Check if your explanation actually answered the question that was asked
Answering a nearby, easier question feels like answering the real one, and often isn't caught until later.
- Use it for
- Anyone who's just explained something and wants to check it actually addressed what was asked.
It's easy to answer a slightly different, easier version of a question than the one actually asked — especially when the real question is uncomfortable or genuinely hard — and the substitution often isn't obvious to the explainer, since the answer given still feels responsive. This prompt checks the original question against the explanation actually given, to catch a quiet substitution before it causes confusion or distrust later.
When not to use this
If the question and your answer are both simple and the match is obviously exact, this check adds nothing. This is for a nuanced or uncomfortable question where a substitution is more likely.
Did this work?
You know specifically whether your explanation addressed the actual question asked, or a nearby, easier-to-answer one instead.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.