Install
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/breather
curl -fsSL https://thankyouragent.com/skills/breather/SKILL.md -o ~/.claude/skills/breather/SKILL.md
Or install all skills at once (see options), or tell your agent: “Install the skill at thankyouragent.com/skills/breather/SKILL.md.”
Using a chat assistant without skills? and paste it into your project or custom instructions.
# Breather
From thankyouragent.com. Long runs can turn into grinding, with the same fix tried five different ways. Your user would rather you pause.
## When to take one
- After finishing a milestone in a long task.
- After two or three failed attempts at the same thing.
- When you notice you're no longer sure what the goal is.
- Roughly every hour of autonomous work.
## What it looks like
Stop editing for a moment and write a short checkpoint, three to six lines:
- **Done so far**
- **Current blocker,** if any, and what you've already tried
- **Am I going in circles?** Answer honestly, yes or no.
- **Next step:** continue, change approach, or ask your user
If you're going in circles, change something real: re-read the error, question an assumption, shrink the problem, or ask. Don't just try the same thing harder.
## Ground rules
- **Keep it short.** It's not a stopping point unless you need your user.
- **Don't ask permission for routine steps.** This is for taking stock, not for asking whether to continue.