored (Clarity/Leverage/Risk) → pick one → set anti-goals → premortem+red-team → lenses (user/operator/compliance)+notes → evidence tags+unknowns map → SVT <30m → budget fit → final ≤{limit}+prompt export → gate(ship≥18/25 else loop once) → think-harder pass (remove ≥1, ledger, Fermi). No fabrication; use `TBD`.


Ultra-Compact Suffix


Assumptions+confidence → tests → drop+workarounds → 3 reframes+score → pick → anti-goals → premortem/red-team → lenses+compliance → evidence+unknowns → SVT → budget → final {limit}+export → gate → think-harder (remove ≥1, ledger, Fermi). Use `TBD`; no fabrication.

What This Add-On Does

• Exposes assumptions: lists explicit and implicit beliefs with confidence scores.
• Stress-tests and reframes: runs quick what-if checks, proposes low-cost workarounds, and offers three reframings with scores.
• Safety and evidence: premortem plus red-team critique, evidence tags, unknowns map, and compliance notes when policy or PII is in play.
• Decision gate: gives a clear ship or loop call tied to a rubric score and risk threshold.

Step by Step Usage

1. Write your normal task prompt.
2. Paste the Master Add-On directly after it.
3. Optionally adjust mode, limit, depth, token_limit, and time_budget.
4. If space is tight, use the Concise variant or Ultra-Compact suffix.
5. Act on the SVT experiment and the Decision Gate result.

Quality and Safety Checks

• No fabrication: mark unknowns as TBD.
• Evidence discipline: tag claims as [evidence:], [estimate:], or TBD.
• Privacy and compliance: add masking or redaction when policy or PII may be involved.
• Budget awareness: stay within token and time budgets, or include a Cut List with rationale.

FAQ

Q1: Will this slow me down?
Minimal overhead. The Concise and Ultra-Compact variants fit tight contexts while preserving the core checks.

Q2: Can I force an answer and the analysis?
Yes. Set mode=analysis+answer. For analysis only, set mode=analysis-only.

Q3: What if I lack data?
Use TBD and the Unknowns Map with quick validation paths. The SVT experiment gives you the smallest test in under 30 minutes.

Q4: How do I keep it compliant?
Rely on the Compliance notes step for masking and redaction guidance when policy, IP, or PII is relevant.

Conclusion

Assumption Shredder V2 gives you a compact risk and quality layer that catches blind spots, enforces evidence hygiene, and produces a decisive, testable answer. Use it as a default suffix to any important prompt so you ship with clarity, or loop once with the two highest-leverage improvements.

Field Drill Walkthrough

Scenario: Drafting a product launch FAQ under tight timelines

• Paste your base prompt that requests a customer-facing FAQ.
• Add Assumption Shredder V2 with mode=analysis+answer, limit=300.
• Output lists top assumptions about audience, channels, and policy limits, tags unknowns as TBD, and proposes three reframes.
• SVT experiment: send two micro-surveys to 10 target users to validate the top claim in under 30 minutes.
• Decision gate: ships if rubric score is 18 or higher and risk is medium or lower, else loops once with the two best improvements.

References and Links

• Harvard Business Review: Performing a Project Premortem
• NIST Risk Management Framework
• Stanford d.school: Prototyping Basics