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Dispatch to the right problem-solving technique based on how you're stuck
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Based on SOC occupation classification
Use when initializing or maintaining agent-friendly repo context, setting up AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md, adding local rules, defining verification commands, or checking whether context files are stale.
Use when the user asks to run workflow:ship, ship a branch, publish a feature branch, open and merge a PR, or push/PR/merge/cleanup completed work.
Use when the user asks to run workflow:commit, create a commit, make a git commit, stage changes, write a commit message, or prepare local changes for shipping.
Turn any rough prompt, half-formed idea, or task description into a finished, ready-to-send prompt optimized for Opus 4.7 (with adaptive thinking) inside the chat app — claude.ai, the Mac app, the iOS app — NOT the API. Use this skill whenever the user wants to write, rewrite, optimize, improve, sharpen, or polish a prompt for the chat app. Trigger phrases include "rewrite this prompt", "make this a better prompt", "optimize this prompt", "turn this into a prompt", "help me prompt this", "draft a prompt that...", "I want to ask...", or whenever the user pastes a draft prompt and asks for improvements. Also trigger when the user describes a task they plan to send into the chat app and clearly wants a reusable, well-structured prompt rather than a direct answer. The output is always a single, copy-pasteable prompt in a code block that the user sends as-is — never a template with placeholders. Always ends with the exact line "Think before answering (maximum reasoning)".
Entry point for new work. Determines the best action path or work decomposition (update existing spec, create new spec, mixed decomposition, or no spec needed) and refines ideas through structured dialogue.
Pre-discovery intent exploration for genuinely vague ideas. Use when the user pitches an idea where the real user-need, problem framing, or core assumptions are unclear — before /kiro-discovery. Delegates to the intent-explorer skill, which produces .kiro/specs/<slug>/intent-spec.md. The output is auto-detected by /kiro-discovery and downstream spec skills, so the user does not need to pass intent context as an argument. Skip this skill entirely when the user already has a clear problem statement.
| name | when-stuck |
| description | Dispatch to the right problem-solving technique based on how you're stuck |
| when_to_use | when stuck and unsure which problem-solving technique to apply for your specific type of stuck-ness |
| version | 1.1.0 |
Different stuck-types need different techniques. This skill helps you quickly identify which problem-solving skill to use.
Core principle: Match stuck-symptom to technique.
digraph stuck_dispatch {
rankdir=TB;
node [shape=box, style=rounded];
stuck [label="You're Stuck", shape=ellipse, style=filled, fillcolor=lightblue];
complexity [label="Same thing implemented 5+ ways?\nGrowing special cases?\nExcessive if/else?"];
innovation [label="Can't find fitting approach?\nConventional solutions inadequate?\nNeed breakthrough?"];
patterns [label="Same issue in different places?\nFeels familiar across domains?\nReinventing wheels?"];
assumptions [label="Solution feels forced?\n'This must be done this way'?\nStuck on assumptions?"];
scale [label="Will this work at production?\nEdge cases unclear?\nUnsure of limits?"];
bugs [label="Code behaving wrong?\nTest failing?\nUnexpected output?"];
stuck -> complexity;
stuck -> innovation;
stuck -> patterns;
stuck -> assumptions;
stuck -> scale;
stuck -> bugs;
complexity -> simp [label="yes"];
innovation -> collision [label="yes"];
patterns -> meta [label="yes"];
assumptions -> invert [label="yes"];
scale -> scale_skill [label="yes"];
bugs -> debug [label="yes"];
simp [label="skills/problem-solving/\nsimplification-cascades", shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor=lightgreen];
collision [label="skills/problem-solving/\ncollision-zone-thinking", shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor=lightgreen];
meta [label="skills/problem-solving/\nmeta-pattern-recognition", shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor=lightgreen];
invert [label="skills/problem-solving/\ninversion-exercise", shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor=lightgreen];
scale_skill [label="skills/problem-solving/\nscale-game", shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor=lightgreen];
debug [label="skills/debugging/\nsystematic-debugging", shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor=lightyellow];
}
| How You're Stuck | Use This Skill |
|---|---|
| Complexity spiraling - Same thing 5+ ways, growing special cases | skills/simplification-cascades |
| Need innovation - Conventional solutions inadequate, can't find fitting approach | skills/collision-zone-thinking |
| Recurring patterns - Same issue different places, reinventing wheels | skills/meta-pattern-recognition |
| Forced by assumptions - "Must be done this way", can't question premise | skills/inversion-exercise |
| Scale uncertainty - Will it work in production? Edge cases unclear? | skills/scale-game |
| Code broken - Wrong behavior, test failing, unexpected output | skills/systematic-debugging |
| Multiple independent problems - Can parallelize investigation | skills/dispatching-parallel-agents |
| Root cause unknown - Symptom clear, cause hidden | skills/root-cause-tracing |
Some problems need multiple techniques: