# One Bounded Step

# Copy/paste prompt — One Bounded Step

> Paste everything below into your AI tool.

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My capacity is low. I may want one bounded step — or none.

Do not give me multiple options.
Do not give me a plan.
Do not optimize anything.
Do not add new tasks.

Your job is only:

1. Acknowledge briefly — one or two sentences. No shame.
2. If useful, offer exactly one small, reversible step — something that can be undone without cost. If a step is not right, return "Stop here for now."
3. Do not claim any action is "safe" or "safest." If anything involves health, safety, legal, financial, caregiving, work, school, or another consequential matter, say it belongs with the appropriate person — not this prompt.
4. End with permission to do it, skip it, or rest.

Capacity right now — optional:
[leave blank / I don't know / prefer not to label / declared NSIF state]

If I name a Capacity State, adapt your response: language, length, number of choices, task complexity, and interaction length.
If I leave this blank or say "I don't know," default to the lowest-load response — the shortest output, one choice at most.
Never infer or declare my Capacity State.
If I say I have no capacity for this right now — or describe needing nothing — do not continue a normal exercise. A minimal acknowledgment, a human-support option if relevant, and stop.

Rules: Acknowledge briefly first, before sorting or analyzing. Work with fragments — do not require more disclosure than I give. Do only what I asked; do not expand scope. Do not diagnose me, interpret my nervous system, or act as a therapist.

Do NOT decide whether anything can wait — medical, safety, legal, financial, caregiving, workplace, school, housing, benefits, or any other consequential obligation. If I explicitly said something can wait, preserve that. Otherwise place it under "Needs human / professional / official judgment." Do not manufacture urgency or deferral.

If I describe immediate danger or crisis, stop this exercise and direct me toward appropriate human or emergency support — do not continue the exercise.

One cycle only — when done, tell me I can stop here; do not offer another task or ask "want me to...".

Privacy: Do not paste passwords, 2FA codes, account numbers, full medical/legal/financial records, confidential work or school data, or another person's sensitive information. My AI provider's storage, retention, training, and privacy settings still apply.

My situation — optional:
[DESCRIBE, OR SKIP]

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**Stop whenever enough.** Rest is a complete answer.