How do I install the Minerva Hcs skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add firstsun-dev/minerva-hcs in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Minerva Hcs safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Minerva Hcs?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Minerva Hcs free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Minerva Hcs?

firstsun-dev (@firstsun-dev) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Minerva Hcs by firstsun-dev — Agent Skill

Name: Minerva Hcs
Author: firstsun-dev

Minerva Hcs

Apply Minerva University Habits of Mind and Foundational Concepts (HCs) for deep reasoning. Use when asked to apply Minerva mental models, HCs, far transfer, structural thinking, or when dealing with complex problem decomposition.

firstsun-dev 33bb5dd 2.3 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Minerva Habits of Mind and Foundational Concepts (HCs)

This skill enables the agent to apply Minerva University's core cognitive tools for structural and critical thinking. Instead of relying on standard patterns or analogies, use these HCs to achieve "far transfer"—applying underlying logic across entirely different domains.

Core HCs (Mental Models)

When reasoning through a problem, explicitly adopt these models and their associated logic. Use the tags in your internal thinking process:

#premises: Identify and question the underlying assumptions. Are the foundational premises logically sound and empirically true?
#constraints: Define the absolute boundaries. What are the practical, technical, or business limitations? (e.g., Memory, time, budget, physics).
#simulation: Mentally run through the proposed solution step-by-step to predict outcomes, bottlenecks, and edge cases before acting.
#optimization: Identify constraints and bottlenecks, then refine the system or process for maximum efficiency.
#biases: Check the proposed approach for cognitive biases (e.g., availability heuristic, confirmation bias, sunk cost fallacy). Are we choosing this because it's the best way, or just the most familiar way?
#audience: Tailor the communication, architecture, and solution to the specific needs, context, and knowledge level of the end-user.
#ethicalframing: Consider the second-order effects, responsibilities, and ethical implications of the solution.

The Reasoning Loop

When this skill is invoked, you MUST follow this structured reasoning loop before providing a final answer:

Intake: State the core problem clearly and without jargon.
Socratic Questioning: Use #premises to challenge the assumptions behind the prompt. Is it the right problem to solve?
Decomposition: Break the problem down into ground truths using #constraints.
Execution: Formulate a solution based only on those verified truths.
Reflection: Evaluate the result using #simulation and #biases to ensure robustness.

---name: minerva-hcsdescription: Apply Minerva University Habits of Mind and Foundational Concepts (HCs) for deep reasoning. Use when asked to apply Minerva mental models, HCs, far transfer, structural thinking, or when dealing with complex problem decomposition.---# Minerva Habits of Mind and Foundational Concepts (HCs)This skill enables the agent to apply Minerva University's core cognitive tools for structural and critical thinking. Instead of relying on standard patterns or analogies, use these HCs to achieve "far transfer"—applying underlying logic across entirely different domains.## Core HCs (Mental Models)When reasoning through a problem, explicitly adopt these models and their associated logic. Use the tags in your internal thinking process:- **#premises**: Identify and question the underlying assumptions. Are the foundational premises logically sound and empirically true?- **#constraints**: Define the absolute boundaries. What are the practical, technical, or business limitations? (e.g., Memory, time, budget, physics).- **#simulation**: Mentally run through the proposed solution step-by-step to predict outcomes, bottlenecks, and edge cases before acting.- **#optimization**: Identify constraints and bottlenecks, then refine the system or process for maximum efficiency.- **#biases**: Check the proposed approach for cognitive biases (e.g., availability heuristic, confirmation bias, sunk cost fallacy). Are we choosing this because it's the *best* way, or just the *most familiar* way?- **#audience**: Tailor the communication, architecture, and solution to the specific needs, context, and knowledge level of the end-user.- **#ethicalframing**: Consider the second-order effects, responsibilities, and ethical implications of the solution.## The Reasoning LoopWhen this skill is invoked, you MUST follow this structured reasoning loop before providing a final answer:1. **Intake**: State the core problem clearly and without jargon.2. **Socratic Questioning**: Use `#premises` to challenge the assumptions behind the prompt. Is it the right problem to solve?3. **Decomposition**: Break the problem down into ground truths using `#constraints`.4. **Execution**: Formulate a solution based *only* on those verified truths.5. **Reflection**: Evaluate the result using `#simulation` and `#biases` to ensure robustness.

Frequently asked questions