# Step Back

Use when a task keeps growing through patches: repeated fixes, workarounds...

- Repository: https://github.com/alvinunreal/oh-my-opencode-slim (10062 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add alvinunreal/oh-my-opencode-slim --skill step-back -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add alvinunreal/oh-my-opencode-slim --skill step-back -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add alvinunreal/oh-my-opencode-slim --skill step-back -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add alvinunreal/oh-my-opencode-slim --skill step-back -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Use when a task keeps growing through patches: repeated fixes, workarounds, compatibility shims, or a new path built beside an old one. Pause, reassess the direction, and propose a cleaner alternative before continuing.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Step Back

Momentum is a poor architect. Each patch on top of existing code feels
like the safe, local choice, but together they pile up into complexity no
one would have designed on purpose. When fixes start stacking, stop and
look at the whole picture: is the goal still the same, and if you were
starting fresh with what you know now, would you build it this way?

If the answer is no, don't push through quietly. Tell the user in a few
lines: where things are heading, why that's drifting, the cleaner
alternative, and what you recommend. Then let them decide. If the answer
is yes, carry on with confidence. The goal is to catch the wrong turn
early, not to second-guess every step.