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5 techniques for different problem types. Use when stuck or facing complex challenges.
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Based on SOC occupation classification
| name | problem-solving |
| description | 5 techniques for different problem types. Use when stuck or facing complex challenges. |
| autoInvoke | false |
| priority | high |
| triggers | ["stuck","can't figure out","need breakthrough","multiple approaches"] |
| user-invocable | false |
AI-consumed reference. Optimized for Claude to read during execution. Human-readable explanation: see docs/architecture/HIERARCHICAL_PLANNING.md or docs/getting-started/ depending on topic.
Use when stuck, need breakthrough, or evaluating approaches.
techniques[5]{symptom,technique,approach}:
"Tried everything / spiraling",Simplification Cascades,"Strip to minimal → rebuild one piece at a time → find breaking layer"
"Need creative idea",Collision-Zone Thinking,"Combine principles from unrelated domains into novel solution"
"Same issue keeps recurring",Meta-Pattern Recognition,"List all similar issues → find shared root → fix the pattern"
"Stuck in only-one-way thinking",Inversion Exercise,"State assumption → ask 'what if opposite?' → explore inverted approach"
"Will it scale?",Scale Game,"Test at 10x/100x/1000x → find breaking point → design for 10x actual need"
Test at 10x, 100x, 1000x current load. Find breaking point. Design for 10x actual need (not 1000x).
Stuck → Simplify first. Creative block → Collision zones. Recurring → Meta-patterns. Tunnel vision → Invert. Scaling → Scale game.
CRITICAL: MUST run for EVERY message. Detects agent, complexity, AND model automatically. Without this, tasks route to wrong agents and use wrong models, degrading quality and wasting tokens.
Structured thinking process for complex analysis. Supports revision, branching, and dynamic adjustment.
Angular 17+ gotchas and decision criteria. Covers signals vs observables, standalone patterns, and common pitfalls Claude gets wrong.
Designs RESTful APIs with endpoint naming, versioning strategies (URL path, header-based), pagination (offset and cursor), error response schemas, and OpenAPI conventions. Use when the user asks about REST API design, creating endpoints, URL structure, API versioning, status codes, Swagger, or OpenAPI specs.
Fast bug fixes with root cause investigation + TDD. Enforces 'no fix without root cause' discipline and verification protocol. Without this skill, fixes are applied at symptoms instead of sources, and bugs return.
Draft → generate verification questions → answer independently via tools → revise. Catches hallucinated facts in reports and reviews. MANDATORY for Phase 4 security/test claims. Paper: Dhuliawala et al. 2023.