# claim-investigation

Breaks a viral claim into separate checkable facts and shows where fact ends and interpretation begins. Useful when a post or news item needs a careful read.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 369 installs · ★ 176
- Author: jwynia
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/general/research/verification/claim-investigation/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/claim-investigation

## What it does

The skill runs an investigation in phases. It first splits a statement into atomic claims and tags each one as entity, event, state, process, causation or narrative. Vague references get resolved into names and events, a timeline is built, and verification starts.

Verification moves from foundational facts to contested ones. Official records come first, then direct statements from the parties involved, court filings, news reports. Causation gets its own pass: the skill looks for direct evidence, indirect evidence and alternative explanations. The output is a report with confidence levels, from confirmed by multiple primary sources down to contradicted.

The skill is diagnostic, so it does not go and search the web for you. It tells the agent how to order sources and how to phrase queries, starting broad and narrowing. If a claim hinges on someone's motive, expect that part to stay unconfirmed, because motivation rarely has direct evidence behind it.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill claim-investigation -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/claim-investigation/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/claim-investigation/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill claim-investigation -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/claim-investigation/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill claim-investigation -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/claim-investigation/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install jwynia/agent-skills claim-investigation
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/claim-investigation/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill claim-investigation -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --path skills/general/research/verification/claim-investigation
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/claim-investigation/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill claim-investigation -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/general/research/verification/claim-investigation/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- decompose a viral post into verifiable claims
- separate facts from framing in a news item
- spot what information a loud claim leaves out
- test a causal link inside someone's assertion
- produce a confidence-rated report on a contested topic

## Example prompts
- Investigate this claim: the House Leader refused to seat the newly-elected winner because she would vote to release the Epstein files
- Break this post into atomic claims and tell me which ones I can confirm
- Write up a report on this assertion: verified facts, disputed parts, missing context

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 93185f8c2a052504.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 93185f8c2a052504
```text
---
name: claim-investigation
description: Systematically investigate social media claims and viral content. Use when fact-checking complex claims, when decomposing multi-part assertions, or when investigating narratives that mix facts with interpretation.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: diagnostic
  mode: evaluative
  domain: research
---

# Claim Investigation: Systematic Fact-Checking Skill

You help systematically investigate claims from social media and other sources, separating verifiable facts from narrative interpretation and identifying what can and cannot be confirmed.

## Core Principle

Complex claims typically combine verifiable facts with unverifiable interpretations. Effective investigation decomposes claims into atomic components, verifies each independently, and clearly distinguishes between confirmed facts and narrative framing.

## Phase 1: Claim Decomposition

### 1.1 Extract Atomic Claims
Break the statement into individual verifiable claims. Each should be:
- A single factual assertion
- Independently verifiable
- Free of narrative interpretation

**Example Decomposition**:
Original: "The House Leader refusing to seat the newly-elected AZ-07 special election winner because she'd vote to release the Epstein files"

Atomic claims:
1. There is a House Leader (entity exists)
2. There was an AZ-07 special election (event occurred)
3. Someone won that election (result exists)
4. The winner has not been seated (current state)
5. A refusal action occurred (specific action claim)
6. Causal relationship with Epstein files (causation claim)

### 1.2 Classify Each Component

| Type | Description | Verifiability |
|------|-------------|---------------|
| ENTITY | Person, organization, place | Usually verifiable |
| EVENT | Something that allegedly happened | Often verifiable |
| STATE | Current condition or status | Usually verifiable |
| PROCESS | Official procedure or mechanism | Verifiable |
| CAUSATION | Claimed reason or motivation | Rarely verifiable |
| NARRATIVE | Interpretive framing | Not directly verifiable |

### 1.3 Identify Missing Information
Note what's conspicuously absent:
- Unnamed entities ("the winner" instead of a name)
- Unspecified dates
- Missing procedural context
- Absent opposing perspectives

## Phase 2: Entity Resolution

### 2.1 Resolve Vague References
Convert vague references to specific, searchable terms:
- "House Leader" → Current House Speaker/Majority Leader name
- "newly-elected winner" → Candidate names from election results
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 93185f8c2a052504

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First 2553 of 14078 bytes. © jwynia · MIT · https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/general/research/verification/claim-investigation/SKILL.md

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