antigravity-claudekit/skills/ck-problem-solving/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
ck-problem-solving	Apply systematic problem-solving techniques when stuck. Use for complexity spirals, innovation blocks, recurring patterns, assumption constraints, simplification cascades, and scale uncertainty.

Problem-Solving Techniques

Systematic approaches for different types of stuck-ness. Each technique targets a specific problem pattern.

When to Use

• Complexity spiraling: multiple implementations, growing special cases
• Innovation blocks: conventional solutions inadequate
• Recurring patterns: same issue appearing across domains
• Assumption constraints: forced into "only one way"
• Scale uncertainty: production readiness unclear
• General stuck-ness: unsure which approach to take

Don't Use When

• Problem is straightforward and well-understood
• Simply need more time or information, not a different approach

Quick Dispatch

Stuck Symptom	Technique
Same thing implemented 5+ ways, growing special cases	Simplification Cascades
Conventional solutions inadequate, need breakthrough	Collision-Zone Thinking
Same issue in different places, reinventing wheels	Meta-Pattern Recognition
Solution feels forced, "must be done this way"	Inversion Exercise
Will this work at production? Edge cases unclear?	Scale Game

Core Techniques

1. Simplification Cascades

Find one insight eliminating multiple components. "If this is true, we don't need X, Y, Z."

Key insight: Everything is a special case of one general pattern.

Red flag: "Just need to add one more case..." (repeating forever)

2. Collision-Zone Thinking

Force unrelated concepts together. "What if we treated X like Y?"

Key insight: Revolutionary ideas emerge from deliberate metaphor-mixing.

Red flag: "I've tried everything in this domain"

3. Meta-Pattern Recognition

Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles.

Key insight: Patterns in how patterns emerge reveal reusable abstractions.

Red flag: "This problem is unique" (probably not)

4. Inversion Exercise

Flip core assumptions. "What if the opposite were true?"

Key insight: Valid inversions reveal context-dependence of assumed "rules."

Red flag: "There's only one way to do this"

5. Scale Game

Test at extremes (1000x bigger/smaller, instant/year-long) to expose fundamental truths.

Key insight: What works at one scale fails at another.

Red flag: "Should scale fine" (without testing)

Application Process

1. Identify stuck-type — match symptom to technique above
2. Apply technique systematically
3. Document insights — record what worked and what failed
4. Combine if needed — some problems need multiple techniques

Powerful Combinations

• Simplification + Meta-pattern — find pattern, then simplify all instances
• Collision + Inversion — force metaphor, then invert its assumptions
• Scale + Simplification — extremes reveal what to eliminate
• Meta-pattern + Scale — universal patterns tested at extremes