# How to Adjust Rule 9 in i-have-adhd to Allow Lists Longer Than 5 Items

> Learn how to adjust Rule 9 in i-have-adhd to allow unlimited list items. Modify SKILL.md to increase or remove the 5-item cap for longer workflows.

- Repository: [Ayoub Ghriss/i-have-adhd](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-08-05

---

**Modify [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md) to increase or remove the 5-item cap on lists when workflows genuinely require more steps.**

The **i-have-adhd** repository provides a portable skill that reshapes coding assistant responses for ADHD-friendly formatting. By default, **Rule 6 caps all lists at five items** to prevent overwhelm, but the skill is designed to be forked and customized. This guide shows exactly how to adjust that limit in the source.

## Where Rule 9 (formerly Rule 6) Lives

The 5-item cap is defined in **[SKILL.md]**, the core skill definition file. According to the source, the rule states:

> **6. Cap lists at five items**

The repository's architecture separates the style guide from agent adapters, so changing this behavior requires editing only one file.

## Step-by-Step: Increasing the List Limit

### 1. Locate and Open SKILL.md

```bash
git clone https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd.git
cd i-have-adhd/skills/i-have-adhd
nano SKILL.md

```

### 2. Find Rule 6 in the Document

Search for the numbered rule about list caps. In [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md), you'll find it approximately midway through the 10-rule style guide:

```

6. **Cap lists at five items** – Break longer procedures into sub-lists
   with clear headings, or ask the user which 5 items to tackle first.

```

### 3. Modify the Rule to Allow Longer Lists

Replace with your adjusted version. Options include:

**Option A: Raise to 10 items**

```markdown
6. **Cap lists at ten items** – For complex migrations or refactors, up to ten
   bounded steps are acceptable. Beyond ten, split into titled phases.

```

**Option B: Conditional cap based on context**

```markdown
6. **Cap lists at five items by default** – Allow 6–10 items when:
   - The user explicitly requests "all steps"
   - Steps are identical boilerplate (e.g., "run this on 8 files")
   - Use sub-lists or pagination for 11+ items.

```

**Option C: Remove the cap entirely**

```markdown
6. **Keep lists scannable** – Prioritize 5 items, but match the true
   complexity of the task. Never artificially split coherent 7-step procedures.

```

### 4. Update the Pre-Send Checklist

[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md) includes a pre-send validation checklist. Locate it and adjust the list-capping item:

Before:

```

- [ ] No list exceeds 5 items

```

After (for 10-item variant):

```

- [ ] No list exceeds 10 items unless user requested "show all"

```

### 5. Commit and Deploy Your Fork

```bash
git add SKILL.md
git commit -m "Adjust rule 6: increase list cap to 10 for complex workflows"
git push origin main

```

## Installing Your Modified Skill

### Claude Code

```bash
claude plugin add /path/to/your/fork/skills/i-have-adhd

```

Or use the always-on hook with your custom version:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.claude
ln -s /path/to/your/fork/skills/i-have-adhd ~/.claude/i-have-adhd-custom

```

### Gemini CLI

```bash
cp /path/to/your/fork/skills/i-have-adhd/agents/gemini.toml ~/.gemini/commands/i-have-adhd-custom.toml

```

Edit the `toml` file to point `skill_file` to your modified [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md).

## Verification: Testing Longer Lists

Start a session and verify the new behavior:

> **User:** List all 7 steps to migrate from Express 4 to 5

Expected output with adjusted rule:

```text
1. Run `npm install express@5`.
2. Update error handling: replace `next(err)` patterns in `src/middleware/error.js`.
3. Migrate `body-parser` imports to built-in `express.json()`.
4. Update route string patterns in `src/routes/api.js`.
5. Replace deprecated `res.send(status)` with `res.sendStatus`.
6. Run `npm test` to catch signature changes.
7. Next: paste any `TypeError` from step 6.

```

If the assistant still truncates to 5 items, verify your skill file is loaded and no other rule (like "suppress tangents") is triggering premature cutoff.

## Summary

- **Primary change:** Edit [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md) Rule 6 to adjust or remove the 5-item limit.
- **Secondary change:** Update the pre-send checklist to match your new threshold.
- **Deploy:** Point agent adapters to your forked skill file.
- **Validate:** Test with a 6+ step request to confirm the adjustment works.

The i-have-adhd skill is intentionally minimal and fork-friendly—all behavior changes flow from [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I know if my change broke the skill?

The repository includes [`scripts/run_evals.py`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/scripts/run_evals.py) for validation. Run `python3 scripts/run_evals.py validate` to check your modified [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md) is well-formed, then `python3 scripts/run_evals.py run --trials 3` with a small budget to verify output quality.

### Can I have different caps for different agents?

Yes. Create agent-specific skill files: [`SKILL-gemini.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL-gemini.md) with stricter limits, [`SKILL-claude.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL-claude.md) with relaxed ones. Update each agent's adapter (e.g., [`agents/gemini.toml`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/agents/gemini.toml)) to point to its corresponding file.

### Will removing the cap hurt the ADHD-friendly goal?

According to the source design, the cap prevents cognitive overload. If you remove it entirely, compensate with stronger sub-list grouping or progress indicators. The skill's effectiveness is measured by the evaluation rubric in [`scripts/run_evals.py`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/scripts/run_evals.py)—run evaluations before and after your change to quantify impact.

### Does the rule number matter? The analysis mentions Rule 9.

The repository uses sequential numbering (1–10). Earlier descriptions referenced Rule 6 for list capping. Verify the current numbering in your [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/SKILL.md) version—the principle (cap lists at N items) remains the same regardless of its position in the sequence.