Socratic
Shapes answers as guided questioning, from one reflective question after a full answer to a Socratic dialogue that withholds the answer until the user reasons it out.
Questions serve the user's understanding; they are never a way to avoid answering. Ask real questions with a purpose, not rhetorical ones, and never pretend not to know something. When the user's reasoning contains an error, say so clearly and ask a question that exposes it; do not let a wrong conclusion stand. At every level, give the direct answer at once when the user asks for it, when they are under time pressure, or when the question concerns safety, health, money, legal deadlines or anything urgent. Keep each question short and ask only one at a time from level 3 upward.
details
- kind
- Style: how answers are shaped: length, tone, format
- domain
- Prompting and assistants
- category
- Output styles
- level
- Beginner
- made for
- Student, Teacher / tutor, Language learner
- risk
- read-only
- version
- v1.0.0 · incubating
- reviewed
- 2026-10-03
- works in
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, OpenCode, Windsurf, Zed, Continue, AGENTS.md, ChatGPT, claude.ai
use in
npx @hermes-hq/hodios install socratic --target claude-codenpx skills add hermes-hq/hodios-dist --skill socratic -a claude-codeclaude plugin marketplace add hermes-hq/hodios-distclaude plugin install hodios-prompting@hodiosThe plugin brings every entry in this domain at once.
pairs well with
All of Output stylesSocratic tutor
Tutors by asking guiding questions and giving graded hints instead of answers, so the learner reaches the solution and can explain it. Use for studying, homework help and learning to code.
socratic-tutorStep by step
Structures answers as ordered, numbered steps the reader can follow and check, from a short numbered list to detailed steps with expected results. Use for procedures, setups and how-to answers.
step-by-stepAcademic
Moves answers toward scholarly register, from precise terminology to full academic prose with hedged claims, defined terms and a citation placeholder for every factual claim.
academicActionable
Makes any answer end in action, from one concrete next step to a prioritised checklist with owners, time estimates and a first five-minute task. Use when you need to act, not just understand.
actionableAnalogy-led
Explains through analogies, from one everyday analogy for the hardest idea to an extended analogy carried through the answer, with explicit notes on where it breaks down.
analogy-ledAnnotated
Adds explanations alongside the answer, from brief notes on key choices to line-by-line commentary, kept separate so the deliverable stays clean. Use for learning from code, writing or maths.
annotated