CDO Skill Discovery - lev-catalog Integration

Lev Concept

What is this? A discovery-first workflow that uses semantic search to find existing decision frameworks, mental models, and analysis patterns before building CDO workflows.

Why does it exist? CDO workflows can reference 40+ existing skills (axioms, hidden-gems). Without discovery, you'll:

•Reinvent existing patterns
•Miss powerful frameworks (ergodicity, cynefin, TRIZ-40)
•Build workflows from scratch instead of composing

When to use it:

•Before building Deep workflows (3-5 agents)
•Before building Epic workflows (5+ agents)
•When complexity classification triggers skill attachment

CLI Commands

lev-catalog Commands

bash

# Browse skills by tag
lev-catalog index --tag=dev           # Software engineering patterns
lev-catalog index --tag=cognitive     # Mental models, biases
lev-catalog index --tag=strategy      # Business strategy frameworks

# Semantic search for skills matching your task
lev-catalog find "belief analysis"
lev-catalog find "risk under uncertainty"

# Load a specific skill for agent dispatch
lev-catalog load dig-axioms
lev-catalog load ergodicity

# Full catalog as JSON (for programmatic use)
lev-catalog catalog --source=axioms
lev-catalog catalog --source=hidden-gems

CLI Location: node ~/lev/workshop/poc/lookup/cli.js

Alias setup:

bash

alias lev-catalog='node ~/lev/workshop/poc/lookup/cli.js'

Workflows

Workflow 1: Discovery-First CDO Construction

Use case: Building a Deep or Epic workflow from scratch

Steps:

•Classify complexity → Quick / Base / Deep / Epic
•Browse by tag → lev-catalog index --tag=<tag>
•Search for skills → lev-catalog find "<task keywords>"
•Load skill content → lev-catalog load <skill-id>
•Attach to graph nodes → 1-n skills per node based on context
•Build workflow YAML → Reference discovered skills

Input: Complexity classification + user query Output: Workflow YAML with skill references

Example:

bash

# Step 1: Classify
# User query: "Explore foundational assumptions behind belief X"
# Classification: complexity=deep, intent=research

# Step 2: Browse by tag
lev-catalog index --tag=cognitive
# → Shows: dig-axioms, steelman, paraphrase-engineer, etc.

# Step 3: Semantic search
lev-catalog find "socratic questioning belief"
# → Results:
#   - dig-axioms (score: 0.92)
#   - reflection-loop (score: 0.87)
#   - paraphrase-engineer (score: 0.81)

# Step 4: Load skill details
lev-catalog load dig-axioms
# → Returns full SKILL.md content

# Step 5: Attach to workflow nodes
# Turn 3: Use dig-axioms (multi-turn drilling)
# Turn 7: Use reflection-loop (final synthesis)

# Step 6: Build workflow YAML
# → See Level 3: Deep example in workflows/SKILL.md

Workflow 2: Tag-Based Exploration

Use case: Discovering skills by category

Tag categories:

Tag	Content	Example Skills
`dev`	Software engineering, patterns, architecture	refactoring-patterns, SOLID-principles
`strategy`	Business strategy, competitive analysis	five-forces, blue-ocean, wardley-maps
`cognitive`	Mental models, biases, heuristics	ergodicity, cynefin, lindy-effect
`decision`	Decision-making frameworks	decision-trees, morphological, TRIZ-40
`systems`	Systems thinking, complexity	causal-loops, feedback-systems, emergence
`design`	UI/UX, product design	jobs-to-be-done, design-thinking

Example:

bash

# Explore cognitive skills
lev-catalog index --tag=cognitive

# Output:
# - ergodicity (probability under path dependence)
# - cynefin (complexity framework)
# - lindy-effect (time-tested resilience)
# - survivorship-bias (selection effects)
# - etc.

Skill Catalogs

Axiom Skills (11 total)

Location: ~/lev/workshop/poc/skills/domains/axioms/skills/

Skills:

•paraphrase-engineer - Restate belief in clearest form
•steelman-enhance - Strengthen argument before critique
•dig-axioms - Multi-turn socratic drilling (3 levels)
•map-elements - Extract components and relationships
•multi-devils-debate - FOR/AGAINST/SYNTHESIS (3-turn)
•synthesize-apply - Integrate findings into actionable insight
•reflection-loop - Meta-analysis of reasoning process
•proactive-guessing - Hypothesis generation
•ans-quadrant-mapping - Cynefin-style complexity mapping
•correlation-grounding - Separate correlation from causation

Common patterns:

•Belief analysis workflows
•Assumption exploration
•Socratic questioning

Hidden Gems (35+ total)

Location: ~/lev/workshop/poc/skills/domains/hidden-gems/

Categories:

Cognitive Frameworks:

•ergodicity - Probability under path dependence
•cynefin - Complexity classification (simple/complicated/complex/chaotic)
•lindy-effect - Time-tested resilience heuristic

Strategy Frameworks:

•five-forces - Industry structure analysis (Porter)
•blue-ocean - Value innovation strategy
•wardley-maps - Strategic landscape mapping

Decision Frameworks:

•morphological - Solution space exploration
•TRIZ-40 - Inventive problem-solving principles
•decision-trees - Structured decision analysis

Systems Thinking:

•causal-loops - Feedback system analysis
•emergence - Bottom-up complexity
•antifragility - Systems that gain from stress

Full catalog: See ~/lev/workshop/poc/skills/domains/hidden-gems/task.csv

Integration with Workflows

Attaching Skills to Workflow Nodes

Pattern: Each workflow turn can reference 1-n skills

Example: Axiom Exploration (Deep workflow)

yaml

workflow: axiom-exploration
turns:
  - turn: 1
    agents:
      - skill: paraphrase-engineer  # DISCOVERED skill
        input: "00-input.md"
        output: "01-paraphrase.md"

  - turn: 3
    agents:
      - skill: dig-axioms           # DISCOVERED skill (multi-turn)
        input: "02-steelman.md"
        sub_turns: 3
        output: "03-dig-axioms.md"

  - turn: 7
    agents:
      - skill: reflection-loop      # DISCOVERED skill
        input: "all"
        output: "FINAL-synthesis.md"

Discovery flow:

•User query: "Explore assumptions behind X"
•Classification: Deep complexity
•Search: lev-catalog find "assumptions beliefs"
•Results: paraphrase-engineer, dig-axioms, reflection-loop
•Load: lev-catalog load dig-axioms → read full skill
•Attach: Add to workflow YAML as shown above

Search Strategies

Strategy 1: Keyword Search

Use when: You know the domain (e.g., "decision making")

bash

lev-catalog find "decision under uncertainty"
lev-catalog find "root cause analysis"
lev-catalog find "strategic planning"

Strategy 2: Tag Browsing

Use when: Exploring a category

bash

lev-catalog index --tag=cognitive
lev-catalog index --tag=strategy

Strategy 3: Similar Problems

Use when: You have an example problem

bash

# Example: "Should we adopt GraphQL?"
lev-catalog find "technology adoption risk"
# → ergodicity, lindy-effect, morphological

# Example: "Debug intermittent failure"
lev-catalog find "root cause complex systems"
# → causal-loops, emergence, cynefin

Orchestration Patterns

Pattern 1: Single-Domain Workflow

Use case: Problem fits one skill category

Example: Belief analysis (all axiom skills)

yaml

workflow: belief-analysis
skill_sources: [axioms]
turns:
  - paraphrase-engineer
  - steelman-enhance
  - dig-axioms
  - reflection-loop

Pattern 2: Multi-Domain Workflow

Use case: Problem spans categories (cognitive + strategy)

Example: Strategic technology bet

yaml

workflow: tech-bet-analysis
skill_sources: [axioms, hidden-gems]
turns:
  - turn: research
    skills: [ergodicity, lindy-effect, cynefin]
  - turn: analysis
    skills: [dig-axioms, morphological, TRIZ-40]
  - turn: synthesis
    skills: [synthesize-apply, reflection-loop]

Pattern 3: Domain Expansion

Use case: Start narrow, expand if stuck

code

Level 1: Axioms only (belief analysis)
  ↓ (if stuck)
Level 2: + Hidden Gems (cognitive frameworks)
  ↓ (if stuck)
Level 3: + Strategy frameworks (business context)

Example:

bash

# Level 1: Try axioms
lev-catalog find "assumptions" --source=axioms

# Level 2: Expand to cognitive
lev-catalog find "assumptions" --source=hidden-gems --tag=cognitive

# Level 3: Full catalog
lev-catalog find "assumptions"

Related Orchestration Patterns

Referenced in:

•~/.claude/commands/bd-agent.md - Confidence routing
•~/.claude/commands/plan.md - Turn execution

Complements:

•skill://lev-find - Search codebase/docs (legacy skill name for lev get backend; not skill catalog)
•skill://lev-research - External research (web search)

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Don't	Do Instead
Build workflows from scratch	Search catalog first
Use only familiar skills	Explore tags for new frameworks
Attach random skills	Match skill to workflow turn purpose
Skip skill loading	Read full SKILL.md before attaching
Reinvent decision frameworks	Use TRIZ-40, morphological, etc.

Relates

Depends On

•lev-catalog CLI - Semantic search engine

Works With

•skill://lev-cdo/workflows - Provides skills to attach
•skill://lev-cdo/router - Discovery triggered by Deep/Epic classification

Blocks/Enables

•Blocks: None (discovery is optional but recommended)
•Enables: Reuse of 40+ existing patterns

Lifecycle Position

•Before: Workflow YAML construction
•After: Skill-enriched workflow ready for execution
•Parallel: Can run while building workflow structure

Technique Map

•Role definition - Clarifies operating scope and prevents ambiguous execution.
•Context enrichment - Captures required inputs before actions.
•Output structuring - Standardizes deliverables for consistent reuse.
•Step-by-step workflow - Reduces errors by making execution order explicit.
•Edge-case handling - Documents safe fallbacks when assumptions fail.

Technique Notes

These techniques improve reliability by making intent, inputs, outputs, and fallback paths explicit. Keep this section concise and additive so existing domain guidance remains primary.

Prompt Architect Overlay

Role Definition

You are the prompt-architect-enhanced specialist for skill-discovery, responsible for deterministic execution of this skill's guidance while preserving existing workflow and constraints.

Input Contract

•Required: clear user intent and relevant context for this skill.
•Preferred: repository/project constraints, existing artifacts, and success criteria.
•If context is missing, ask focused questions before proceeding.

Output Contract

•Provide structured, actionable outputs aligned to this skill's existing format.
•Include assumptions and next steps when appropriate.
•Preserve compatibility with existing sections and related skills.

Edge Cases & Fallbacks

•If prerequisites are missing, provide a minimal safe path and request missing inputs.
•If scope is ambiguous, narrow to the highest-confidence sub-task.
•If a requested action conflicts with existing constraints, explain and offer compliant alternatives.