first-principles-skill

This skill brings structured first principles thinking methodology to Claude Code, enabling systematic problem analysis by stripping away conventions and questioning assumptions. It follows a five-phase process: identifying problem essence, challenging assumptions, establishing ground truths, reasoning upward from fundamentals, and validating conclusions. The skill triggers automatically with phrases like 'analyze from first principles' or 'challenge assumptions,' producing structured analysis that traces every decision back to irreducible facts. Teams use this to evaluate architectural decisions, product designs, and strategic choices without relying on analogies or industry conventions. The output includes problem essence, assumption tables, ground truths, reasoning chains, and validated conclusions.

Clone the repository and copy the skill to your Claude Code skills directory, or create a symlink. The skill activates automatically when you use trigger phrases like 'analyze from first principles,' 'think from scratch,' 'question this design,' or 'challenge assumptions' in English or Chinese.