first-principles-thinking

What problem does it solve?

This Skill provides a systematic framework to break down any complex problem into its irreducible truths, enabling clear, evidence‑based decisions and avoiding reliance on unchecked assumptions or best‑practice shortcuts.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Six‑phase methodology that guides users from framing axioms to validating conclusions.
• Assumption challenging with structured tables, ensuring deep analysis of hidden premises.
• Ground‑truth extraction to produce specific, falsifiable facts for any domain (product design, architecture, strategy, etc.).
• Integration guidance for Trellis task pipelines, automatically adding analysis artifacts to project context.
• Stress‑testing with complementary thinking models (pre‑mortem, inversion, second‑order) to surface risks before implementation.

Quick Start

Use the first‑principles‑thinking skill to analyze the problem “why our product churn rate is high” and generate a structured first‑principles analysis.