socrates-skill MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Never gives direct answers — enforces discovery
Works on code, docs, PDFs, configs, papers
Five-step loop: read -> assess -> guide -> adapt -> confirm
Auto-detects user language
Activated by keyword — no per-message ceremony

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

socrates-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socrates-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socrates-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socrates-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socrates-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "socrates-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "socrates-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill",
          "~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add socrates-skill -- git clone https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill ~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use socrates-skill

Understand an unfamiliar codebase deeply

👤 Engineers onboarding to a new codebase ⏱ ~45 min intermediate

When to use: You inherited a codebase and want to learn it, not just skim.

Prerequisites

Skill installed — git clone https://github.com/bevibing/socrates-skill ~/.claude/skills/socrates-skill

Flow

Ask Socratic to guide you through the auth flow

Socratic: help me understand the authentication flow in this repo. Start from the first request.✓ Copied

→ Claude asks: 'Where does the request first hit your code? Which file?'
Answer iteratively

Answer honestly where you're unsure.✓ Copied

→ Questions adapt to your depth of understanding
Summarize

At the end, summarize the flow — Claude confirms or corrects via more questions.✓ Copied

→ You wrote the summary, not Claude

Outcome: You actually understand the flow, verified by your own summary.

Pitfalls

Getting frustrated and begging for the answer — That's the point — the skill enforces. Step away and come back if stuck.

Combine with: filesystem

Work through a research paper with a Socratic guide

👤 Researchers, grad students ⏱ ~60 min intermediate

When to use: A paper is dense and you want to internalize the argument, not skim.

Flow

Point Claude at the PDF

Socrates — guide me through this paper's core argument. Start with the setup.✓ Copied

→ Opens with a gauge question
Iterate

Answer and ask for clarification when needed.✓ Copied

→ Progression from setup -> method -> results -> limits

Outcome: A clear mental model of the paper that survives your next conversation about it.

Combine with: arxiv

Debug a tricky performance issue through guided questioning

👤 Engineers who want to reason about a bug, not just take a fix ⏱ ~45 min advanced

When to use: A non-obvious performance or concurrency bug you want to really understand.

Flow

Describe symptoms

Use socratic method to explore performance issues in this code. Here are the symptoms.✓ Copied

→ Claude asks what you've measured, not what you suspect
Follow the questioning

Run the measurements Claude suggests; report back.✓ Copied

→ Funnel narrows to the actual cause

Outcome: You found the root cause and can explain it.

Combine with: chrome-devtools

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

socrates-skill + filesystem

Claude reads source files silently before questioning

Socratic: walk me through the billing logic — read src/billing/ first.✓ Copied

socrates-skill + arxiv

Pair with arxiv to pull papers Claude will guide you through

Pull the RLHF paper from arxiv, then socratically teach me.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
socratic_guide	material + goal	Include 'socratic' / 'socrates' / 소크라테스 in your message	0

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None
Tokens per call: Low per turn; high across a long session
Monetary: Free
Tip: Use a mid-tier model — Opus is overkill for Socratic questioning

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None

Data egress: None beyond the model call

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Claude gives direct answers anyway

Reinforce by saying 'stick to Socratic method — no direct answers'

Questions feel too basic

Tell it your starting level: 'assume I know X'

Alternatives

socrates-skill vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
Regular chat	You just need the answer and will learn separately	No forced understanding

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills