# Obstacle Analysis

> Identify what blocks the user from pursuing their chosen direction, assess severity, propose mitigations with search-validated evidence, and get user acceptance. Use after direction-narrowing has identified a specific direction.

- Skill: `yogsoth-ai/obstacle-analysis` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add yogsoth-ai/obstacle-analysis`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/yogsoth-ai/obstacle-analysis/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/obstacle-analysis

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# Obstacle Analysis

Identify barriers, assess severity, propose mitigations, get acceptance.

## Available SOPs

| SOP | Purpose | Execution |
|-----|---------|-----------|
| identify-obstacles | Identify obstacles from ActorProfile + chosen direction | subagent (search optional) |
| assess-obstacle-severity | Rate severity of each obstacle | subagent (search optional) |
| propose-mitigations | Propose evidence-backed mitigations | subagent (search **required**) |
| ask-obstacle-acceptance | Present obstacles + mitigations, get user decision | dialogue (search optional) |

## Search Tools Available (for all SOPs)

- web-search (web-browsing): Quick web scanning, snippets
- web-research (web-browsing): Full page reading + analysis
- literature-overview (literature-engine): Paper landscape scan
- literature-search (literature-engine): Medium-depth paper search (AI summaries)
- literature-research (literature-engine): Deep paper reading (raw full text + PDF queries)

## Methodology Guidance

- SOPs can iterate within this tactic (re-assess after new information)
- You decide whether additional search is needed to evaluate obstacles

## Hard Constraint

- Maximum 2 rounds of the full identify → assess → propose → ask cycle
- After 2 rounds of `ask-obstacle-acceptance` with unresolved obstacles: return to `present-candidates` (direction-narrowing tactic)

## Output (Tactic-Level Aggregation)

`ObstacleReport { obstacles[], mitigations[], accepted: bool }`

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## Available SOPs

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

| SOP | When to use |
| --- | --- |
| ask-obstacle-acceptance | Present obstacles with their severity assessments and proposed mitigations to the user. Ask whether they can accept these obstacles. If unacceptable after 2 rounds, return to present-candidates. |
| assess-obstacle-severity | Rate each identified obstacle's difficulty — overcomability, time cost, workaround existence. May optionally use search tools to validate assessments. |
| identify-obstacles | Enumerate barriers to pursuing the chosen research direction — knowledge barriers, resource barriers, capability barriers, competition barriers. May optionally use search tools to discover obstacles the user hasn't mentioned. |
| propose-mitigations | Propose concrete mitigation strategies for severe obstacles. MUST use search tools to validate that proposed mitigations are realistic — no armchair theorizing. Each mitigation must have evidence of feasibility. |

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