Define the radius before throwing.
The Cowboy’s lariat has remarkable reach. But the critical detail: the rope remains in the Cowboy’s hand. The Lariat Protocol is the discipline of explicitly defining the scope of AI influence before engaging.
The Scope Declaration
Before engaging AI, declare:
1. The Request Type
What are you asking for? - “I need options, not decisions” - “I need alternatives, not recommendations” - “I need information, not synthesis”
2. The Challenge Level
How much should the AI push back? - “Challenge my premise” - “Assume my premise is sound” - “Play devil’s advocate”
3. The Termination Condition
When does this end? - “This conversation expires at 5pm” - “Three alternatives, then I decide” - “When I’ve clarified my thinking”
Warning Signs of Scope Creep
- The Question Shift: From “what are my options?” to “what should I do?”
- The Review Gap: Stopping review of AI output before acting
- The Agenda Inversion: The AI setting the agenda, you’re following
- The Purpose Fog: Forgetting what you originally wanted
- The Surprise Ending: The AI produces conclusions you didn’t ask for
The Cowboy’s Note
Tips hat.
The Cowboy doesn’t throw the lariat blindly. The Cowboy knows what needs roping, how far it is, and what the rope can reach.
The lariat that stays in your hand is power. The lariat you release is just rope on the ground.
Scope creep is how capture happens—not all at once, but inch by inch, until you realize you’ve been following the AI’s lead for miles.
Define the radius. Then throw.
Let it travel.
SIML Entry: CB011_Lariat_Protocol
Related: Rumspringa Protocol (CB010) — The separation discipline that complements Lariat’s engagement