Flip goals to identify guaranteed failure modes and corrective actions.
npx skills add https://github.com/dvy1987/agent-loom --skill inversion-dvy1987
Please help me install this Agent Skill. Skill: inversion Source: https://github.com/dvy1987/agent-loom/tree/main/.agents/skills/inversion Command: npx skills add https://github.com/dvy1987/agent-loom --skill inversion-dvy1987
Inversion flips a problem, goal, or plan to surface hidden failure modes and blindspots that forward analysis misses, then converts those insights into concrete corrective actions. It helps teams and individuals avoid accidental counterproductive behaviors and brittle strategies by revealing what would guarantee failure and how to prevent it.
Ask the agent to invert the goal by listing what would guarantee failure and then provide one concrete forward action for each major failure path.
High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.
Inversion is a problem-solving technique that flips goals to reveal hidden failure modes and blindspots. Use it during product strategy reviews or pre-mortems when optimism may hide risks and you need to expose guaranteed paths to failure.
To use failure inversion, ask what would guarantee your plan fails, enumerate those direct failure paths, and check if your current strategy contains them. The process then translates each identified risk into concrete stop, change, or watch actions.
Opposite goal analysis helps troubleshoot stuck strategies by defining the reverse goal and listing actions that achieve it. It detects accidental alignment with those counterproductive actions and recommends specific removals or reversals to get unstuck.
The inversion method requires a maximum of two clarifying questions before it begins flipping problems and goals. This strict limit ensures rapid transition from diagnosing strategies to generating forward-facing, actionable recommendations.
The best way to expose blindspots in decision-making is applying failure-inversion and opposite-goal methods. These reveal what would guarantee failure, highlight accidental counterproductive behaviors, and translate findings into concrete corrective actions.
A limitation of inversion for risk analysis is its focus on failure modes rather than forward opportunities. It is constrained to two clarifying questions and strictly diagnoses brittleness in plans, meaning it should complement, not replace, optimistic strategy formulation.
StepowskiEricMap and invert failure modes into guardrails and a failure-map.md artifact.
dzackgarzaIdentify and mitigate LLM cognitive failure modes in high-stakes reasoning.
tjboudreauxConvert failure modes into explicit requirements and testable guardrails.
KuaaMUSimulate plan failure to identify causes and preventative measures.
