diverge

name	diverge
description	Generate 3-5 alternative framings of a problem BEFORE committing to one. Use upstream of `quality-planner` when the task admits multiple credible approaches and choosing the wrong shape would cost rework. Distinct from prometheus (interview to clarify WHAT to build), metis (stress-test a draft plan), oracle (debug second opinion), and abstraction-critic (critique an existing artifact's paradigm fit). Divergent-framer expands the option space; the others narrow it.
allowed-tools	Agent

/diverge — Expand the option space before commit

Use /diverge <task> when the task admits multiple credible framings and you want to see them side-by-side with explicit tradeoffs before a planner commits to one.

When to use

• Open-ended prompts: "how should we approach the rate-limit handling?", "what's the best architecture for this?", "is there a better way to do X?"
• Architecturally significant choices where the paradigm decision is non-obvious (event-sourced vs CRUD, push vs pull, sync vs async, monolith vs services, library-build vs use-existing).
• The model has stated an interpretation and you want to verify it covers the space before commit.
• A council surfaced findings that disagree on framing — the lenses are pointing at different shapes of solution.

When NOT to use

• Single-line bug fixes, well-scoped refactors, or any task with an obvious dominant approach. Adding /diverge to routine work is friction, not value.
• Tasks already mid-execution. /diverge is upstream-only — once a planner has committed to a paradigm, use metis to stress-test it or abstraction-critic to question the fit.
• Debugging. Use oracle for "what's the root cause?" and metis for "what's wrong with this plan?".

How it works

The skill dispatches the divergent-framer agent with your task. The agent emits a structured menu:

• 3-5 framings, each with: a 2-4 word name, the mental model in one sentence, what the paradigm makes EASY (1-2 concrete affordances), what it makes HARD (1-2 concrete costs), and the best-fit conditions.
• A one-paragraph rank picking the strongest fit for the stated constraints with a "redirect if" clause naming the condition under which a different framing would win.

The agent does NOT produce implementation plans (that's quality-planner / prometheus) or critique existing code (that's quality-reviewer / metis). The output is the menu, not the recipe.

Decision tree — divergent vs convergent critics

Question	Skill	What it produces
What shapes COULD this problem take?	/diverge (divergent-framer)	3-5 framings + rank
WHAT exactly does the user want me to build?	/prometheus	Interview-clarified requirements
Is THIS plan robust against edge cases?	/metis	Plan stress-test findings
What's the root cause / best path through this stuck debug?	/oracle	Diagnostic + approach recommendation
Does this artifact's paradigm match the problem?	/abstraction-critic	Paradigm-fit critique on existing code

/diverge runs upstream of all of them. The others narrow the answer; /diverge expands the option space.

Example flow

/diverge handling rate-limit retries in the resume-watchdog

→ divergent-framer emits:
  Framing 1: pinned-cooldown-with-jitter   — easy: deterministic; hard: thundering herd
  Framing 2: exponential-backoff-with-cap  — easy: handles transient; hard: harder to reason about
  Framing 3: queue-then-replay             — easy: durable; hard: requires storage
  Framing 4: skip-and-notify-only          — easy: simple; hard: user must act
  Rank: Framing 1 because watchdog cooldown is already pinned; Framing 3 if durability becomes a hard requirement.

You pick Framing 1. quality-planner gets a clean target instead of starting from "I think we should...".

Why this exists

oh-my-claude's existing critics (oracle, metis, abstraction-critic, excellence-reviewer) are convergent — they narrow toward a single right answer. That convergence is correct after the framing is chosen. Before the framing is chosen, the model defaults to the first paradigm that comes to mind — usually the most-recently-seen example or the easiest to articulate, not necessarily the best fit.

/diverge is the seam that protects against premature commitment. It's the most-explicit application of the user's "natural divergent thinking ability" axis-6 ask.