# Factor Removal

> Strategy: Systematic factor removal — remove factors one at a time and observe whether the conclusion remains stable, identifying which factors are load-bearing.

- Skill: `yogsoth-ai/factor-removal` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add yogsoth-ai/factor-removal`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/yogsoth-ai/factor-removal/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: yogsoth-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/yogsoth-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/yogsoth-ai/factor-removal

---


# Factor Removal Strategy

Ablation study approach: systematically remove each factor and observe conclusion stability.

## Method

1. **factor-enumeration** lists all factors supporting the conclusion
2. **single-factor-removal** removes one factor at a time
3. **counterfactual-scenario-construction** reasons about the modified scenario
4. **fragility-measurement** scores how much the conclusion degrades
5. **load-bearing-identification** ranks factors by impact of removal
6. Optional: **flip-point-detection** for partial removal (dose-response)

## Budget Table

| Parameter | S | M | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factors removed | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| Removal iterations | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Combination removals | 0 | 3 | 8 |

## Orchestration

```
factor-enumeration → [rank by suspected importance]
→ [for each factor]:
    single-factor-removal
    → counterfactual-scenario-construction
    → fragility-measurement
→ [if budget allows, test combinations]:
    single-factor-removal (multiple factors)
    → counterfactual-scenario-construction
→ load-bearing-identification (final ranking)
```

## Subagents

- factor-enumeration (factor listing)
- single-factor-removal (ablation)
- counterfactual-scenario-construction (scenario reasoning)
- fragility-measurement (degradation scoring)
- load-bearing-identification (ranking)
- flip-point-detection (dose-response, optional)

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## Available Tactics

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

| Tactic | When to use |
| --- | --- |
| minimal-change-search | Tactic: Generate candidate changes, detect flip-points where conclusion reverses, measure fragility as distance to nearest flip. |
| systematic-factor-ablation | Tactic: List all factors, remove one at a time, assess conclusion stability, rank factors by load-bearing importance. |

## Available SOPs

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

| SOP | When to use |
| --- | --- |
| counterfactual-scenario-construction | Construct precise, internally consistent counterfactual scenarios where specified factors are altered, then reason about the resulting conclusion. |
| factor-enumeration | List all key factors, conditions, and assumptions that support or enable the artifact's conclusion. |
| flip-point-detection | Find the minimal change magnitude along a dimension that causes the conclusion to flip from true to false. |
| fragility-measurement | Compute a fragility index from flip-point distances and degradation scores, summarizing how robust the conclusion is. |
| load-bearing-identification | Identify which factors are "load-bearing walls" — factors whose removal would collapse the conclusion. |
| single-factor-removal | Remove one specified factor from the artifact's support structure and reason about how the conclusion changes. |

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