Maximum Number of Items and Ranking Rules in i‑have‑adhd Lists

The i‑have‑adhd skill enforces a strict maximum of five items per list, with ranking determined by order—first item is highest priority.

The ayghri/i-have-adhd repository defines a specialized response style designed for users with ADHD. One of its core constraints governs how information is structured into manageable, prioritized chunks. Understanding these limits ensures your outputs comply with the skill's accessibility-focused design principles.

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The Five‑Item Hard Cap

According to skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md lines 103‑106, no list may exceed five items. This restriction exists to prevent cognitive overload and maintain focus on actionable, high‑priority information.

The skill documentation explicitly states the goal: present five ranked items instead of ten unranked items. Quantity is sacrificed for clarity and executability.

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How Ranking Works

Ranking is positional and implicit. The first item in any list carries the highest priority; each subsequent item descends in importance, with the fifth being lowest priority within that group.

No additional markers (stars, labels, or numbers beyond the ordered list) are required. The sequence itself communicates urgency and importance.

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Handling Content That Exceeds Five Items

When natural content would produce more than five items, the skill requires splitting into prioritized groups rather than compressing or omitting information. Common split strategies include:

• "Do now" vs. "Later"
• "Must" vs. "Nice to have"

Each resulting group independently obeys the five‑item limit, with its own internal ranking.

Example: Simple Five‑Item List (Within Limit)

1. Open `src/config.ts`
2. Add the `API_KEY` environment variable
3. Run `npm install dotenv`
4. Restart the development server
5. Verify the endpoint returns a 200 response

Example: Splitting a Longer Action Set

**Do now (top 5)**
1. Add `dotenv` to the project (`npm install dotenv`)
2. Create a `.env` file with `API_KEY=…`
3. Load the env file in `src/config.ts` (`require('dotenv').config()`)
4. Update the request header to include the key
5. Run the integration test suite

**Later (optional)**
- Add type definitions for the env variables
- Document the new configuration in `README.md`
- Set up CI to inject a secure API key
- Add runtime validation for the key
- Refactor the auth module to use a service layer

Here the "Do now" list respects the cap with five ranked actions, while "Later" holds remaining suggestions—also capped at five, with its own priority ordering.

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Where These Rules Are Defined

The list‑size and ranking requirements appear across three authoritative files in the repository:

File	Purpose
skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md	Source of truth defining all ADHD‑focused response rules, including the five‑item limit and ranking guidance
README.md	Human‑readable overview repeating the list cap for quick reference
INSTALL.md	Installation documentation that also references the list‑size rule

All three files align on the same constraint, ensuring consistent implementation regardless of entry point.

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Summary

• Maximum list length: exactly five items, enforced strictly
• Ranking method: positional priority (first = highest, fifth = lowest)
• Overflow handling: split into themed sub‑lists, each capped at five
• Source authority: skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md lines 103‑106

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I need to list more than five items?

You must split the content into multiple labeled groups, such as "Do now" and "Later." Each group independently contains at most five items, ranked by order. Never present a single unbroken list exceeding five entries.

Does the ranking require special notation or labels?

No. Ranking is implicit through list position. The first item is automatically understood as highest priority without additional markers. Labels like "Do now" serve organizational purposes for split lists, not individual item ranking.

Where is the five‑item rule officially documented?

The primary source is skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md lines 103‑106. The rule is also referenced in README.md and INSTALL.md for visibility across different user contexts.

What is the reasoning behind the five‑item limit?

The constraint targets cognitive accessibility for ADHD users. Five items represent a manageable working memory load. The skill prioritizes five ranked, actionable items over ten unranked, overwhelming ones, improving task initiation and completion rates.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}