Claude Code Rootcause

Root-cause redesign skill. Instead of patching a symptom, it designs the fix that makes the symptom structurally impossible. Use when the same problem keeps coming back, when you feel the urge to "just make it work for now," when a bug/system/workflow has a structural smell, or when someone says "fix this properly", "at the root", "structurally", or "/deusex". NEVER propose a solution before completing Phase 1 (Diagnosis) — that is a hard gate.

Use when you're about to "add a rule so the AI won't do that again" — after a mistake, a correction, or any "update your instructions to prevent this" request. Instead of bolting another negative prohibition onto your instructions, this skill forces root-cause analysis, converts the ban into a positive process, routes it to the right layer (hook / skill / memory / project instructions), and audits your instruction file for bloat. Triggers on "/rethink", "add a rule so you don't…", "make sure you never…", "remember not to…", or any moment the thought "I'll just add a don't-do-that note" appears.