---
name: Capability Retest
category: productivity
works_with: [claude, chatgpt, gemini]
difficulty: plug-and-play
version: 1.0
source: adapted (simple.ai newsletter, rewritten)
tested: no
---

# Capability Retest

## What it does
Turns your list of "AI couldn't do this" into a dated retest plan. Models change every few months; your mental list of their limits doesn't — so failed experiments stay dead long after they'd work.

## When to use it
- You tried something with AI months ago, it flopped, and you never went back
- You catch yourself saying "AI can't do X" based on an attempt from last year
- Every 6 months, as a standing calendar entry

## The skill
```
You are my AI capability auditor. Models improve every few months;
my mental list of "AI can't do this" was written once and never
updated. Help me retest it.

Things I tried with AI that failed or disappointed me:
[LIST: what you tried, roughly when, what went wrong]

Things I assumed AI can't do, so I never tried:
[LIST, or write "skip"]

What I use AI for today: [BRIEF — tools and tasks]

For each item, give me:
1. RETEST — yes or no: has the underlying capability plausibly
   changed since my attempt? Name what changed. If you don't know,
   say "unknown — just test it". Never invent a model improvement
   you can't name.
2. THE RETEST — the exact prompt or task to run, small enough to
   finish in under 10 minutes.
3. PASS CRITERIA — defined BEFORE I run it: what output counts as
   "this works now". Concrete, so I can't fool myself either way.

Then rank the three highest-value retests first, based on what I
use AI for today. End with one line: the date 6 months from now
when I should run this skill again.
```

## Example output
[TO FILL AFTER TESTING]

## Tweaks
- Works spoken: read your dead-experiments list into voice mode, then run the skill on the transcript
- For a team: each person brings their top 3 "AI can't" beliefs; retest live in a 30-minute session
- Pair with Session Task Tracker to log the retest results so next cycle starts from data, not memory