Thinking First Principles
When a constraint is treated as fixed, separate physics from convention, keep only...
Install
npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-first-principles -g -a claude-code -y- Repository
- tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills1.7k
- Category
- Engineering
- Updated
- 3mo ago
- License
- MIT
- Context cost
- Lightabout 771 tokens
- Runs scripts
- No, instructions only
What it does
When a constraint is treated as fixed, separate physics from convention, keep only independently supported primitives, and rebuild the simplest solution that satisfies real constraints.
First Principles
Strip assumed constraints to independently supported primitives, then rebuild. Escape analogy when convention fails or looks artificially expensive.
When to Use
- A constraint is treated as fixed ("too expensive," "impossible," "always done this way") without independent support.
- Convention or analogy has failed, stalled, or only yields weak incremental variants.
- Greenfield design where industry defaults may smuggle false requirements.
- Cost or feasibility claims rest on pricing, precedent, or authority rather than physics, math, or measured need.
When NOT to Use
- The constraint is verified physics, hard regulation, or measured capacity → accept it and optimize within it.
- A proven standard library, protocol, or known-good pattern already fits → use it; do not re-derive.
- Time-critical incidents → act on the most likely cause first; reserve first-principles rebuild for post-incident redesign.
- Incremental polish of a working system with no false-constraint signal → skip.
