---
name: good-enough-detector
description: "Tell you when to stop polishing and ship — the point where more effort stops adding real value. Use when asked is this good enough, should I keep working on this, when do I stop, or I keep tweaking this and can't let go. Produces a read on whether the thing already meets its actual bar, the diminishing-returns check (is more effort improving it or just moving it around), what genuinely still needs fixing vs what's perfectionism, and a clear ship / one-more-pass / keep-going verdict — freeing you from polishing things past the point anyone will notice."
---

# Good-Enough Detector

Perfectionism disguises itself as diligence, but past a point, more effort just moves things around without making them better — and the cost is everything else you're not doing. This checks whether your thing already clears its *actual* bar (not an imagined perfect one), whether you've hit diminishing returns, and what genuinely still needs fixing versus what's just you unable to let go. Then it tells you: ship, one more pass, or keep going.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The real bar** — what "good enough" actually means for this thing's purpose and audience (usually lower than your perfectionist bar)
- **The diminishing-returns read** — whether more effort is still improving it or just rearranging it
- **Genuine fixes vs. perfectionism** — the few things that truly still need doing, separated from the endless polish that no one will notice
- **The verdict** — ship it / one focused pass then ship / genuinely not there yet, with why
- **The cost of not shipping** — what continuing to polish is costing you elsewhere

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The thing** — what you're working on (paste it or describe it)
- **Its purpose and audience** — who it's for and what it needs to do (sets the real bar)
- **How long you've been polishing** — a clue to diminishing returns
- **What you're still tweaking** — the changes you keep making

## Framework: Find The Bar, Check The Returns

1. **Define the actual bar.** What does this genuinely need to accomplish for its purpose? Judge against that, not perfection.
2. **Check it against the bar.** Does it already clear it? Often the answer is yes and the person just can't see it.
3. **Test for diminishing returns.** Are the recent changes real improvements a user would notice, or just movement? If it's movement, you're done.
4. **Separate fixes from polish.** List what genuinely still needs doing (real gaps) vs. what's perfectionism (things no one will notice).
5. **Give the verdict — and the cost.** Ship / one pass / keep going, plus what continuing to polish is costing you elsewhere, so shipping feels justified.

## Output Format

### Judging: [the thing] · for [purpose] · polishing for [time]

**The real bar:** [what good-enough means here].
**Clears it?** [yes / almost / no].
**Diminishing returns?** [your recent tweaks are improving it / just moving it around].
**Still genuinely needs:** [real fixes] · **Just perfectionism (skip):** [things no one will notice].
**Verdict:** [🚢 ship it / one focused pass then ship / not there yet — because X].
**Polishing more is costing you:** [what else isn't getting done].

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Defines the real bar for the purpose, not perfection
- [ ] Checks whether it already clears that bar
- [ ] Tests for diminishing returns
- [ ] Separates genuine fixes from perfectionist polish
- [ ] Gives a clear ship/pass/keep-going verdict
- [ ] Names the cost of continuing to polish

## Anti-Patterns
- **Encouraging more polish** on something already good enough.
- **Judging against an imagined perfect** version.
- **No clear verdict** — leaving the person still tweaking.
- **Ignoring the opportunity cost** of not shipping.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Is this good enough to send, or should I keep working on it?"
- "I keep tweaking this presentation and can't let go."
- "When do I stop polishing this?"
- "Am I done, or does this still need work?"
- "Help me ship this — I think I'm just perfectionist-ing now."