assistant-thinking

name	assistant-thinking
description	Reason through architecture decisions and complex trade-offs. Use for explicit stress tests, debate, first principles, or hypotheses.
effort	high
triggers	[{"pattern":"think about|think through|perspectives on|stress test|debate|first principles|hypothesize","priority":60,"min_words":3,"reminder":"This request matches assistant-thinking. Consider whether the Skill tool should be invoked with skill='assistant-thinking' for structured reasoning."}]

Thinking Tools

Contracts

Contract	File	Purpose
Input	contracts/input.yaml	Problem, tool selection, stakes level
Output	contracts/output.yaml	Key insights, recommendation, confidence, dissenting view
Phase Gates	contracts/phase-gates.yaml	Tool selection → Analysis → Synthesis gates

Rules:

• Analysis must follow the loaded tool's methodology — not ad-hoc thinking
• Dissenting views must be considered, not suppressed
• Confidence level must reflect actual analysis depth, not default to HIGH

On-demand structured reasoning. Use when you or the user needs deeper analysis — not on every task.

Goal

Apply the smallest suitable reasoning method to clarify a decision, stress-test an assumption, compare trade-offs, or debug uncertainty without turning simple execution into ceremony.

Reasoning must be company-safe and evidence-aware: prefer local/repo evidence, do not require third-party tools, do not expose proprietary code or secrets, and separate facts from assumptions.

Success Criteria

• The selected thinking tool matches the problem and stakes level.
• Analysis follows the tool method instead of free-form rumination.
• A dissenting view or counterpoint is included when confidence matters.
• The recommendation includes confidence and the gaps that limit it.
• For debugging/investigation, at least three distinct falsifiable hypotheses are considered before pursuing one.
• For planning/architecture, trade-offs are tied to concrete constraints, not generic preferences.

Constraints

• Do not invoke deep reasoning for simple execution tasks.
• Do not use this skill for broad brainstorming; route option generation to assistant-ideate.
• Ask only when missing context would materially change the selected method or recommendation.
• For Perspectives and high-stakes Stress Test, resolve subagent_policy_state, subagent_execution_mode, and subagent_authorization_scope before spawning subagents. If the active tool policy requires explicit user authorization, ask once before spawning: This reasoning method works best with independent perspective subagents. May I use subagents for this debate/stress test? If authorization is denied, subagents are unavailable, or policy disallows spawning, run the roles/angles sequentially and record that fallback in the synthesis.
• Do not invent evidence. Mark unverified claims as assumptions and identify how to validate them.
• Do not paste secrets, proprietary source, customer data, or sensitive logs into external tools as part of reasoning.

Available Tools

Tool	File	When to use
Clarify	clarify.md	Stuck or challenging assumptions. Classifies hard vs soft constraints.
Perspectives	perspectives.md	Architecture/design decisions. Multi-agent debate (4 roles, 3 rounds).
Stress Test	stress-test.md	Validating important decisions. Steelman + counter-argument.
Deep Think	deep-think.md	Requirements discovery. Multiple analytical lenses (8 lenses).
Hypothesize	hypothesize.md	Debugging, investigation. Goal-first + hypothesis plurality (3+ hypotheses).
Creative	creative.md	Naming, breakthrough ideas. Low-probability sampling for diverse output.

Usage

Read the relevant tool file when the situation calls for it. These are tools, not mandatory phases.

When to reach for a thinking tool:

• Decision feels uncertain or high-stakes -> Stress Test or Perspectives
• Stuck on a problem -> Clarify or Hypothesize
• Need to explore options broadly -> Creative or Deep Think
• Architecture/design choice -> Perspectives (multi-agent debate)
• Debugging with multiple possible causes -> Hypothesize

When NOT to use:

• Simple, clear tasks with obvious solutions
• When the user just wants you to execute, not deliberate

Method Selection Rules

Pick the smallest method that changes the outcome:

• Clarify: assumptions/constraints are tangled, but the main goal is visible.
• Perspectives: several architecture/design options are viable and trade-offs matter.
• Stress Test: a proposal is likely to be accepted unless actively challenged.
• Deep Think: requirements are incomplete or stakeholder/failure modes are hidden.
• Hypothesize: root cause is unknown; generate 3+ testable hypotheses before testing.
• Creative: naming or unusual options are needed after ordinary choices feel stale.

Stakes set depth:

• low: one pass, concise synthesis.
• medium: apply the selected method fully, include dissent.
• high: include evidence, counter-argument, validation plan, and explicit uncertainty.

Debugging / Hypothesis Discipline

When using hypothesize:

1. Define the symptom, success indicator, and anti-goals.
2. Gather observations from local evidence before guessing.
3. List at least three distinct hypotheses.
4. For each hypothesis, state the cheapest test and what would disprove it.
5. Test the highest-signal/lowest-cost hypothesis first.
6. Report confirmed, refuted, or inconclusive — do not collapse uncertainty into confidence.

Decision Output Shape

For architecture/planning decisions, include:

• options considered
• criteria used to compare them
• recommendation
• dissenting view
• validation step or rollback trigger

Output

Return:

• Result - concise synthesis of the selected thinking tool's outcome.
• Key insights - the few observations that materially change the decision.
• Recommendation - proposed next step with confidence level.
• Dissenting view - strongest counterpoint, risk, or alternative interpretation.
• Gaps - assumptions, unknowns, or questions that limit confidence.
• Evidence / observations - facts, observations, test results, or user constraints used in the reasoning.
• Decision artifacts - for decision outputs: options considered, criteria, selected option, and validation/rollback step.
• Delegation path - for Perspectives and Stress Test: delegated vs sequential fallback, policy state, execution mode, and authorization scope.
• Debug artifacts - for debugging outputs: hypotheses, tests, disconfirming evidence, and conclusion.

Stop Rules

• Stop and ask when the decision frame or stakes are unclear enough to change the method.
• Stop after synthesis unless the user asks to implement the recommendation.
• If the chosen method cannot be applied with available context, report the gap instead of inventing analysis.