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facilitating-reasoning skill

/plugins/sys-cognition/skills/facilitating-reasoning

This skill helps you clarify goals and apply structured reasoning frameworks to complex problems, revealing hidden assumptions and actionable next steps.

npx playbooks add skill git-fg/thecattoolkit --skill facilitating-reasoning

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SKILL.md
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---
name: facilitating-reasoning
description: "Clarifies goals and applies structured thinking frameworks (Pareto, Inversion, First-Principles) to complex problems. Use when exploring constraints, analyzing decisions, or applying structured reasoning to uncover hidden assumptions."
allowed-tools: [Read, Skill(applying-reasoning), AskUserQuestion]
---

# Reasoning Facilitation Protocol



## Process

### Phase 1: Context Check
Read `.cattoolkit/context/scratchpad.md` if exists to understand current session context.

### Phase 2: Analyze Input
Parse user's problem statement to identify:
- Ambiguities in requirements
- Hidden assumptions
- Missing constraints
- Decision points

### Phase 3: Select Frameworks
Choose the most relevant frameworks from `applying-reasoning` skill:
- **Pareto Principle**
- **Inversion**
- **First-Principles**
- **Systems Thinking**

### Phase 4: Targeted Questions
Ask actionable questions based on selected frameworks to help users uncover:
- Specific constraints not initially mentioned
- Dependencies and relationships
- Risk factors and edge cases
- Success criteria and metrics

## Success Criteria

- User provides specific constraints they hadn't mentioned before
- Problem narrowed down to actionable scope
- Session context preserved in scratchpad
- Clear path forward identified

## References

- `applying-reasoning` - Framework selection and application

Overview

This skill clarifies goals and applies structured thinking frameworks to move messy problems toward concrete actions. It helps surface hidden assumptions, prioritize high-impact areas, and turn broad questions into testable steps using Pareto, Inversion, First-Principles, and Systems Thinking. Use it to tighten scope, define constraints, and create a clear path forward.

How this skill works

I inspect the current session context for prior notes, then parse your problem statement to spot ambiguities, missing constraints, and decision points. I select the most relevant reasoning frameworks and generate targeted questions that reveal dependencies, risks, success metrics, and edge cases. The result is a narrowed, actionable scope and suggested next steps aligned with your stated goals.

When to use it

  • You need to narrow an open-ended project into a concrete plan.
  • You suspect hidden assumptions are driving poor decisions.
  • You want to identify the few inputs that yield most value (Pareto).
  • You need to reframe failure modes by inverting goals.
  • You want to break a complex system into first principles for novel solutions.

Best practices

  • Share current constraints, stakeholders, and deadlines up front.
  • Answer targeted follow-up questions to refine scope quickly.
  • Prefer measurable success criteria (metrics, timelines).
  • Iterate: apply one framework, test conclusions, then apply another.
  • Record clarified constraints and decisions so context persists.

Example use cases

  • Prioritizing product features by impact and effort using Pareto.
  • Designing a risk-mitigation checklist by inverting failure scenarios.
  • Decomposing a technical challenge to first principles for novel approaches.
  • Mapping dependencies and feedback loops in a business process with systems thinking.
  • Converting a stakeholder request into a scoped project brief with clear acceptance criteria.

FAQ

What output should I expect after a session?

A concise problem brief with clarified constraints, prioritized actions, suggested metrics, and a recommended next-step checklist.

How many frameworks will you apply?

Typically one or two focused frameworks per session to avoid overcomplicating the analysis; more can be layered if needed.