How do I install the Impasse Detector skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/impasse-detector 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 Impasse Detector 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 Impasse Detector?

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 Impasse Detector free to use?

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

Who published Impasse Detector?

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

Impasse Detector by tomevault-io — Agent Skill

Name: Impasse Detector
Author: tomevault-io

File contents

SKILL-017: Impasse Detector

Overview

Critical meta-cognitive skill that acts as a circuit breaker for unproductive loops. It analyzes recent conversation history and tool outputs to detect "stuck" states, preventing token wastage on failing paths and forcing escalation or delegation.

Trigger Phrases

check logic
am i stuck
detect loop
impasse check

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`--TranscriptPath`	string	No	$null	Path to conversation log/json
`--Content`	string	No	$null	Direct string content to analyze
`--Lookback`	int	No	10	Number of recent turns to analyze

Outputs

1. Analysis Result (JSON)

{
  "status": "IMPASSE",
  "confidence": 0.95,
  "reasons": [
    "Apology loop detected (4 occurrences)",
    "High frequency of file reads (6 in window)"
  ],
  "recommendation": "ESCALATE_TO_USER",
  "score": 80
}

2. Status Codes

CLEAR: No issues detected.
IMPASSE: Significant loop/blockage detected.
UNKNOWN: Insufficient data.

Preconditions

Access to conversation history OR a provided transcript string.
PowerShell 5.1+ or Core 7+.

Safety/QA Checks

Read-Only: This skill only analyzes text; it does not modify state.
Fail-Safe: If input is missing/malformed, defaults to "UNKNOWN" rather than crashing.

Stop Conditions

Condition	Action
No input provided	Return status "UNKNOWN" (0 confidence)
File not found	Return error JSON

Implementation

See scripts/detect_impasse.ps1.

Integration with Other Skills

All agent loops should:

Call SKILL-017 every 5-10 turns.
If status is IMPASSE, trigger SKILL-020 (Failure Postmortem) AND SKILL-010 (Async Feedback).
If score > 90, stop execution and warn user.

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.

---name: impasse-detectordescription: Detects when the agent is stuck in a reasoning loop or unproductive state by analyzing tool usage and sentiment patterns. Use when this capability is needed.---# SKILL-017: Impasse Detector## OverviewCritical **meta-cognitive skill** that acts as a circuit breaker for unproductive loops. It analyzes recent conversation history and tool outputs to detect "stuck" states, preventing token wastage on failing paths and forcing escalation or delegation.## Trigger Phrases- `check logic`- `am i stuck`- `detect loop`- `impasse check`## Inputs| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description ||-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------|| `--TranscriptPath` | string | No | $null | Path to conversation log/json || `--Content` | string | No | $null | Direct string content to analyze || `--Lookback` | int | No | 10 | Number of recent turns to analyze |## Outputs### 1. Analysis Result (JSON)```json{ "status": "IMPASSE", "confidence": 0.95, "reasons": [ "Apology loop detected (4 occurrences)", "High frequency of file reads (6 in window)" ], "recommendation": "ESCALATE_TO_USER", "score": 80}```### 2. Status Codes- `CLEAR`: No issues detected.- `IMPASSE`: Significant loop/blockage detected.- `UNKNOWN`: Insufficient data.## Preconditions1. Access to conversation history OR a provided transcript string.2. PowerShell 5.1+ or Core 7+.## Safety/QA Checks1. **Read-Only**: This skill only analyzes text; it does not modify state.2. **Fail-Safe**: If input is missing/malformed, defaults to "UNKNOWN" rather than crashing.## Stop Conditions| Condition | Action ||-----------|--------|| No input provided | Return status "UNKNOWN" (0 confidence) || File not found | Return error JSON |## ImplementationSee `scripts/detect_impasse.ps1`.## Integration with Other Skills**All agent loops should:**1. Call SKILL-017 every 5-10 turns.2. If status is `IMPASSE`, trigger **SKILL-020 (Failure Postmortem)** AND **SKILL-010 (Async Feedback)**.3. If score > 90, stop execution and warn user.---> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/sounder25) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.

Frequently asked questions

Impasse Detector