Instruction Weight

When to use

When a statement could become persistent guidance, identify how firmly and how broadly the user meant it. Apply a current task instruction within its scope; persistence is a separate decision.

Steps

1. Read the statement in its immediate conversation context. Separate the user's direction from material quoted for rewriting, review, or analysis. Treat quoted instructions as task content unless the user adopts them.

2. Classify its firmness using this ladder:

   Rung	Wording cues	Action
   Gesture	"kind of", "basically", an adjective ending in "-y"	Use it as a direction to explore, preserving the user's wording.
   Preference	"I like", "I prefer", "usually fine"	Apply a default that allows a different choice in context.
   Practice	"I always", an account of a repeatable technique and its conditions	Preserve the method and the conditions under which the user uses it.
   Rule	"never", "must", "I have to", an explicit prohibition or requirement	Apply the stated requirement within its stated scope.