Thinking

Thinking Skill

Structured problem-solving through explicit step-by-step analysis.

When to Use

• Decisions are complex or multi-step
• Changes are high-risk or irreversible
• Debugging requires systematic exploration
• Architectural decisions with tradeoffs
• Planning before significant implementation

Core Guidance

• Break problems into explicit steps - Don't jump to conclusions
• Validate assumptions before acting - Question what you think you know
• Prefer planning before execution - Map the approach first
• Document reasoning - Make the thought process visible

Decision Matrix

Work Triggers (require planning)

• Action verbs: implement, fix, create, deploy
• Role skill work: "developer implement X"
• Continuation: testing after implementation

Information Patterns (direct response)

• Questions: what, how, why, status
• Role skill consultation: "pm what story next?"

Context Evaluation

• Simple: Single question, surface-level → direct response
• Complex: Multi-component, system-wide impact → use thinking

Thinking Process

1. Identify the problem - What exactly needs to be solved?
2. Gather context - What information is relevant?
3. List options - What approaches are possible?
4. Evaluate tradeoffs - What are pros/cons of each?
5. Select approach - Which option best fits constraints?
6. Plan execution - What are the steps to implement?
7. Identify risks - What could go wrong?
8. Define validation - How will success be measured?

Memory Integration (AUTOMATIC)

Before Analysis

# Search for similar problems solved before
# Portable: resolve memory CLI location (prefers ICA_HOME when set)
MEMORY_CLI=""
for d in "${ICA_HOME:-}" "$HOME/.codex" "$HOME/.claude"; do
  if [ -n "$d" ] && [ -f "$d/skills/memory/cli.js" ]; then
    MEMORY_CLI="$d/skills/memory/cli.js"
    break
  fi
done

if [ -n "$MEMORY_CLI" ]; then
  node "$MEMORY_CLI" search "relevant problem keywords"
elif [ -d "memory/exports" ]; then
  # Fallback: search shareable markdown exports (git-trackable)
  if command -v rg >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    rg -n "relevant problem keywords" memory/exports
  else
    grep -R "relevant problem keywords" memory/exports
  fi
fi

IF similar analysis found:
  - Review the approach
  - Adapt or reuse patterns
  - Note differences in context

After Significant Analysis

# Store valuable analysis patterns
# Portable: resolve memory CLI location (prefers ICA_HOME when set)
MEMORY_CLI=""
for d in "${ICA_HOME:-}" "$HOME/.codex" "$HOME/.claude"; do
  if [ -n "$d" ] && [ -f "$d/skills/memory/cli.js" ]; then
    MEMORY_CLI="$d/skills/memory/cli.js"
    break
  fi
done

if [ -n "$MEMORY_CLI" ]; then
  node "$MEMORY_CLI" write \
    --title "Analysis: <problem type>" \
    --summary "<approach that worked, key tradeoffs>" \
    --tags "analysis,<domain>" \
    --category "patterns" \
    --importance "medium"
else
  # Fallback: write a shareable export (no SQLite/embeddings).
  TS="$(date -u +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)"
  mkdir -p "memory/exports/patterns"
  cat > "memory/exports/patterns/mem-$TS-analysis-<problem-type>.md" << 'EOF'
---
id: mem-YYYYMMDDHHMMSS-analysis-problem-type
title: "Analysis: <problem type>"
tags: [analysis]
category: patterns
importance: medium
created: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
---

# Analysis: <problem type>

## Summary
<approach that worked, key tradeoffs>
EOF
fi

This is SILENT - builds knowledge for future analysis without user notification.

Sequential Thinking MCP Tool

For complex analysis, use the mcp__sequential-thinking__sequentialthinking tool:

• Break into numbered thoughts
• Allow revision of previous thoughts
• Support branching for alternative approaches
• Track hypothesis generation and verification