Inversion Strategist

Flip problems upside down - instead of "how to succeed", ask "how to definitely fail" then avoid those paths. Use when user says "invert", "inversion", "flip it", "opposite approach", "how would this fail", "avoid failure", "what NOT to do", "Munger", "anti-goals", "guarantee failure".

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only 'inversion' brainstorming skill; its files, instructions, and requirements align with the stated purpose and it does not request credentials, install code, or reach out to external endpoints.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (flip problems via inversion) match the SKILL.md and example files, which provide only procedural guidance and templates. Nothing requested or included (no env vars, no binaries, no code) is unrelated to the stated purpose.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions are limited to asking questions, listing failure paths, categorizing them, and producing checklists. The SKILL.md does not instruct the agent to read system files, environment variables, or transmit data to external endpoints.

Install Mechanism

No install specification and no code files (instruction-only). Nothing will be written to disk or fetched at install time, which minimizes surface area for unexpected behavior.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. There are no disproportionate credential or secret requests.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill is user-invocable (normal). It does not request persistent privileges or try to modify other skills or system configuration.

Assessment

This is a lightweight, instruction-only skill for structured brainstorming (inversion). It appears internally consistent and does not ask for secrets or install code. Before enabling, consider: (1) avoid feeding any sensitive credentials or private data into prompts to any skill; (2) be mindful that enumerating 'failure paths' could reveal sensitive operational weaknesses — do not use this to plan or expose harmful actions; (3) if you later combine this skill with others that do have network/credential access, review those other skills for appropriate permissions.

The Core Principle

"Invert, always invert." - Carl Jacobi

Instead of: "How do I achieve X?" Ask: "What would GUARANTEE I DON'T achieve X?" Then: Systematically avoid those things.

The Process

1. State the goal
2. Invert it: "What would guarantee failure?"
3. List failure paths (7-10, obvious AND subtle)
4. Categorize: Fatal / Damaging / Annoying
5. Flip to avoidance strategies
6. Build anti-checklist

Output Format

GOAL: [What you want]
INVERTED: "How would I guarantee failure at [goal]?"

FAILURE PATHS:

🔴 FATAL:
• [Path] → AVOID BY: [Strategy]

🟡 DAMAGING:
• [Path] → AVOID BY: [Strategy]

🟢 ANNOYING:
• [Path] → AVOID BY: [Strategy]

ANTI-CHECKLIST:
□ Never [behavior]
□ Never [behavior]

PRO-CHECKLIST:
□ Always [opposite of failure]
□ Always [opposite of failure]

Charlie Munger Wisdom

"It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent."

"Tell me where I'm going to die, and I'll never go there."

Integration

Compounds with:

• first-principles-decomposer → Rebuild from fundamentals after inverting
• pre-mortem-analyst → Inversion finds paths; pre-mortem stress-tests timeline
• six-thinking-hats → Black Hat is inversion-lite; combine for thorough analysis

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See references/examples.md for Artem-specific inversions