Skill: Thinking Frameworks#

Location: skills/thinking-frameworks/

Description: 20 human thinking frameworks for deep analysis and decision-making. Adapted from Claude Code commands to OpenClaw skills.

Triggers#

Use these thinking frameworks when the user:

• Explicitly requests a thinking mode (e.g., "use critical thinking", "first principles analysis", "red team this")
• Asks for deep analysis of a problem, decision, or plan
• Uses command syntax: /thinking <framework> <topic> or /<framework-name> <topic>
• Needs structured reasoning for complex decisions

Available Frameworks#

FrameworkTrigger KeywordsUse Whencritical-thinkingcritical, critique, analyze assumptionsQuestioning assumptions, evaluating evidence, detecting biasesfirst-principlesfirst principles, first principles thinking, elon musk approachStrip away assumptions, rebuild from fundamental truthssystems-thinkingsystems, system thinking, holistic, causal loopsUnderstanding interconnected systems, feedback loops, emergencedesign-thinkingdesign thinking, empathize, prototypeUser-centered problem solving, creative iterationlateral-thinkinglateral, creative, outside the boxBreaking conventional patterns, finding novel solutionssix-thinking-hatssix hats, de bono, white/red/black/yellow/green/blueMulti-perspective analysis, group decision framingsocratic-methodsocratic, questioning, progressive questionsDeep exploration through guided questioningbayesian-thinkingbayesian, update beliefs, prior, evidenceProbabilistic belief updating with new evidencesecond-order-thinkingsecond order, "and then what", consequencesLong-term consequence chains, unintended effectsinversion-thinkinginversion, invert, reverse, how would this failProblem by flipping, finding failure modesdialectical-thinkingdialectical, thesis antithesis synthesis, hegelResolving contradictions through synthesisabductive-reasoningabductive, best explanation, inferenceInferring the most likely explanation from observationsmental-modelsmental models, munger, multidisciplinaryCross-disciplinary framework applicationred-teamred team, adversarial, attack planFinding weaknesses through adversarial analysissteelmansteelman, steel man, strongest argumentStrengthening opposing views before counteringprobabilistic-thinkingprobabilistic, probability, uncertaintyDecision-making under uncertaintyanalogical-reasoninganalogical, analogy, map from knownLearning from parallel domains through mappingcounterfactual-thinkingcounterfactual, "what if", alternative historyExploring alternative scenarios and outcomesopportunity-costopportunity cost, trade-off, alternative forgoneEvaluating true costs including foregone alternativespremortempremortem, assume failure,事前验尸Proactive failure analysis before implementation

Usage#

Direct Command#

text

/thinking critical-thinking Should we switch from REST to GraphQL?
/red-team Our plan to launch in 3 markets simultaneously
/premortem The new pricing model we're about to ship

Natural Language#

text

"Use first principles to analyze this problem: [problem]"
"Red team this plan for me: [plan]"
"Think about this using second-order thinking: [situation]"

Implementation#

1. Detect the requested framework from user input
2. Load the corresponding reference file from references/
3. Apply the framework's structured steps to the user's topic
4. Present analysis following the framework's methodology

Notes#

• Frameworks are complementary — combine when appropriate (e.g., critical-thinking + red-team)
• Default to concise output unless user requests depth
• These are thinking aids, not rigid formulas — adapt to context
• All frameworks are MIT licensed from the original thinking-skills repo