Thinking Methods

Curated Agent Skills (SKILL.md): structured thinking lenses, decision support, and brainstorming workflows for AI coding agents.

Siva Sai@ysskrishna

Install

openclaw plugins install clawhub:@ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

Thinking Methods

A curated collection of cognitive workflows designed to upgrade your AI agents from simple code generators into strong collaborators for decision support, brainstorming, and structured thinking. Compatible with Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Antigravity, GitHub Copilot CLI, Factory Droid, Qwen Code, Grok Build, OpenCode, Pi, Kimi Code, Hermes Agent, Devin, Muse, Windsurf, OpenClaw, and any tool that supports the same specification. See Installation.

Overview

Most coding assistants default to quick answers. This repository packages structured thinking methods as modular SKILL.md skills from the Agent Skills open standard, so an agent can run a method on a real decision instead of improvising one.

Describe the problem, not the method. Each skill's description lists the situations and phrases it fits ("what could go wrong?", "A or B?", "why does this keep happening?") and when to skip it. You do not need to name the method.
Not sure which one? Start with thinking-method-selector. It picks a method for your situation and runs it.
Each skill is standalone. Install one or all. Every skill has a light path for small questions and a worked example in its references/ folder.

Installation

Fastest path, works in 70+ agents:

bash

npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

Native installs for specific agents:

Claude Code

text

/plugin marketplace add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

# All skills in one plugin
/plugin install ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills

Or install single skills as separate plugins:

text

/plugin install thinking-method-selector@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install five-whys@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install analytical-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install systems-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install first-principles-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install design-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install swot-analysis@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install tradeoff-analysis@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install prioritization@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install strategic-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install fermi-estimation@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install critical-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install pre-mortem@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install ethical-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install creative-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install lateral-thinking@ai-agent-skills
/plugin install six-thinking-hats@ai-agent-skills

Update with /plugin marketplace update ai-agent-skills. Remove with /plugin uninstall ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills. Check with /plugin.

If the marketplace add fails with Permission denied (publickey), run git config --global url."https://github.com/".insteadOf git@github.com: once. More in docs/claude-code-setup.md.

Codex CLI and App

bash

codex plugin marketplace add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills
codex plugin add ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills

Start a new session, then describe your problem or call a skill with @. Update with codex plugin marketplace upgrade ai-agent-skills. Remove with codex plugin remove ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills. Needs Codex CLI v0.122 or later. More in docs/codex-setup.md.

Gemini CLI

bash

# Extension: all skills in one install
gemini extensions install https://github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

# Or only the skills, without the extension wrapper
gemini skills install https://github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills.git --path skills

Check with gemini skills list. Update with gemini extensions update ai-agent-skills. Remove with gemini extensions uninstall ai-agent-skills. The extension install uses the latest GitHub Release. More in docs/gemini-cli-setup.md.

Cursor

In Cursor, open Customize, Plugins, Add, From GitHub Repository and enter github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills. In Agent chat you can also run /add-plugin.

Without the plugin route, install the skills into Cursor's skills folder:

bash

npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --agent cursor

Check under Customize, Skills. More in docs/cursor-setup.md.

Antigravity

bash

agy plugin install https://github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

Reinstall with the same command to update. Remove with agy plugin uninstall ai-agent-skills. Skills are namespaced as ai-agent-skills:<skill>. More in docs/antigravity-setup.md.

GitHub Copilot CLI

bash

copilot plugin marketplace add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills
copilot plugin install ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills

Check with copilot skill list. Update with copilot plugin update ai-agent-skills. Remove with copilot plugin uninstall ai-agent-skills. You can also install through GitHub CLI (see GitHub CLI). More in docs/copilot-cli-setup.md.

Factory Droid

bash

droid plugin marketplace add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills
droid plugin install ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills --scope user

Install the ai-agent-skills bundle. The single-skill plugins load no skills on Droid. Update with droid plugin update ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills. Remove with droid plugin uninstall ai-agent-skills@ai-agent-skills. More in docs/droid-setup.md.

Qwen Code

bash

qwen extensions install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills:ai-agent-skills

Skills appear as ai-agent-skills:<skill>. The install uses the latest GitHub Release. Update with qwen extensions update ai-agent-skills. Remove with qwen extensions uninstall ai-agent-skills. More in docs/qwen-code-setup.md.

Grok Build

bash

grok plugin install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --trust

Check with grok plugin list. Update with grok plugin update ai-agent-skills. Remove with grok plugin uninstall ai-agent-skills. Install directly: the marketplace route does not work for this repo. More in docs/grok-setup.md.

OpenCode

Add the plugin to opencode.json and restart OpenCode (npm or git):

json

{
  "plugin": ["@ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills"]
}

json

{
  "plugin": ["ai-agent-skills@git+https://github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills.git"]
}

OpenCode 2.0.4 or later uses the key plugins instead of plugin. Or install globally: opencode plugin @ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --global. Check by asking the agent to list skills. OpenCode also reads .agents/skills, so npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills works without a plugin. More in docs/opencode-setup.md.

bash

pi install npm:@ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

bash

pi install git:github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

Check with pi list. Update with pi update. Remove with pi remove npm:@ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills or pi remove git:github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills. More in docs/pi-setup.md.

Kimi Code

Inside Kimi Code:

text

/plugins install https://github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

Choose Trust and install, then run /reload. Manage it later in /plugins. More in docs/kimi-setup.md.

Hermes Agent

Use a skills tap. Hermes then treats each skill as a normal skill:

bash

hermes skills tap add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills
hermes skills install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills/five-whys

Repeat the install for each skill you want. Update with hermes skills update. Remove with hermes skills uninstall five-whys.

A plugin install also works (hermes plugins install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --enable), but Hermes does not advertise plugin skills to the model, so use the tap. More in docs/hermes-setup.md.

Devin CLI

bash

devin plugins install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

Check with devin plugins info ai-agent-skills. Plugin commands need a Devin login. More in docs/devin-setup.md.

Muse

bash

git clone https://github.com/ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills.git
MUSE_EXPERIMENTAL_PLUGINS=1 muse plugins install ./ai-agent-skills --scope user
MUSE_EXPERIMENTAL_PLUGINS=1 muse plugins approve ai-agent-skills

Check with muse skills list --source plugin. Update with muse plugins update ai-agent-skills. Remove with muse plugins remove ai-agent-skills. More in docs/muse-setup.md.

OpenClaw (ClawHub)

Install all skills in one bundle from the ClawHub package (OpenClaw bundle-plugin):

bash

clawhub package download @ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --output ./thinking-methods

Browse with clawhub package inspect @ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills. Per-skill installs stay on ClawHub too, for example clawhub install critical-thinking (see the Skills table). Maintainer sync: python3 scripts/publish_clawhub.py package plan and package publish (staged bundle folder upload; add --dry-run to preview) after bumping the repo version; per-skill sync uses plan / publish.

skills.sh (npx skills)

skills.sh installs skills into each agent's own folder. It supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Antigravity, OpenClaw, GitHub Copilot, and many more.

bash

# Install all skills from this repo
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

# List available skills
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --list

# Or install individual skills (--skill names match plugin / directory names)
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill thinking-method-selector
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill five-whys
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill analytical-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill systems-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill first-principles-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill design-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill swot-analysis
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill tradeoff-analysis
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill prioritization
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill strategic-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill fermi-estimation
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill critical-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill pre-mortem
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill ethical-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill creative-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill lateral-thinking
npx skills add ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills --skill six-thinking-hats

GitHub CLI (gh skill)

Requires GitHub CLI v2.90.0 or later.

bash

# Browse this repo's skills interactively
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills

# Install specific skills directly
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills thinking-method-selector
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills five-whys
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills analytical-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills systems-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills first-principles-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills design-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills swot-analysis
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills tradeoff-analysis
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills prioritization
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills strategic-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills fermi-estimation
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills critical-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills pre-mortem
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills ethical-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills creative-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills lateral-thinking
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills six-thinking-hats

# Target a specific host and scope when needed
gh skill install ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills tradeoff-analysis --agent codex --scope user

gh skill installs to the correct skill directory for the selected host, including GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI and Factory Droid.

Available skills

Start here

Skill	Use it when	Registry
`thinking-method-selector`	You have a problem or decision but no method in mind. Picks one and runs it.

Understand a problem

Skill	Use it when	Registry
`five-whys`	Something failed or keeps recurring and you need the real cause.
`analytical-thinking`	A number moved or a question needs a driver tree, hypotheses and evidence.
`systems-thinking`	A change may have side effects, or a problem keeps coming back across teams or services.
`first-principles-thinking`	You want to test an inherited default or a copied approach from scratch.
`design-thinking`	You need to understand users before designing or building.

Assess and decide

Skill	Use it when	Registry
`swot-analysis`	You want to assess where a team, product or company stands, then act on it.
`tradeoff-analysis`	You must pick between concrete options (A or B, build vs buy).
`prioritization`	There is more work than capacity and you need an order and a cut line.
`strategic-thinking`	You must choose a direction under constraints.
`fermi-estimation`	You need a rough number fast (capacity, cost, size).

Check and de-risk

Skill	Use it when	Registry
`critical-thinking`	You want a claim, plan or decision checked for weak spots.
`pre-mortem`	Before a launch or commitment: imagine it failed and find out why.
`ethical-thinking`	A plan could harm or unfairly burden people.

Generate ideas

Skill	Use it when	Registry
`creative-thinking`	You want many fresh options before choosing.
`lateral-thinking`	Ideas feel stuck or incremental and you need a different angle.

See it from several angles

Skill	Use it when	Registry
`six-thinking-hats`	You want facts, feelings, risks, benefits and new ideas examined separately.

The full trigger text for each skill is in its SKILL.md frontmatter.

Usage

Describe your situation and the agent picks a matching skill from the descriptions, or name a skill directly.

text

We have to pick a job queue: Postgres, Redis or a managed service. Team of four.

What could go wrong with the database cutover next Friday?

Why did last night's deploy fail? Keep asking why until we reach something we can fix.

I have a pile of problems and no idea how to approach them.

To call a skill by name, use /skill-name after a skills.sh or gh skill install (for example /pre-mortem). Claude Code plugin installs namespace skills by plugin name (/<plugin>:<skill>).

Built and maintained by

Thinking Methods is built and maintained by:

	Name	GitHub	Role
	Y. Siva Sai Krishna	@ysskrishna	Creator

Changelog

See CHANGELOG for release history.

Support

If you find this library helpful:

⭐ Star the repository
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License

Author's GitHub • Author's LinkedIn • Author's site • ClawHub • Report Issues