eddowding/when-stuck
vault/Operations/Claude/skills/thinking/when-stuck/SKILL.md
Dispatch to the right problem-solving technique based on how you're stuck.
tools
Updated Apr 4, 2026
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add eddowding/cortex when-stuckInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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Last scanned: Apr 4, 2026, 6:44 PM38.3s1 file scanned
SKILL.md
- name:
- when-stuck
- description:
- Dispatch to the right problem-solving technique based on how you're stuck.
- last_updated:
- 2026-01-10
- tools_required:
- []
- agent_type:
- main_agent
When Stuck - Problem-Solving Dispatch
Different stuck-types need different techniques. Match symptom to technique.
[GOAL]
Quickly identify which problem-solving skill to use based on the type of stuck-ness.
[PROCESS]
1. Identify stuck-type
| How You're Stuck | Use This Skill | |------------------|----------------| | Complexity spiraling - Same thing 5+ ways, growing special cases | [[simplification-cascades]] | | Need innovation - Conventional solutions inadequate | [[collision-zone-thinking]] | | Recurring patterns - Same issue different places | [[meta-pattern-recognition]] | | Forced by assumptions - "Must be done this way" | [[inversion-exercise]] | | Scale uncertainty - Will it work in production? | [[scale-game]] | | Code broken - Wrong behavior, test failing | Use debugging rules |
2. Load that skill
Read the specific technique's SKILL.md
3. Apply technique
Follow its [PROCESS]
4. If still stuck
Try different technique or combine techniques
[COMBINING TECHNIQUES]
Some problems need multiple:
- Simplification + Meta-pattern: Find pattern, then simplify all instances
- Collision + Inversion: Force metaphor, then invert its assumptions
- Scale + Simplification: Extremes reveal what to eliminate
[IMPORTANT]
- Match symptom to technique
- One technique at a time
- Combine if first doesn't work
- Document what you tried
See Also
- [[simplification-cascades]]
- [[collision-zone-thinking]]
- [[meta-pattern-recognition]]
- [[inversion-exercise]]
- [[scale-game]]
rules/debugging.md- For code bugs
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