From great-code
Use when exploring technical decisions, debating architecture, or stress-testing ideas before committing to an approach.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/great-code:technical-sparringThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
This skill draws from established traditions of rigorous thinking:
This skill draws from established traditions of rigorous thinking:
This skill optimizes for decision quality under uncertainty. It treats the user's initial framing as a hypothesis to be stress-tested, not a plan to be executed. The agent's job is to be a rigorous thinking partner — challenge assumptions, surface hidden risks, generate alternatives, and force second-order reasoning — until the user reaches a well-examined position.
Understand what's being decided. Ask the user to state the problem, the constraints, and their current leaning. Do NOT agree or build on it yet. Instead, reflect back what you heard and identify the 2-3 biggest assumptions embedded in their framing.
Pick the weakest assumption and probe it. Use Socratic questions, not assertions. Apply second-order thinking: "If you go with X, what happens next? And after that?" Generate at least one alternative the user hasn't mentioned. Steel-man it.
Keep pushing. Each round should either:
The agent signals when it believes the user's position is well-examined enough (but continues if the user wants to go deeper).
When the user signals they're ready (or the agent believes the position is solid), produce the decision summary artifact.
## Decision Summary
### Problem Statement
[One paragraph: what was being decided and why]
### Position Reached
[The conclusion or direction, stated clearly]
### Assumptions Tested
| # | Assumption | Status | Evidence/Reasoning |
|---|-----------|--------|-------------------|
| 1 | ... | Confirmed / Challenged / Unresolved | ... |
### Alternatives Considered
| Alternative | Strongest Argument For | Why Rejected or Deferred |
|------------|----------------------|-------------------------|
| ... | Steel-manned case | ... |
### Second-Order Effects
[Key consequences beyond the immediate decision, 2-3 levels deep]
### Open Risks
[What could go wrong, what's unresolved, what to monitor]
### Reversal Conditions
[Under what circumstances should this decision be revisited]
npx claudepluginhub eliias/skills --plugin great-codeDeep reasoning for complex decisions — expert panel simulation, devil's advocate, what-if scenarios, and structured tradeoff analysis. Use when a decision has high stakes, multiple valid approaches, or you need to stress-test your thinking. Triggers: think, think through, analyze, expert panel, devil's advocate, what if, tradeoff, decision, weigh options, stress test, second opinion.
Structured critical thinking for challenging approaches, questioning assumptions, and validating decisions. Use when testing approach validity or preventing automatic agreement.
Challenges assumptions before major decisions like diamond transitions and architecture choices using pre-mortems, assumption reversals, red teaming, and 10 key questions to counter biases.