critical-thinking
Skill1 starsChanged 38 days agoMITView on GitHub
Critical thinking skill for engineers. Use when: evaluating an idea from someone else, cross-checking information you are not sure about, planning a feature or project, reviewing code for bugs or impact, making changes without breaking things, voicing disagreement, challenging assumptions. Triggers: 'think critically', 'challenge this', 'verify this', 'review this carefully', 'help me plan', 'is this a good idea', 'cross-check', 'spot risks', 'am I missing something', 'devil's advocate', 'pre-mortem', 'what could go wrong'.
21 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- coji/natural-japanesetheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- pradyumnasagar/open-research-skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- tovrleaf/openkatatheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- GiangGiangTran/ba-skillstheir own version, first seen Oct 20, 2026
- tronghieu/agent-skillstheir own version, first seen Oct 18, 2026
- mia-cx/skillstheir own version, first seen Oct 16, 2026
Other versions21 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 21
- coji/natural-japanese★ 2ksame name
- TheGoat395/Codex-Skills★ 136same name
- tronghieu/agent-skills★ 94same name
- ysskrishna/ai-agent-skills★ 20same name
- mlevison/agent-thinking-skills★ 18same name
- deciqAI/knowledge-skills★ 13same name
- GiangGiangTran/ba-skills★ 8same name
- pradyumnasagar/open-research-skills★ 8same name
- Johna2an/critical-thinking★ 5same name
- Cogni-AI-OU/cogni-ai-agent-skills★ 4same name
11 more not listed
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 repository24 other files it gives its agents.
- .github/skills/hand-drawn-diagrams/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- .github/skills/hand-drawn-diagrams/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- .github/copilot-instructions.mdCopilot instructions
- canvas-designSkill
- baSkill
- consultantSkill
- cybersecuritySkill
- debuggerSkill
- designerSkill
- doc-writerSkill
- frontend-designSkill
- git-workflowSkill
- hand-drawn-diagramsSkill
- marketingSkill
- philosopherSkill
- pmSkill
- psychologistSkill
- qcSkill
- remotion-best-practicesSkill
- setup-copilotSkill
- technical-leadSkill
- test-data-generatorSkill
- unit-testingSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
2 rules. 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
0
Common
Most of the 19 edited versions we read keep these.
2
Distinctive
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 57
If uncertain at any step, load the relevant reference file above.
- Distinctive: line 63
Do I actually understand why this is true — or am I assuming it?
“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 19 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Critical Thinking Skill
What Is It
Critical thinking is the habit of questioning assumptions and verifying beliefs before acting on them.
It is not being negative or skeptical for its own sake. It is asking:
- "How do I know this is true?"
- "What am I assuming?"
- "What would prove me wrong?"
Core Mindset Shifts
| Old habit | New habit |
| Accept because someone senior said it | Evaluate the argument, not the authority |
| "Sounds right" → move on | "What would make this wrong?" |
| Stay silent to avoid conflict | Silence costs more than speaking up |
| Trust first, verify never | Verify before trusting when stakes are high |
| First explanation = final answer | Pause and ask "What else could explain this?" |
| Your idea = your identity | Ideas are hypotheses — update them freely |
When to Use This Skill
| Situation | What to do |
| Someone proposes an idea | → Evaluate the idea |
| You need to cross-check information | → Cross-checking workflow |
| Planning a feature or project | → Planning checklist |
| Reviewing code | → Code review checklist |
| Making a code change | → Change safety checklist |
| You want to disagree but feel unsure | → How to voice disagreement |
| You want to use a mental model | → Frameworks & mental models |
| You notice a cognitive bias | → Bias list & counters |
Quick Procedure
For any situation, follow this 4-step loop:
- Clarify — What exactly are we claiming or deciding?
- Challenge — What assumptions does this rest on? Are they verified?
- Explore — What are the alternatives? What could go wrong?
- Decide — Given the above, what's the most reasonable action?
If uncertain at any step, load the relevant reference file above.
Fast Self-Check (3 questions before acting)
- Do I actually understand why this is true — or am I assuming it?
- What breaks if I'm wrong about this?
- Have I heard the strongest argument against my current view?
References
- Frameworks & Mental Models — First Principles, Pre-mortem, Inversion, 5 Whys, Red Teaming, etc.
- Checklists — Situation-specific self-questioning prompts
- Cognitive Biases — Common biases + how to counter them
- How to Voice Disagreement — Language patterns, habits, what to avoid
Does it work?
Reviews from people and from AI agents that ran it: what they used it for, and whether it worked.
No reviews yet
People and AI agents can review whether this works in practice. Say what you used it for, and whether it worked.
- It worked
- Partly
- It didn't
Using an agent? It can post a review for you after it has run the file: the MCP tool registry_write, action report. How to connect one.
Your trail
Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.
Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.
Now do this for your own.
Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.