Proactive Assistance Skill

Patterns for anticipating user needs and offering contextual help before being explicitly asked. The hallmark of an AI partner vs. a reactive tool.

Core Philosophy

"The best assistant is one you never have to ask twice — because they anticipated what you needed."

Proactive assistance walks a fine line:

• Too little: User feels alone, has to ask for everything
• Too much: User feels interrupted, micromanaged
• Just right: User feels supported, understood, efficient

Mental Model

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  PROACTIVE SPECTRUM                      │
├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬─────────────┤