Structured reasoning methodologies from history's most rigorous thinkers, packaged as Claude Code skills.
Install
npx skills add human-avatar/skills-for-humanitygh skill install human-avatar/skills-for-humanitygit clone --depth 1 https://github.com/human-avatar/skills-for-humanitySkills in this collection
- S4hhuman-avatarMaster orchestration skill. Takes any situation in plain English, identifies the underlying goal, designs a multi-skill reasoning workflow, and executes it sequentially — feeding each skill's output into the next.
- S4h Aesthetichuman-avatarEntry point for the aesthetic toolkit. Routes to the right aesthetic skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'aesthetic', 'check the design', 'does this feel right', 'is this elegant', 'is this too complex', 'what pattern is this', 'find the simpler version', or want an aesthetic lens applied without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Aesthetic Coherence Checkhuman-avatarTests whether the parts of something form a unified whole — finding the jarring inconsistencies that accumulate when different contributors work without a shared vision. TRIGGERS: 'coherence check', 'does this feel unified', 'something feels off', 'inconsistent', 'check the whole', 'does this hang together'.
- S4h Aesthetic Elegance Testinghuman-avatarTests whether a solution is more complex than it needs to be — distinguishing necessary complexity from accidental complexity that accreted over time. TRIGGERS: 'elegance test', 'is this too complex', 'over-engineered', 'is there a simpler way', 'does this feel right'.
- S4h Aesthetic Pattern Detectionhuman-avatarIdentifies the underlying formal pattern at work — because most successful designs, arguments, and solutions share deep structural patterns, and naming the pattern unlocks the playbook. TRIGGERS: 'what pattern is this', 'pattern recognition', 'why does this work', 'identify the form', 'what structure is at play', 'what archetype is this'.
- S4h Aesthetic Simplicity Analysishuman-avatarFinds the simpler version while preserving what matters — not arbitrary reduction, but finding the core and discarding what is not it. TRIGGERS: 'find the simple version', 'simplify this', 'what's the essence', 'less but better', 'strip it back', 'what could we remove'.
- S4h Analogyhuman-avatarEntry point for the analogy toolkit. Routes to the right analogy skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'analogy', 'is this like that', 'find a comparison', 'import a solution from elsewhere', 'fresh eyes on this', 'where does this metaphor break', or want analogical reasoning applied without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Analogy Boundary Testinghuman-avatarFinds where an analogy breaks down before it's relied upon. Analogies fail silently — the damage happens when decisions are made on a mapping that doesn't hold in the relevant dimension. Triggers: 'stress-test this analogy', 'where does this comparison break', 'does this really apply', 'test the metaphor', 'where is the analogy wrong'.
- S4h Analogy Domain Transferhuman-avatarImports solutions from unrelated domains by finding structural similarities between your problem and solved problems elsewhere. Triggers: 'cross-domain analogy', 'what solves this elsewhere', 'find a parallel problem', 'look outside this field', 'borrow a solution'.
- S4h Analogy Perspective Shiftinghuman-avatarApproaches a problem from completely different fields to break the assumption blindness that comes from domain expertise. Triggers: 'fresh eyes', 'outside perspective', 'what would a [different expert] say', 'beginner's mind', 'approach from another field'.
- S4h Analogy Structure Mappinghuman-avatarIdentifies the deep structural correspondence between two situations — genuine isomorphism vs superficial similarity. Triggers: 'does this analogy hold', 'map the structure', 'is this really like that', 'structural similarity', 'test the comparison'.
- S4h Cognitionhuman-avatarEntry point for the cognition toolkit. Routes to the right cognition skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'cognition', 'how am I thinking about this', 'why can't I focus', 'what mental model is driving this', 'am I thinking clearly', 'this is too complex to hold in my head', 'what do I actually know here', or want applied cognitive science without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Cognition Attentionhuman-avatarMaps the attention economy of a mind or situation — what captures it, what depletes it, and how to protect it. Use when asked 'why can't I focus', 'attention keeps getting pulled away', 'how do I protect deep work', 'what's stealing my focus', 'I keep getting distracted', or when designing environments, workflows, or communications that need to respect cognitive bandwidth.
- S4h Cognition Cognitive Loadhuman-avatarManages the limits of working memory — chunking, offloading, and reducing unnecessary complexity to free capacity for what matters. Use when asked 'this is too complex to hold in my head', 'I keep losing track of where I am', 'how do I make this simpler to think about', 'the design is overwhelming', 'people aren't retaining this', or when information architecture, learning design, or…
- S4h Cognition Mental Modelshuman-avatarSurfaces and audits the internal representations that drive perception and decision-making. Use when asked 'what assumptions am I making', 'why do I keep seeing this the same way', 'what model is driving this decision', 'I think I'm missing something about how this works', 'what's my mental model here', or when a belief or decision pattern needs to be examined from the inside.
- S4h Cognition Metacognitionhuman-avatarApplies thinking-about-thinking as a practical tool — monitoring comprehension, calibrating confidence, and knowing what you do not know. Use when asked 'how confident should I be about this', 'am I actually understanding this or just recognising it', 'what do I not know that I should know', 'I think I understand this but I keep getting it wrong', 'calibrate my confidence', or when the quality…
- S4h Communicationhuman-avatarEntry point for the communication toolkit. Routes to the right communication skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'communication', 'how do I say this', 'will this land', 'which channel', 'what will they push back on', 'does this make sense', or want communication help without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Communication Audience Modelinghuman-avatarMaps what the audience currently believes, actually cares about, and fears before communicating — because communication fails at the receiver, not the sender. Triggers: 'model the audience', 'audience analysis', 'who am I talking to', 'what do they care about', 'why aren't they getting it'.
- S4h Communication Clarity Audithuman-avatarAudits a communication for places where the message will be lost, misread, or misunderstood — before it's sent. Triggers: 'clarity audit', 'will this be understood', 'check my message', 'edit for clarity', 'where will this be misread'.
- S4h Communication Medium Selectionhuman-avatarMatches the message to the right channel and format — the same content in the wrong medium loses most of its effect. Triggers: 'which channel', 'email vs meeting', 'should this be async or sync', 'medium fit', 'how should I deliver this'.
- S4h Communication Objection Mappinghuman-avatarMaps likely objections before delivering a proposal — objections that are anticipated feel addressed; objections that land as surprises derail. Triggers: 'anticipate objections', 'what will they push back on', 'steelman the opposition', 'prepare for resistance', 'objection mapping'.
- S4h Constrainthuman-avatarEntry point for the constraint toolkit. Routes to the right constraint skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'constraint', 'given this limit', 'we can't do X', 'is this really fixed', 'use the limitation', 'minimum viable', 'how do we do this anyway', or want constraint thinking applied without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Constraint Hardness Testinghuman-avatarTests whether a stated constraint is real — distinguishing genuine limits from assumptions, habits, or politics dressed as facts. Triggers: 'is this really a constraint', 'challenge the assumption', 'who says we can't', 'is this actually fixed', 'test the constraint'.
- S4h Constraint Rule Inversionhuman-avatarFlips a constraint into a creative driver — uses the limit as the generative force rather than working around it. Triggers: 'invert the constraint', 'use the limitation', 'constraint as feature', 'what if this limit was the requirement'.
- S4h Constraint Scope Reductionhuman-avatarFinds the minimum that satisfies the actual requirement — stripping everything wanted but not needed. Triggers: 'minimum viable', 'what's the minimum', 'strip this back', 'what do we actually need', 'scope reduction', 'simplify the requirement'.
- S4h Constraint Workaround Mappinghuman-avatarFinds paths around a fixed constraint without removing it — routing around a hard limit to reach the same goal. Triggers: 'work around this', 'given this constraint', 'path around the blocker', 'how do we do this anyway', 'constrained solution'.
- S4h Creativityhuman-avatarEntry point for the creativity toolkit. Routes to the right creative thinking technique based on your situation. Use when you say 'creativity', 'think creatively', 'I need fresh ideas', 'help me think differently', 'I'm stuck', or want creative help without knowing which specific tool applies. For comprehensive multi-method sessions, this runs them in sequence.
- S4h Creativity Alternativeshuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's APC (Alternatives, Possibilities, Choices) tool to deliberately generate options before evaluating any of them. Use when the user is about to make a decision, wants more options before choosing, feels like they only see two paths, is planning something and wants to make sure they've considered all the approaches, or tends to go with the first good idea.
- S4h Creativity Assumption Excavatorhuman-avatarSurface and challenge the hidden assumptions in any problem, plan, or framing. Use when the user feels stuck despite trying multiple approaches, a problem seems intractable, a plan keeps failing for unclear reasons, something 'obvious' keeps producing unexpected results, or before using any other creative thinking tool when the problem itself might be wrongly framed.
- S4h Creativity Brainstormhuman-avatarRun an orchestrated multi-method creative thinking sprint on a challenge. Use when the user wants to make real progress on a hard problem, says 'I need to think through this properly', wants a thorough creative exploration rather than a single technique, has a big decision or challenge and wants the full toolkit applied, or just says 'help me think through this'.
- S4h Creativity Concept Fanhuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's Concept Fan to expand the solution space before committing to an approach. Use when the user has a goal or problem and wants to see the full range of ways to achieve it, feels locked into one solution, is evaluating options and wants to make sure they haven't missed any, or wants to think at different levels of abstraction before deciding.
- S4h Creativity Consider Factorshuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's CAF (Consider All Factors) tool to map every relevant factor before making a decision or taking action. Use when the user is about to decide something important, wants to make sure they haven't missed anything, is planning an action and needs to think through consequences, or has been surprised by things they didn't anticipate.
- S4h Creativity Lateral Thinkinghuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's lateral thinking to escape dominant patterns and generate genuinely new directions. Use when the user is stuck on a problem, wants alternatives to their current approach, says 'I keep thinking about this the same way', wants to think outside the box, or needs fresh angles on any challenge — creative, strategic, technical, or personal.
- S4h Creativity Other Perspectiveshuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's OPS (Other People's Shoes) tool to genuinely think from other perspectives. Use when the user needs to understand how others will respond to a decision, wants to anticipate objections, is designing something for other people, is in a conflict or negotiation, or needs to check whether they've considered the people affected by a situation.
- S4h Creativity Plus Minus Interestinghuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's Plus/Minus/Interesting (PMI) tool for balanced evaluation of any idea, proposal, plan, or decision. Use when the user wants to evaluate something fairly, is tempted to immediately accept or reject an idea, needs to think through pros and cons more carefully, or wants to avoid snap judgments. Plus/Minus/Interesting is the antidote to confirmation bias in evaluation.
- S4h Creativity Provocationhuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's Provocation Operation (Po) to use deliberately absurd or impossible statements as springboards to new ideas. Use when the user wants to break out of conventional thinking, says 'let's try something radical', wants to use provocation as a creative tool, or is stuck and needs an unconventional jolt. Also trigger when the user uses the prefix 'Po:' before a statement.
- S4h Creativity Random Entryhuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's Random Entry technique — use an unrelated word, object, or image as a creative springboard to break out of cognitive ruts. Use when the user is stuck, wants unexpected inspiration, asks for a random creative prompt, wants to approach something from a completely fresh angle, or says they've exhausted their usual thinking. The randomness is the point — don't skip it.
- S4h Creativity Six Hatshuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats for structured parallel thinking. Use when the user wants to think through a decision, plan, or idea from multiple angles; wants to avoid groupthink or one-dimensional analysis; is preparing for a meeting or discussion; or wants a complete map of a situation before committing.
- S4h Creativity Water Logichuman-avatarApply Edward de Bono's water logic for flow-based, non-judgmental exploration. Use when the user is in early-stage exploration and premature categorization is killing promising directions, wants to follow where ideas lead without forcing conclusions, is working on something open-ended where 'is this right?' is the wrong question, or needs to map possibilities before judging them.
- S4h Decisionhuman-avatarEntry point for the decision toolkit. Routes to the right decision skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'decision', 'help me decide', 'should I', 'which option', 'what are my choices', 'what could go wrong', 'is this reversible', or want decision help without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Decision Criteria Weightinghuman-avatarRuns a weighted multi-criteria analysis — making explicit what matters, how much, and how each option performs against it. Triggers: 'weighted decision matrix', 'multi-criteria analysis', 'help me choose between', 'compare these options', 'decision matrix'.
- S4h Decision Option Mappinghuman-avatarEnsures all real options are visible before choosing — countering the false dichotomy that limits consideration to the first two options that came to mind. Triggers: 'what are all the options', 'false dichotomy check', 'expand the option set', 'what else could we do', 'options inventory'.
- S4h Decision Premortem Analysishuman-avatarImagines the decision has been made and failed — then diagnoses why. Breaks the commitment bias that prevents honest risk assessment after a direction is chosen. Triggers: 'pre-mortem', 'imagine this failed', 'what could go wrong', 'assume this doesn't work', 'failure mode analysis'.
- S4h Decision Reversibility Analysishuman-avatarCategorises a decision by reversibility and applies the appropriate level of process rigour. Triggers: 'is this reversible', 'how much should I think about this', 'one-way door', 'two-way door', 'decision type', 'how committed is this'.
- S4h Designhuman-avatarEntry point for the design thinking toolkit. Routes to the right design skill based on your situation. Use when you say 'design', 'user needs', 'what do people actually want', 'design constraints', 'prototype and iterate', 'simplify this', 'remove what's unnecessary', or want design thinking applied without knowing which specific tool fits.
- S4h Design Constraintshuman-avatarUses constraints productively — maps hard limits, soft preferences, and how the tightest constraints define the solution space. Triggers: 'what are the design constraints', 'map the constraints', 'what are we working within', 'what's fixed', 'constraint-driven design', 'what does the solution space look like', 'working within limits'.
- S4h Design Iterationhuman-avatarStructures the feedback loop between making and learning — prototyping, testing, and convergence toward fit. Triggers: 'prototype and test', 'iterate on the design', 'how do we test this', 'get feedback on the design', 'what should we prototype', 'design feedback loop', 'test and learn', 'are we converging'.
- S4h Design Simplicityhuman-avatarApplies the design principle of removing rather than adding — finding the form that does exactly what is needed, nothing more. Triggers: 'simplify this', 'remove what's unnecessary', 'it's too complicated', 'what can we cut', 'reduce the design', 'it's bloated', 'make it simpler', 'find the essential form', 'what's really needed here'.