Claude Code Thinking Skills
39 Mental Models and Frameworks for Critical Thinking in Claude Code
A comprehensive collection of thinking skills for Claude Code that enhance AI-assisted problem solving, decision making, and strategic analysis. These skills provide structured frameworks based on proven mental models from leaders in systems thinking, cognitive science, and strategic analysis.
Features
- 39 Thinking Frameworks - Comprehensive mental models for better decision-making
- Battle-Tested - Based on proven frameworks from cognitive science and systems thinking
- Claude Code Native - Designed specifically for Claude Code's skill system
- Quality Scripts - Tools to validate and enhance skill quality
- Zero Configuration - Just install and invoke with skill names
Quick Start
Installation via Plugin Marketplace (Recommended)
Install directly in Claude Code using the plugin system:
# Add the marketplace
/plugin marketplace add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills
# Install the plugin
/plugin install thinking-skills@thinking-skills-marketplace
Alternative: Manual Installation
Clone and copy skills directly:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git
# Copy skills to your global Claude Code config
cp -r cc-thinking-skills/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/
# Or copy to a specific project
cp -r cc-thinking-skills/skills/* /path/to/your/project/.claude/skills/
Development: Load as Local Plugin
For testing or development:
claude --plugin-dir ./cc-thinking-skills
Usage
Once installed, invoke any skill by name in Claude Code:
> Use first-principles thinking to analyze this architecture decision
> Apply the pre-mortem framework to this project plan
> Help me use Bayesian reasoning to evaluate this hypothesis
> Use the theory of constraints to find our bottleneck
Available Skills
Decision Making & Analysis
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-first-principles | Break problems into fundamental truths | Innovation, challenging assumptions |
| thinking-second-order | Think beyond immediate consequences | Strategic decisions, policy changes |
| thinking-inversion | Approach problems by identifying paths to failure | Risk identification, planning |
| thinking-pre-mortem | Imagine failure and work backward | Project kickoffs, risk assessment |
| thinking-kepner-tregoe | Systematic rational process for complex analysis | High-stakes decisions, root cause analysis |
| thinking-reversibility | Classify decisions by reversibility (Type 1/2) | Commitment sizing, risk assessment |
| thinking-regret-minimization | Project to future self to test decisions | Career choices, major life decisions |
| thinking-opportunity-cost | Evaluate choices by what you give up | Resource allocation, prioritization |
Cognitive & Behavioral
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-bayesian | Update beliefs based on evidence | Probability estimation, uncertainty |
| thinking-debiasing | Identify and counteract cognitive biases | Major decisions, high stakes |
| thinking-dual-process | Recognize when to trust intuition vs. analysis | Speed vs. accuracy tradeoffs |
| thinking-bounded-rationality | Make good-enough decisions under constraints | Time pressure, satisficing |
| thinking-socratic | Systematic questioning framework | Requirements, debugging, coaching |
| thinking-probabilistic | Calibrated probability estimation | Forecasting, uncertainty quantification |
| thinking-steel-manning | Argue the strongest opposing position | Debate, decision validation |
Systems & Strategy
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-systems | Analyze interconnected systems | Complex debugging, architecture |
| thinking-feedback-loops | Identify reinforcing and balancing loops | Growth design, organizational dynamics |
| thinking-archetypes | Recognize recurring system patterns | Organizational problems, recurring issues |
| thinking-ooda | Rapid decision-making for dynamic situations | Incident response, competitive scenarios |
| thinking-leverage-points | Find where small changes have big effects | System optimization, intervention design |
| thinking-theory-of-constraints | Identify and manage bottlenecks | Performance optimization, throughput |
| thinking-cynefin | Classify problems by complexity domain | Methodology selection, approach matching |
Problem Solving & Innovation
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-occams-razor | Prefer simpler explanations | Debugging, architecture decisions |
| thinking-map-territory | Recognize limits of mental models | Expectation mismatches, abstractions |
| thinking-circle-of-competence | Know the boundaries of expertise | Delegation, learning decisions |
| thinking-triz | Resolve technical contradictions | Engineering design, innovation |
| thinking-five-whys-plus | Enhanced root cause analysis with bias guards | Debugging, incident postmortems |
| thinking-scientific-method | Hypothesis-driven investigation | Debugging, A/B testing, experimentation |
| thinking-thought-experiment | Structured imagination for exploration | Architecture, edge cases, philosophy |
Estimation & Risk
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-fermi-estimation | Order-of-magnitude calculations | Quick sizing, feasibility checks |
| thinking-margin-of-safety | Build in buffers for uncertainty | Risk management, system design |
| thinking-lindy-effect | Older things likely to last longer | Technology selection, durability |
| thinking-via-negativa | Improve by removing, not adding | Simplification, robustness |
| thinking-red-team | Attack your own plans adversarially | Security review, plan validation |
Product & Innovation
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-jobs-to-be-done | Understand the job customers hire products for | Product development, feature design |
| thinking-effectuation | Start with means, not goals | Startups, innovation, uncertainty |
Meta-Skills
| Skill | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| thinking-model-router | START HERE - Route to the right model by domain | Entry point for all thinking skills |
| thinking-model-selection | Choose the right model for the problem | New problems, approach selection |
| thinking-model-combination | Combine multiple models for richer analysis | Complex problems, high-stakes decisions |
Quality Assurance Tools
This collection includes scripts to maintain and improve skill quality:
Validate Skills
Check all skills against quality criteria:
node scripts/validate-skills.js
Outputs a report showing:
- Required sections present/missing
- Quality metrics (examples, tables, checklists)
- Overall score per skill
- Skills needing attention
Generate Enhancement Suggestions
Get specific improvement suggestions for a skill:
# Single skill
node scripts/enhance-skill.js thinking-first-principles
# All skills summary
node scripts/enhance-skill.js
Generate AI Improvement Prompts
Create prompts for Claude to enhance skills:
node scripts/generate-improvement-prompt.js thinking-bayesian
This generates a detailed prompt you can use with Claude Code to systematically improve any skill.
Detailed Skill Descriptions
First Principles Thinking
Strip away assumptions to reveal fundamental truths, then rebuild solutions from basics. Championed by Elon Musk and rooted in Aristotle's philosophy.
When to use:
- Conventional approaches have failed
- You're told something is "impossible"
- Need innovation, not incremental improvement
Bayesian Reasoning
Update beliefs systematically based on new evidence. Provides a framework for thinking about probability and uncertainty.
When to use:
- Estimating probabilities or likelihoods
- Interpreting test results or metrics
- Making decisions with incomplete information
Systems Thinking
View problems as part of interconnected wholes with feedback loops and emergent properties. Essential for debugging complex distributed systems.
When to use:
- Debugging spans multiple components
- Fix in one place breaks another
- Behavior seems emergent or unexpected
Theory of Constraints
Every system has exactly one constraint limiting throughput. Optimizing anything else is wasted effort. Based on Eliyahu Goldratt's work.
When to use:
- Performance optimization
- Process improvement
- Resource allocation
- Identifying bottlenecks
Cynefin Framework
Classify problems by the relationship between cause and effect: Clear, Complicated, Complex, or Chaotic. Each domain requires a different approach.
When to use:
- Choosing methodologies
- Understanding why approaches fail
- Crisis management
Jobs to Be Done
Customers don't buy products—the