# diagnose

A router skill that helps a founder work out what is actually broken and pick one framework instead of guessing.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 646 installs · ★ 776
- Author: getagentseal
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/getagentseal/founder-playbook/tree/HEAD/skills/diagnose/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-06
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/getagentseal-diagnose

## What it does

Reach for this one first, when the problem is vague. The skill walks through questions in order: are people paying, do they understand the product, are the right people finding you, are they buying, is the sales process moving. Each answer points to one of five root causes — product, market, messaging, distribution, pricing.

The output is deliberately narrow: one primary skill, one optional secondary, and one concrete action for the week. Stacking three or four frameworks is ruled out. If two genuinely apply, they get sequenced rather than run side by side. The suggested action is meant to be something a solo founder can actually finish.

It also tells you when no framework fits and the honest next step is talking to people. Install it before the other skills in the set, since it decides which of them you need.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add getagentseal/founder-playbook --skill diagnose -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add getagentseal/founder-playbook --skill diagnose -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add getagentseal/founder-playbook --skill diagnose -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install getagentseal/founder-playbook diagnose
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add getagentseal/founder-playbook --skill diagnose -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/getagentseal/founder-playbook --path skills/diagnose
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add getagentseal/founder-playbook --skill diagnose -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/getagentseal/founder-playbook/tree/HEAD/skills/diagnose/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- find the real root cause behind a vague startup problem
- tell a product problem apart from a marketing problem
- pick one framework instead of trying all of them
- get a single concrete action for the week
- avoid pivoting early because the message is unclear

## Example prompts
- nothing is working, where do I even begin
- why aren't people buying my product
- what should I focus on right now

## 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: e0dabba58edede33.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE e0dabba58edede33
````text
---
name: diagnose
description: "Startup diagnostic router. Use FIRST when a founder doesn't know where to start, has multiple overlapping problems, or asks a vague question like 'what's wrong with my startup', 'why aren't people buying', 'what should I focus on', 'where do I even begin', 'nothing is working'. Routes to the right framework from the 15 available skills — or tells you when no framework fits and you just need to go talk to people. This is the entry point. Use it before reaching for any specific skill."
---

> **Note:** This skill is independent analysis and commentary, not a reproduction of any original text. It synthesizes frameworks from multiple books with modern startup practice and routes founders to the right tool for their situation.

# Diagnose

> "The dangerous moment is when you apply the right framework to the wrong problem."

## When to Use This Skill

```
Do you know exactly what's broken?
|-- YES --> Do you know which framework to use?
|   |-- YES --> Go use that skill directly. You don't need this.
|   +-- NO  --> THIS SKILL. You know the problem, need the tool.
+-- NO  --> THIS SKILL. Start here.
```

This skill exists because frameworks are tools, not answers. A hammer doesn't help when the problem is a screw. The first job is diagnosis — figuring out what's actually broken before reaching for any specific framework.

---

## The Five Failure Modes

Every startup problem maps to one of five root causes. Most founders misdiagnose which one they have.

| Failure Mode | What It Looks Like | Common Misdiagnosis |
|---|---|---|
| **Product** | People try it and stop using it | "We need better marketing" |
| **Market** | Can't find anyone who cares enough to pay | "We need to build more features" |
| **Messaging** | Good product, people don't understand what it does | "The product must be wrong" |
| **Distribution** | People would buy it but never hear about it | "We need a better website" |
| **Pricing** | People want it but won't pay what you charge | "We need more features to justify the price" |

### The Misdiagnosis Problem

Founders almost always misdiagnose their problem by one layer. The pattern:

```
ACTUAL PROBLEM:        WHAT FOUNDERS THINK:        WHAT THEY DO:
Product problem    →   "Marketing isn't working"   →   Spend on ads (waste)
Market problem     →   "Need more features"        →   Build for months (waste)
Messaging problem  →   "Product must be wrong"     →   Pivot prematurely (waste)
Distribution       →   "Need better website"       →   Redesign 5 times (waste)
Pricing problem    →   "Need more value"            →   Add features nobody asked for (waste)
```

---

## The Diagnostic

Answer these honestly. Not what you hope is true — what the evidence says.

### Step 1: Do people want this?

```
Have at least 5 people given you real money (or signed a binding LOI)?
|-- YES --> Go to Step 2.
|-- NO  --> Have you talked to 10+ potential customers about their problem
|           (not your solution)?
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE e0dabba58edede33

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the e0dabba58edede33 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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