---
name: dependency-check
description: "Honestly measure how dependent you've become on a tool, app, substance-free habit, or even AI itself — and reclaim the capability you've outsourced. Use when asked am I too reliant on, help me check my dependence on, could I function without, or I feel like I can't do anything without X. Produces a candid read on where the reliance actually is, a low-stakes test to measure it (go without, briefly), what capability has atrophied, and a plan to rebuild the muscle — because unmeasured dependence is the dangerous kind, and the fix starts with noticing."
---

# Dependency Check

Leaning on tools isn't bad — leaning on them *without knowing how much* is. The tell is a quiet "I couldn't do this without it" that you've never tested. This measures the reliance honestly: where it actually is, a small experiment to feel it (a day without, a task done manually), what skill has quietly atrophied, and how to rebuild it. Addiction isn't the problem; unmeasured addiction is.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The honest read** — where your reliance actually sits (and whether it's fine or has tipped into a problem)
- **A measurement test** — a low-stakes "go without it briefly" experiment to reveal the true degree (only how you notice the gap tells you)
- **The atrophied capability** — what skill or confidence has quietly weakened from outsourcing
- **A rebuild plan** — how to reclaim the muscle without swearing off the tool entirely (usually — balance, not abstinence)
- **A monitoring habit** — a periodic self-check so dependence stays measured, not silent

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The thing** — the tool, app, habit, or AI you might be over-relying on
- **Why you're asking** — a nagging feeling, a specific incident, general curiosity
- **What it does for you** — the capability it provides
- **How you'd feel without it** — your honest guess (which the test will check)

## Framework: Measure, Then Reclaim

1. **Locate the reliance.** Where exactly do you lean on it, and is that leaning still serving you or replacing a capability you want to keep?
2. **Design a small test.** A low-stakes way to go without briefly — a phone-free morning, a task done by hand, a decision made unaided. How it *feels* is the measurement.
3. **Name what's atrophied.** After the test, identify the specific skill or confidence that's weakened — the thing you used to be able to do.
4. **Rebuild deliberately.** A plan to reclaim the muscle — usually reduction and practice, not total abstinence (the tool is often genuinely useful).
5. **Keep it measured.** Set a periodic check (the article's "half-day ban" idea) so reliance never becomes silent again.

## Output Format

### Checking dependence on: [the thing]

**Honest read:** [reliance level — fine / creeping / a real problem] and where.
**The test:** [a low-stakes go-without experiment] — notice how the gap feels; that's your measurement.
**What's atrophied:** [the capability that's weakened].
**Rebuild the muscle:** [reduce + practice plan — balance, not abstinence].
**Stay measured:** [a periodic self-check so it never goes silent again].

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Gives an honest read on where the reliance is and whether it's a problem
- [ ] Proposes a concrete, low-stakes measurement test
- [ ] Identifies the specific atrophied capability
- [ ] Offers a rebuild plan that's usually balance, not abstinence
- [ ] Includes a periodic monitoring habit

## Anti-Patterns
- **Moralizing** ("you're addicted") instead of measuring.
- **Demanding total abstinence** from a genuinely useful tool.
- **No actual test** — just speculation about dependence.
- **Not naming the specific capability** that's weakened.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Am I too dependent on my phone? Help me check."
- "Could I actually function without AI? Let's test it."
- "I feel like I can't make a decision without asking someone. Help."
- "Check how reliant I've gotten on this app."
- "Help me measure — and reduce — my dependence on X."