jongwony/epistemic-protocols
Epistemic protocols for Claude Code — structure human-AI interaction quality at every decision point
Epistemic Protocols
When AI collaboration goes off-track, you redo everything. These protocols catch direction errors early — at the plan level, not the code level. Fix the direction, not the implementation.
Why
Correcting a wrong direction at the plan level costs one conversation turn.
At the code level, it costs hours of rework.
These protocols insert structured checkpoints at decision points — intent, goal, context, perspective, execution — so you and AI stay aligned before committing to implementation.
Quick Start
Install all protocols and utilities:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jongwony/epistemic-protocols/main/scripts/install.sh | bashThen run /onboard — learn protocols through hands-on experience: scenarios from your past sessions, real protocol trials, and Socratic quizzes.
For individual plugin installation, see each protocol's README.
Protocols
| Protocol | Command | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Hermeneia | /clarify |
AI keeps building what you didn't ask for |
| Telos | /goal |
You know you want something but can't define success |
| Aitesis | /inquire |
AI charges ahead without asking what it needs to know |
| Prothesis | /frame |
Need to look at this from multiple angles, not sure which |
| Analogia | /ground |
AI's advice sounds right in theory but unclear in your context |
| Syneidesis | /gap |
About to commit but might be missing something |
| Prosoche | /attend |
Executing tasks and want risky actions gated for your judgment |
| Epharmoge | /contextualize |
AI's output is correct but doesn't fit your situation |
| Horismos | /bound |
You need to define what you know vs what AI should figure out |
| Katalepsis | /grasp |
AI made big changes and you need to actually understand them |
Concern clusters: Planning (/clarify, /goal, /inquire) · Analysis (/frame, /ground) · Decision (/gap) · Execution (/attend) · Verification (/contextualize) · Cross-cutting (/bound, /grasp)
Utilities
| Plugin | Command | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Epistemic Cooperative | /onboard, /report, /dashboard |
Protocol learning, usage analysis, and coverage dashboard |
Design
Each protocol targets a specific point where AI collaboration can go wrong. For architecture details and design philosophy, see CLAUDE.md.
Greek Codex
| Protocol | Greek | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Prothesis | πρόθεσις | Setting forth |
| Syneidesis | συνείδησις | Shared knowing |
| Hermeneia | ἑρμηνεία | Interpretation |
| Katalepsis | κατάληψις | Grasping, comprehension |
| Telos | τέλος | End, purpose |
| Horismos | ὁρισμός | A bounding |
| Aitesis | αἴτησις | Request, inquiry |
| Analogia | ἀναλογία | Proportion |
| Prosoche | προσοχή | Attention |
| Epharmoge | ἐφαρμογή | Application, fitting |
License
MIT