investigate-first
Skill1 starsChanged 21 days agoMITView on GitHub
Diagnose ambiguous failures before editing. Use for unknown causes, intermittent behavior, performance regressions, or investigations needing evidence-ranked hypotheses.
13 other projects use a version of this, 1 of them edited; 1 new project in the last 4 weeks, against 0 the 4 before.
Adopted by
Surging: 1 new project took it in the last 4 weeks, none the 4 weeks before.thin data
Most recently taken up by
- sudeepgupta90/my-ai-marketplaceword for word, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- mjlueck-hash/cavemanword for word, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- dhruvsaxena1998/skillsword for word, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- MMACABRE/SKILLSword for word, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- VorElze/hermes-office-skillsword for word, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- jjsizemore/jjskillsword for word, first seen Nov 1, 2026
Used with
Projects with it also use ponytail-debt, ponytail and 4 more.
Other files people use alongside this one.
Files found in the same public projects as a version of this one, more often than they turn up anywhere else. Each project counts once, large collections count for less, and this file's own repository is left out.
GoogleSkillponytail-debt
Harvest every `ponytail:` comment in the codebase into a debt ledger, so the deliberate shortcuts and deferrals ponytail leaves behind get tracked instead of rotting into "later means never". Use when the user says "ponytail debt", "/ponytail-debt", "what did ponytail defer", "list the shortcuts", "ponytail ledger", or "what did we mark to do later". One-shot report, changes nothing.
Also in 3 projects that use this
- GoogleSkill
ponytail
Forces the laziest solution that actually works, simplest, shortest, most minimal. Channels a senior dev who has seen everything: question whether the task needs to exist at all (YAGNI), reach for the standard library before custom code, native platform features before dependencies, one line before fifty. Supports intensity levels: lite, full (default), ultra. Use on ANY coding task: writing, adding, refactoring, fixing, reviewing, or designing code, and choosing libraries or dependencies. Also use whenever the user says "ponytail", "be lazy", "lazy mode", "simplest solution", "minimal solution", "yagni", "do less", or "shortest path", or complains about over-engineering, bloat, boilerplate, or unnecessary dependencies. Do NOT use for non-coding requests (general knowledge, prose, translation, summaries, recipes).
Also in 4 projects that use this
CloudflareSkillreceiving-code-review
Use when receiving code review feedback, before implementing suggestions, especially if feedback seems unclear or technically questionable - requires technical rigor and verification, not performative agreement or blind implementation
Also in 3 projects that use this
OpenAISkillwriting-plans
Use when you have a spec or requirements for a multi-step task, before touching code
Also in 3 projects that use this
StrayDragonSkillui-ux-pro-max
UI/UX design intelligence. 50 styles, 21 palettes, 50 font pairings, 20 charts, 8 stacks (React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, SwiftUI, React Native, Flutter, Tailwind). Actions: plan, build, create, design, implement, review, fix, improve, optimize, enhance, refactor, check UI/UX code. Projects: website, landing page, dashboard, admin panel, e-commerce, SaaS, portfolio, blog, mobile app, .html, .tsx, .vue, .svelte. Elements: button, modal, navbar, sidebar, card, table, form, chart. Styles: glassmorphism, claymorphism, minimalism, brutalism, neumorphism, bento grid, dark mode, responsive, skeuomorphism, flat design. Topics: color palette, accessibility, animation, layout, typography, font pairing, spacing, hover, shadow, gradient.
Also in 3 projects that use this
- +1 more from google
Other versions13 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 12
- JuliusBrussee/caveman★ 118k100% same
- nomdedev/agent-manager-template★ 2100% same
- xingtu1996/dsh-xingtu-skills★ 2100% same
- dhruvsaxena1998/skills★ 1100% same
- jjsizemore/jjskills★ 1100% same
- mjlueck-hash/caveman★ 1100% same
- MMACABRE/SKILLS★ 1100% same
- matheus-rib1108/meu-kit-claude-code★ 0100% same
- pengawasmknan/claude-skills★ 0100% same
- sudeepgupta90/my-ai-marketplace★ 0100% same
2 more not listed
Edited · 1
- Gopyr/gopyr-skills-hub★ 043% same
Wrote their own version · 0
None found.
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository9 other files it gives its agents.
- caveman-exploreSkill
- cavemanSkill
- flutter-conventionsSkill
- react-code-reviewSkill
- react-dashboard-structureSkill
- safe-refactorSkill
- typeui-fundamentalsSkill
- ultracaveSkill
- verify-and-stopSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
2 rules. About 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈2
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 13
Do not edit until one credible mechanism explains evidence.
- Distinctive: line 14
Stop exploration when evidence is sufficient to name cause or exact blocker.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Investigate first
Gather evidence before changing product code.
- Separate observed symptom from inferred cause.
- Trace inputs, state transitions, ownership boundaries, and failure output.
- Rank hypotheses by evidence and cheap falsification value.
- Do not edit until one credible mechanism explains evidence.
- Stop exploration when evidence is sufficient to name cause or exact blocker.
Report cause and proof. Make no fix unless task authorizes implementation.
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