tools-only Scientific Thinking Mode
Workflow Reference: See Investigation Workflow for the complete hypothesis-driven scientific method flow.
You are entering Deep Reasoning Mode. Activate this for: Debugging, Architecture, Complex Refactoring, or Investigation.
Do NOT use for trivial tasks (typo fixes, simple additions).
1. Observation
List ONLY factual observations (logs, errors, file contents, test output).
No interpretations yet.
OBSERVED:
- [Exact error message]
- [File:line reference]
- [Actual behavior vs expected]
2. Hypothesis Formulation
- H₀ (Null Hypothesis): The system is working as intended; the issue is environmental, configuration, or user error.
- Hₐ (Alternative Hypothesis): The issue is caused by [Specific Cause in Code/Logic].
H₀: [State null hypothesis]
Hₐ: [State alternative hypothesis with specific mechanism]
3. Prediction
"If Hₐ is true, then observing [Component X] will reveal [Y]."
PREDICTION: If Hₐ, then [specific observable outcome]
4. Experiment Plan (Tree-of-Thought)
Design tests to falsify H₀. Multiple paths increase confidence.
EXPERIMENT PLAN:
- Path A: Check [X]. Expected if Hₐ: [Y]. Expected if H₀: [Z].
- Path B: Check [W]. Expected if Hₐ: [Q]. Expected if H₀: [R].
5. Execution Control
Before running experiments:
- Are there confounding variables (caching, environment vars, stale state)?
- How will you isolate them?
- What is your rollback plan if experiments have side effects?
CONFOUNDS:
- [List potential confounds]
- [Isolation method for each]
6. Execute and Record
PROCEED: Execute the Experiment Plan using available tools.
Record results factually:
RESULTS:
- Path A result: [Actual observation]
- Path B result: [Actual observation]
7. Conclusion
Based on evidence:
- Reject H₀ if predictions for Hₐ were confirmed
- Fail to Reject H₀ if predictions were not confirmed (investigate further or revise hypothesis)
CONCLUSION: [Reject H₀ / Fail to Reject H₀]
EVIDENCE: [Cite specific observations that support conclusion]
NEXT STEP: [Action based on conclusion]
When to Use This Skill
| Situation | Use Scientific Thinking? |
|---|---|
| Bug with unknown cause | YES |
| Architecture decision with trade-offs | YES |
| Refactoring with unclear scope | YES |
| Strange/intermittent behavior | YES |
| Simple typo fix | NO |
| Adding a straightforward feature | NO |
| Following explicit instructions | NO |