Thinking Lens Skill
Router that selects and applies thinking methodologies from docs/core_principles/.
Keyword → Lens Routing
| Keywords | Lens | File |
|---|---|---|
| "failed", "broke", "why did", "root cause" | 5 Whys | 01-FIVE_WHYS_METHODOLOGY.md |
| "assumptions", "fundamentally", "from scratch" | First Principles | 02-FIRST_PRINCIPLES.md |
| "risks", "could go wrong", "before we start" | Pre-Mortem | 03-PRE_MORTEM.md |
| "guarantee failure", "avoid", "anti-patterns" | Inversion | 04-INVERSION.md |
| "prioritize", "most value", "80/20" | Pareto Analysis | 05-PARETO_ANALYSIS.md |
| "architecture", "interact", "components" | Systems Thinking | 06-SYSTEMS_THINKING.md |
| "consequences", "downstream", "side effects" | Second-Order Effects | 07-SECOND_ORDER_EFFECTS.md |
| "blocked", "bottleneck", "dependencies" | Constraint Analysis | 08-CONSTRAINT_ANALYSIS.md |
| "challenge", "critique", "wrong with this" | Devil's Advocate | 09-DEVILS_ADVOCATE.md |
| "compare", "choose between", "options" | Comparative Analysis | 10-COMPARATIVE_ANALYSIS.md |
| "trade-off", "giving up", "sacrifice" | Opportunity Cost | 11-OPPORTUNITY_COST.md |
| "explain", "purpose", "why does this exist", "complete picture" | Four Causes | 12-FOUR_CAUSES.md |
| "going through motions", "process theater", "cargo cult", "actually working", "vibe coding" | Cargo Cult Detection | 13-CARGO_CULT_DETECTION.md |
| "how much", "balance", "calibrate", "sweet spot", "too much", "too little", "spectrum" | Golden Mean | 14-GOLDEN_MEAN.md |
Workflow
- •Route: Match user keywords to lens using table above
- •Load: Read full methodology from
docs/core_principles/[FILE] - •Apply: Follow the step-by-step process and use template from that file
If ambiguous, ask:
"Would you like to focus on risks (Pre-Mortem), root cause (5 Whys), or trade-offs (Opportunity Cost)?"
Quick Reference
| Problem Type | Lens |
|---|---|
| Something failed | 5 Whys |
| Planning something risky | Pre-Mortem |
| Choosing between options | Comparative Analysis |
| Understanding a system | Systems Thinking |
| Prioritizing work | Pareto Analysis |
| Understanding why something exists | Four Causes |
| Checking if a practice is actually working | Cargo Cult Detection |
| Finding the right balance/amount | Golden Mean |
| Not sure | Pre-Mortem (safest default) |
Hand-offs
| Situation | Route To |
|---|---|
| Need to fix code after analysis | debugger skill |
| Document root cause in KB | retrospective skill |
| Security issue found | security-pattern-scanner skill |
Lens Index
See docs/core_principles/00-THINKING_LENSES_INDEX.md for complete guide.