How do I install the Problem Diagnosis skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add npbuilds/problem-diagnosis 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 Problem Diagnosis 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 Problem Diagnosis?

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 Problem Diagnosis free to use?

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

Who published Problem Diagnosis?

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

Problem Diagnosis by npbuilds — Agent Skill

Name: Problem Diagnosis
Author: npbuilds

Problem Diagnosis

Route a problem statement to the right diagnostic skill — typology classification, audience detection, stakes assessment, and the mess/wicked reference frameworks. Activate at the start of problem framing (six-eyes Phase 2) when you need a typology + audience + stakes profile before decomposing or reframing. This director owns the "what kind of problem is this, for whom, at what stakes" question.

npbuilds 0c647da 2.8 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Problem Diagnosis — Director

Before a problem can be decomposed, reframed, or compressed, it must be diagnosed: what kind of problem is it, who is the statement for, and how much rides on getting it right? This director realizes six-eyes' Phase 2 (Diagnose). It produces the typology + audience + stakes profile that drives every downstream choice — which decomposition method applies, how aggressively to compress, and whether to run the quick or deep lane.

Diagnosis is not solving. The output is a profile of the problem, handed back to the orchestrator (six-eyes) to drive mode and routing.

Routing Table

Child skill	Use when	Output
`problem-typology`	You need to classify the statement on the five-way typology (well-defined / ill-defined / wicked / mess / adaptive)	A typology tag that selects the decomposition method
`audience-classifier`	You need to confirm who the statement is for (LLM / exec / peer / self / public)	An audience tag that drives the compression target
`stakes-assessor`	You need to size the consequences (low / medium / high)	A stakes tag that drives mode selection (quick / standard / deep)
`ackoff-mess`	The problem looks like an interrelated system of problems, not a single puzzle	Reference: Ackoff's mess concept (dissolution beats solution)
`wicked-vs-tame`	You need the conceptual basis for a wicked / tame / adaptive classification	Reference: Rittel & Webber (1973) + Heifetz adaptive/technical

Routing Logic

Run problem-typology first — it anchors everything downstream. If it returns mess or wicked, pull the matching reference (ackoff-mess / wicked-vs-tame) to ground the call.
Run audience-classifier and stakes-assessor in parallel — they are independent.
Hand the combined profile (typology + audience + stakes) back to six-eyes, which uses it to select the mode and the decomposition method.

Scope Boundaries

In scope: classifying the problem, its audience, and its stakes.
Out of scope: decomposing the problem (→ problem-decomposition), reframing it (→ problem-reframing), or auditing the final statement (→ statement-audit).
Escalate to six-eyes when the typology comes back contested (e.g., disagreement on wicked vs. ill-defined) so the orchestrator can upgrade the mode to deep.

---name: problem-diagnosisdescription: Route a problem statement to the right diagnostic skill — typology classification, audience detection, stakes assessment, and the mess/wicked reference frameworks. Activate at the start of problem framing (six-eyes Phase 2) when you need a typology + audience + stakes profile before decomposing or reframing. This director owns the "what kind of problem is this, for whom, at what stakes" question.---# Problem Diagnosis — DirectorBefore a problem can be decomposed, reframed, or compressed, it must be *diagnosed*: what kindof problem is it, who is the statement for, and how much rides on getting it right? This directorrealizes six-eyes' Phase 2 (Diagnose). It produces the typology + audience + stakes profile thatdrives every downstream choice — which decomposition method applies, how aggressively to compress,and whether to run the quick or deep lane.Diagnosis is not solving. The output is a *profile* of the problem, handed back to theorchestrator (`six-eyes`) to drive mode and routing.## Routing Table| Child skill | Use when | Output ||---|---|---|| `problem-typology` | You need to classify the statement on the five-way typology (well-defined / ill-defined / wicked / mess / adaptive) | A typology tag that selects the decomposition method || `audience-classifier` | You need to confirm who the statement is for (LLM / exec / peer / self / public) | An audience tag that drives the compression target || `stakes-assessor` | You need to size the consequences (low / medium / high) | A stakes tag that drives mode selection (quick / standard / deep) || `ackoff-mess` | The problem looks like an interrelated system of problems, not a single puzzle | Reference: Ackoff's mess concept (dissolution beats solution) || `wicked-vs-tame` | You need the conceptual basis for a wicked / tame / adaptive classification | Reference: Rittel & Webber (1973) + Heifetz adaptive/technical |## Routing Logic1. Run `problem-typology` first — it anchors everything downstream. If it returns **mess** or **wicked**, pull the matching reference (`ackoff-mess` / `wicked-vs-tame`) to ground the call.2. Run `audience-classifier` and `stakes-assessor` in parallel — they are independent.3. Hand the combined profile (typology + audience + stakes) back to `six-eyes`, which uses it to select the mode and the decomposition method.## Scope Boundaries- **In scope:** classifying the problem, its audience, and its stakes.- **Out of scope:** decomposing the problem (→ `problem-decomposition`), reframing it (→ `problem-reframing`), or auditing the final statement (→ `statement-audit`).- **Escalate to `six-eyes`** when the typology comes back contested (e.g., disagreement on wicked vs. ill-defined) so the orchestrator can upgrade the mode to `deep`.

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