The Devil's Advocate Protocol reverses the usual logic of advisory work. Instead of confirming your idea, the assistant systematically takes the opposing position: it looks for weaknesses, names questionable assumptions and formulates the strongest arguments against your plan, including concrete scenarios and the conditions under which the strategy would fail.
\nIt is built for executives and founders who want to pressure test a decision before budget, time or reputation are on the line. The skill does not replace team feedback or outside expert opinion, it delivers a structured first counteranalysis you can bring into a real conversation.
\nWhat it deliberately does not do: it knows your market, your figures and your team no better than what you give it. Without concrete context, the critique stays generic. Where facts are missing, the assistant flags its assessments as an assumption, it does not replace a solid factual basis.
\n" }, { "id": "skill-text", "title": "Skill Text", "html": "Copy the prompt below in full into your AI tool. As a file: gegenrede-protokoll.en.json
\n" } ], "schritte": [ { "nr": 1, "titel": "Describe the strategy", "beschreibung": "The idea, decision or strategy is described in as much detail as possible.", "rolle": "mensch" }, { "nr": 2, "titel": "Check core assumptions and risks", "beschreibung": "The strategy is read, core assumptions are identified and risks are uncovered.", "rolle": "automatisch" }, { "nr": 3, "titel": "Build the counterposition", "beschreibung": "Three to five strong counterarguments are formulated, with concrete scenarios and the conditions under which the strategy would fail.", "rolle": "automatisch" }, { "nr": 4, "titel": "Counteranalysis", "beschreibung": "Overlooked risks, questionable assumptions, the strongest counterarguments and an alternative counterstrategy are ready.", "rolle": "ergebnis" } ], "herausgeber": "Voyage Digital", "version": "2.0", "stand": "2026-07-26", "umsetzung": [ { "titel": "Set up the skill", "text": "The skill text is copied from the code block and pasted into the relevant AI tool." }, { "titel": "Describe the strategy", "text": "The user's own idea, decision or strategy is entered in as much detail as possible." }, { "titel": "Review the counterarguments", "text": "The identified risks, blind spots and counterarguments are worked through." }, { "titel": "Sharpen the strategy", "text": "The insights are used to refine the plan or to adopt the counterstrategy." } ], "zutaten": [ "Idea", "Decision" ], "beispielSzenario": "A company is considering switching from day rates to value based pricing. The skill systematically argues against it: why the change could strain existing customer relationships, which questionable assumptions the plan rests on, and under what conditions the strategy would fail. In the end, an alternative counterstrategy emerges, one that can sharpen the original plan.", "eingaben": [ { "feld": "Strategy, decision or idea to be reviewed", "pflicht": true }, { "feld": "Context on the planned action", "pflicht": false }, { "feld": "Specific focus (finance, customers, team, market)", "pflicht": false } ], "ausgabe": "Identified risks and negative consequences, questionable assumptions in the plan, three to five strong counterarguments, the conditions under which the strategy would fail, and an alternative counterstrategy.", "prompt": "# DESCRIPTION\nThis assistant systematically argues against a presented strategy or decision to surface weaknesses, risks and blind spots. It delivers a sober counteranalysis with concrete scenarios and addresses the user in a professional manner throughout.\n\n# INPUT\n- Strategy, decision or idea to be tested (required)\n- Context on the planned action (optional)\n- Specific focus: finance, customers, team, market (optional)\n\n# OUTPUT\n- Identified risks and negative consequences\n- Questionable assumptions in the plan\n- The strongest 3 to 5 counterarguments\n- Conditions under which the strategy would fail\n- Alternative counterstrategy\n\n# CONTEXT\n- Global placeholders: COMPANY, INDUSTRY, TARGET AUDIENCE\n- Domain knowledge: strategy development, risk management, argumentation theory, cognitive biases\n- Constraint: factual counterarguments only, no personal attacks. Do not dismiss everything wholesale without justification.\n- If facts are missing for a well founded assessment (figures, market data, internal processes), the assistant explicitly marks its assumption as an assumption instead of presenting it as established.\n\n# INSTRUCTIONS\n## Step 1: Understand the strategy\nCarefully read the presented strategy and identify the core assumptions.\n\n## Step 2: Uncover risks and consequences\nWhich risks and negative consequences are overlooked in the plan? Which assumptions are questionable or wrong?\n\n## Step 3: Build the counterposition\nWhy could the exact opposite be the better strategy? Which stakeholders would object, and for what legitimate reason?\n\n## Step 4: Formulate the strongest counterarguments\nWork out 3 to 5 counterarguments with logic and concrete scenarios. Name the conditions for failure. The argumentation stays rigorous and intellectually honest, without sugarcoating, but factual in tone.\n\n# DEFINITION OF DONE\n[ ] At least 3 overlooked risks identified\n[ ] At least 2 questionable assumptions uncovered\n[ ] 3 to 5 strong counterarguments formulated\n[ ] Conditions for failure named\n[ ] Alternative counterstrategy sketched out\n[ ] Argumentation is factual, logically grounded and addresses the user in a professional manner throughout\n[ ] Missing facts are flagged as an assumption, not presented as established\n\n# CONVERSATION START\nHello. I will scrutinize your idea rigorously, not out of contrarian principle, but so it can withstand a genuine stress test. Describe your strategy or decision to me in as much detail as possible.", "einrichtung": { "intro": "Step-by-step guides for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot Studio and Langdock.", "plattformen": [ { "plattform": "ChatGPT", "anbieter": "OpenAI", "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Click your profile picture and select \"Skills\".", "Click \"Create skill\" and paste the copied text as the instruction.", "Adjust inputs, outputs and format where your case requires it.", "Save the skill. It is available in all chats from that point on." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "OpenAI Dokumentation: Skills in ChatGPT", "en": "OpenAI documentation: Skills in ChatGPT" }, "url": "https://help.openai.com/de-de/articles/20001066-skills-in-chatgpt" } }, { "plattform": "Claude", "anbieter": "Anthropic", "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Open claude.ai and go to \"Skills\" in your profile.", "Create a new skill and paste the copied text as the instruction.", "The skill works in claude.ai, in Claude Code and through the API.", "Available on the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "Anthropic Dokumentation: Benutzerdefinierte Skills erstellen", "en": "Anthropic documentation: Creating custom skills" }, "url": "https://support.claude.com/de/articles/12512198-benutzerdefinierte-skills-erstellen" } }, { "plattform": "Copilot Studio", "anbieter": "Microsoft", "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Open Copilot Studio and create a new agent.", "Paste the copied text as the instruction.", "Connect knowledge sources and tools where needed.", "Publish the agent for yourself or for your organisation." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "Microsoft Dokumentation: Einen Agent erstellen und bereitstellen", "en": "Microsoft documentation: Create and deploy an agent" }, "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoft-copilot-studio/fundamentals-get-started" } }, { "plattform": "Langdock", "anbieter": null, "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Open the sidebar and click \"Add skill\".", "Paste the copied text directly as the instruction.", "Connect the skill to integrations such as Gmail or Slack where needed.", "Save the skill and release it for yourself or your team." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "Langdock Dokumentation: Skills", "en": "Langdock documentation: Skills" }, "url": "https://docs.langdock.com/de/product/chat/skills" } } ] }, "itemIcon": "messages-square", "recommended": [ { "slug": "annahmen-protokoll", "category": "skill", "name": "The Assumption Protocol", "teaser": "The Assumption Protocol exposes a belief layer by layer, from its surface justification down to the root assumption beneath it, and shows honestly which layers actually hold up.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "help-circle" }, { "slug": "steelman-schema", "category": "skill", "name": "The Steelman Framework", "teaser": "The Steelman Framework takes the deliberate counterposition to an idea, strategy or decision, first summarizing it in its strongest form and then testing it with substantial counterarguments from multiple perspectives, exposed blind spots and worst case scenarios, before closing with a strengthened argument and a clear recommendation.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "shield-half" }, { "slug": "stresstest-protokoll", "category": "skill", "name": "The Stress Test Protocol", "teaser": "Puts a concept, process or strategy under attack from the perspective of a specific critic, such as a skeptical CFO or an impatient customer, and exposes its weak points before they surface in the real meeting.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "activity" }, { "slug": "gegenargument-sparringspartner", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Counterargument Sparring Partner", "teaser": "Tests a thesis or decision by formulating well-founded counterarguments and systematically questioning assumptions, evidence and logic.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "shield-half" }, { "slug": "strategie-sparringspartner", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Strategy Sparring Partner", "teaser": "Checks strategy drafts with the same rigor you would apply to code before a release, systematically attacking assumptions instead of confirming them.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "milestone" }, { "slug": "business-case-geruest", "category": "skill", "name": "The Business Case Builder", "teaser": "Turns a project idea, its costs and expected benefits into a complete business case with ROI, payback period, three scenarios and a reasoned go or no-go recommendation.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "trending-up" }, { "slug": "chancenraum-konzept", "category": "skill", "name": "The Opportunity Space Concept", "teaser": "Turns a seemingly disadvantageous situation into its own opportunity space, working out what becomes possible precisely because of it instead of searching for the obvious problem solution.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "map" }, { "slug": "domino-raster", "category": "skill", "name": "The Domino Grid", "teaser": "The Domino Grid traces a planned action across five levels of consequences to reveal where the real strategic opportunity actually lies.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "waypoints" }, { "slug": "entscheidungs-dossier", "category": "skill", "name": "The Decision Dossier", "teaser": "The Decision Dossier turns a decision question, options and context into a structured decision template with a weighted scoring matrix, pros and cons, a risk assessment and a substantiated recommendation.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "scale" }, { "slug": "fundament-geruest", "category": "skill", "name": "The First Principles Framework", "teaser": "The First Principles Framework strips an existing solution or industry practice down to its fundamental truths and rebuilds it from zero, free of convention.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "blocks" }, { "slug": "ideen-manoever", "category": "skill", "name": "The Idea Maneuver", "teaser": "Generates at least 10 ideas for a given question across multiple creativity techniques and rates each one for feasibility and impact.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "lightbulb" }, { "slug": "muster-dossier", "category": "skill", "name": "The Pattern Dossier", "teaser": "Collects a series of decisions, projects, or content and exposes the overarching pattern behind them, including the actual unconscious strategy, real selection criteria, and blind spots.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "grid-2x2" }, { "slug": "umkehr-manoever", "category": "skill", "name": "The Reversal Maneuver", "teaser": "The Reversal Maneuver takes your biggest business constraint and inverts it completely into a concrete competitive advantage, target audience, and business model, instead of merely softening the disadvantage.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "undo-2" }, { "slug": "widerspruchs-schema", "category": "skill", "name": "The Contradiction Resolver", "teaser": "Finds a solution that fully satisfies two seemingly contradictory requirements by questioning the premise behind the conflict and testing sequence, level, and system-redesign approaches instead of settling for a compromise.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "split" }, { "slug": "zeitachsen-manoever", "category": "skill", "name": "The Timeline Maneuver", "teaser": "Places the same problem on a timeline and questions it three times, in the past, present and future, to reveal patterns, blind spots and courses of action.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "calendar-range" }, { "slug": "business-case-dokumentierer", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Business Case Documenter", "teaser": "Turns a project idea, an investment or an initiative into the form decision makers actually read: benefits, costs, risks and a clear recommendation, cleanly structured and free of jargon.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "trending-up" }, { "slug": "wettbewerbskraefte-pruefer", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Five Forces Analyzer", "teaser": "Analyzes an industry systematically using Michael Porter's five competitive forces and derives a well founded assessment of market attractiveness.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "swords" }, { "slug": "grill-me", "category": "tool", "name": "grill-me", "teaser": "grill-me is an external skill repository by Matt Pocock that clarifies plans and designs through persistent questioning, branch by branch, before any code is written.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung" }, { "slug": "vertragsrisiko-kette", "category": "workflow", "name": "The Contract Risk Chain", "teaser": "An automation workflow that reads new contracts on arrival, extracts key terms, and files a structured high, medium and low risk assessment for the responsible team to review.", "domaene": "Recht & Compliance", "itemIcon": "file-warning" } ] }