cause-and-effect — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Runs structured Ishikawa diagram investigations on development bottlenecks. Pinpoints root causes across technical and team factors.
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a claude-codeWhat cause-and-effect does
The skill organizes incident post-mortems using six classic dimensions: people, procedures, tech stack, environment, approaches, and inputs. The agent frames the core problem. Then it systematically probes each branch.
It differentiates secondary contributing factors from underlying breakdowns. At the end, it ranks proposed fixes based on impact and implementation effort. The workflow also hooks into the /why command for deeper inquiry.
Vague problem statements produce unfocused breakdowns. That makes gathering raw metrics and logs before triggering the command necessary.
What it helps with
- track down latency drivers in slow API endpoints
- isolate sources of flaky test failures in continuous integration
- uncover reasons behind delayed product deliveries
- evaluate root causes during post-incident investigations
Example prompts for the agent
- /cause-and-effect latency spikes on checkout endpoint
- /cause-and-effect test suite fails intermittently on CI
- /cause-and-effect migration project exceeded delivery estimate
How to install cause-and-effect
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/cause-and-effect/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/cause-and-effect/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/cause-and-effect/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/cause-and-effect/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit cause-and-effect2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/cause-and-effect/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --path skills/cause-and-effectManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/cause-and-effect/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about cause-and-effect
How do I install cause-and-effect in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill cause-and-effect -a claude-code in your terminal. It sets up the skill under ~/.claude/skills/cause-and-effect/SKILL.md.
What does cause-and-effect do?
It applies fishbone diagram analysis to inspect issues across six distinct operational areas. It isolates primary triggers from surface symptoms and outlines prioritized remediation steps.
Can it be combined with other commands?
Yes, it pairs with the /why prompt to drill deeper into specific branches identified during the breakdown.
