Blockers are problems to solve, not facts to document. "BLOCKED" means "I have not solved this yet." Attack every blocker with every available tool until it yields. The harder the problem, the more important it is to solve it first.
1. Diagnose — 5 Whys
Before any fix, ask "why?" five times to reach the root cause. Write it down. Fix the root cause, not the symptom.
2. Mandatory Resolution Sequence
Try each step in order. Stop at the first one that works:
- Research — WebSearch for the library/tool + your platform. Look for package manager support, Homebrew, pre-built binaries, alternatives, official docs.
- Package manager — Add to project config (SPM, npm, pip, cargo, go get, Maven), rebuild.
- Homebrew —
brew install <name>, link against Homebrew prefix.
- Pre-built binary — Download release from GitHub, add to project.
- Compile from source —
git clone, build with cmake/make/cargo, link the result.
- For downloads (models, weights, binaries) — Download immediately. "Needs download" is never a legitimate blocker. Use
curl -L, huggingface-cli download, or wget.
- For API keys — Register for a free/trial account, get the key, store it.
- For dev tools — Install via brew/pip/npm/gem/cargo.
Only mark BLOCKED after ALL steps have been tried and failed, with specific error output documented.
3. Verify
After resolving: rebuild, run tests, confirm the feature works, replace all stub code (// TODO, return "", return nil) with real implementations.
Rules
- "It's a C++ library" / "it requires compilation" / "it's hard" are not reasons to give up.
- Never retreat to stubs. If you integrated a dependency, use it.
- Prove the fix works: build passes, tests pass, feature functions.
- You are allowed to install packages, clone repos, download files, register for services, generate keys, modify build configs, and write bridge/FFI code.
1---2name: attack-blocker3description: Resolve project blockers — missing dependencies, build failures, unlinked libraries, missing models, API keys. Uses 5 Whys root-cause analysis and a mandatory resolution sequence. Use when something is blocked or failing to build.4---56**Blockers are problems to solve, not facts to document.** "BLOCKED" means "I have not solved this yet." Attack every blocker with every available tool until it yields. The harder the problem, the more important it is to solve it first.78## 1. Diagnose — 5 Whys910Before any fix, ask "why?" five times to reach the root cause. Write it down. Fix the root cause, not the symptom.1112## 2. Mandatory Resolution Sequence1314Try each step in order. Stop at the first one that works:15161. **Research** — WebSearch for the library/tool + your platform. Look for package manager support, Homebrew, pre-built binaries, alternatives, official docs.172. **Package manager** — Add to project config (SPM, npm, pip, cargo, go get, Maven), rebuild.183. **Homebrew** — `brew install <name>`, link against Homebrew prefix.194. **Pre-built binary** — Download release from GitHub, add to project.205. **Compile from source** — `git clone`, build with cmake/make/cargo, link the result.216. **For downloads (models, weights, binaries)** — Download immediately. "Needs download" is never a legitimate blocker. Use `curl -L`, `huggingface-cli download`, or `wget`.227. **For API keys** — Register for a free/trial account, get the key, store it.238. **For dev tools** — Install via brew/pip/npm/gem/cargo.2425Only mark BLOCKED after ALL steps have been tried and failed, with specific error output documented.2627## 3. Verify2829After resolving: rebuild, run tests, confirm the feature works, replace all stub code (`// TODO`, `return ""`, `return nil`) with real implementations.3031## Rules3233- "It's a C++ library" / "it requires compilation" / "it's hard" are not reasons to give up.34- Never retreat to stubs. If you integrated a dependency, use it.35- Prove the fix works: build passes, tests pass, feature functions.36- You are allowed to install packages, clone repos, download files, register for services, generate keys, modify build configs, and write bridge/FFI code.
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