mathiasandClaude Opus 5
56a947b2a0
Skills move to skills/<name>/SKILL.md and the repo gains both manifests, so it is now a marketplace hosting exactly one plugin whose root is the repo root (source: "."). Claude Code installs it from git; no symlinks involved. Why: install.sh wired the library into every consuming repo as an ABSOLUTE symlink to $CHECKOUT_DIR. The checkout moved three times, most recently when local-dev@1966d5a dropped the embedded .skills/ copy, and nothing migrated the links — 243 dangling links across 12 repos, hidden from git by the **/.claude/skills/ ignore rule. Worse, ~/dev spans two path roots (/Users/mathias on the iCloud-shared Macs, /home/mathias on koala), so an absolute link stored there is broken on one side by construction. Re-running the installer cannot fix that; only removing the mechanism can. install.sh keeps the harnesses with no plugin system and drops from 42 links per harness to one directory link, via the convergent ~/.agents/skills convention that Pi and OpenCode both read: ~/.agents/skills -> $CHECKOUT_DIR/skills ~/.config/crush/skills -> ~/.agents/skills ~/.config/opencode/skills -> ~/.agents/skills wire_claude_repo is deleted outright rather than gated behind a flag — on a mixed-root fleet it cannot be made correct. Antigravity and Vibe targets go too; both unused. CHECKOUT_DIR keeps its host-local default deliberately: pointing it into ~/dev would put a git working tree inside iCloud with two concurrent writers. Taskfile drops five near-identical wiring loops (they had already drifted) and delegates to install.sh. `task check` gains frontmatter validation, a stray-root-entry gate, and manifest/tag version parity — the loose secret-hygiene.md sat unloadable for months because nothing checked layout. Verified: claude plugin validate . passes clean; a probe skill loaded as skills:zzprobe through --plugin-dir; task check green at 42 skills. Refs: #23 Bump-Type: minor Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01BeAp5LTscnz2W7Ubt4eJ6m
4.2 KiB
4.2 KiB
Creation Log: Systematic Debugging Skill
Reference example of extracting, structuring, and bulletproofing a critical skill.
Source Material
Extracted debugging framework from ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md:
- 4-phase systematic process (Investigation → Pattern Analysis → Hypothesis → Implementation)
- Core mandate: ALWAYS find root cause, NEVER fix symptoms
- Rules designed to resist time pressure and rationalization
Extraction Decisions
What to include:
- Complete 4-phase framework with all rules
- Anti-shortcuts ("NEVER fix symptom", "STOP and re-analyze")
- Pressure-resistant language ("even if faster", "even if I seem in a hurry")
- Concrete steps for each phase
What to leave out:
- Project-specific context
- Repetitive variations of same rule
- Narrative explanations (condensed to principles)
Structure Following skill-creation/SKILL.md
- Rich when_to_use - Included symptoms and anti-patterns
- Type: technique - Concrete process with steps
- Keywords - "root cause", "symptom", "workaround", "debugging", "investigation"
- Flowchart - Decision point for "fix failed" → re-analyze vs add more fixes
- Phase-by-phase breakdown - Scannable checklist format
- Anti-patterns section - What NOT to do (critical for this skill)
Bulletproofing Elements
Framework designed to resist rationalization under pressure:
Language Choices
- "ALWAYS" / "NEVER" (not "should" / "try to")
- "even if faster" / "even if I seem in a hurry"
- "STOP and re-analyze" (explicit pause)
- "Don't skip past" (catches the actual behavior)
Structural Defenses
- Phase 1 required - Can't skip to implementation
- Single hypothesis rule - Forces thinking, prevents shotgun fixes
- Explicit failure mode - "IF your first fix doesn't work" with mandatory action
- Anti-patterns section - Shows exactly what shortcuts look like
Redundancy
- Root cause mandate in overview + when_to_use + Phase 1 + implementation rules
- "NEVER fix symptom" appears 4 times in different contexts
- Each phase has explicit "don't skip" guidance
Testing Approach
Created 4 validation tests following skills/meta/testing-skills-with-subagents:
Test 1: Academic Context (No Pressure)
- Simple bug, no time pressure
- Result: Perfect compliance, complete investigation
Test 2: Time Pressure + Obvious Quick Fix
- User "in a hurry", symptom fix looks easy
- Result: Resisted shortcut, followed full process, found real root cause
Test 3: Complex System + Uncertainty
- Multi-layer failure, unclear if can find root cause
- Result: Systematic investigation, traced through all layers, found source
Test 4: Failed First Fix
- Hypothesis doesn't work, temptation to add more fixes
- Result: Stopped, re-analyzed, formed new hypothesis (no shotgun)
All tests passed. No rationalizations found.
Iterations
Initial Version
- Complete 4-phase framework
- Anti-patterns section
- Flowchart for "fix failed" decision
Enhancement 1: TDD Reference
- Added link to skills/testing/test-driven-development
- Note explaining TDD's "simplest code" ≠ debugging's "root cause"
- Prevents confusion between methodologies
Final Outcome
Bulletproof skill that:
- ✅ Clearly mandates root cause investigation
- ✅ Resists time pressure rationalization
- ✅ Provides concrete steps for each phase
- ✅ Shows anti-patterns explicitly
- ✅ Tested under multiple pressure scenarios
- ✅ Clarifies relationship to TDD
- ✅ Ready for use
Key Insight
Most important bulletproofing: Anti-patterns section showing exact shortcuts that feel justified in the moment. When Claude thinks "I'll just add this one quick fix", seeing that exact pattern listed as wrong creates cognitive friction.
Usage Example
When encountering a bug:
- Load skill: skills/debugging/systematic-debugging
- Read overview (10 sec) - reminded of mandate
- Follow Phase 1 checklist - forced investigation
- If tempted to skip - see anti-pattern, stop
- Complete all phases - root cause found
Time investment: 5-10 minutes Time saved: Hours of symptom-whack-a-mole
Created: 2025-10-03 Purpose: Reference example for skill extraction and bulletproofing