# thinking-kepner-tregoe

A skill for narrowing a defect with IS/IS-NOT analysis and for picking between options with MUST screening, weighted WANTs and downside checks.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 557 installs · ★ 1674
- Author: tjboudreaux
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/thinking-kepner-tregoe/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-08-07
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/thinking-kepner-tregoe

## What it does

Two modes live in one skill. Problem Analysis fits a defect that hits some objects, places, times or cohorts but not comparable ones. Decision Analysis fits a choice with hard requirements and competing objectives.

In Problem Analysis you fill WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and EXTENT: the IS side, the closest comparable IS-NOT, and the distinction unique to IS. Candidate causes come from those distinctions and from recent changes. A cause survives only if it explains both sides of the boundary, and the cheapest discriminating check runs first. In Decision Analysis options fail any MUST and drop out, survivors get scored against WANTs weighted 1 to 10, and leading options go through an adverse-consequence table with probability and impact. A high total should not hide a ruinous failure mode.

The skill returns an open result instead of forcing a winner when no cause verifies or no option clears the MUSTs. It also tells you to skip the full matrix for an obvious cause or a trivial choice, since extra rows are ceremony. Everything sits in `SKILL.md` as a written procedure — no scripts, no external dependencies.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-kepner-tregoe -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-kepner-tregoe -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-kepner-tregoe -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-kepner-tregoe
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-kepner-tregoe -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --path skills/thinking-kepner-tregoe
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-kepner-tregoe -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/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/thinking-kepner-tregoe/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- separate the real cause of a defect from lookalike cases
- screen options against hard requirements before scoring them
- spot a ruinous failure mode behind a high weighted total
- check whether a weight change flips the ranking
- return no answer when no cause verifies

## Example prompts
- work out why only some requests fail, using IS/IS-NOT
- compare two migration plans: MUST screen first, then weighted WANTs
- show which weight changes would reverse the chosen option

## 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: 7680af4ded2a47b3.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 7680af4ded2a47b3
```text
---
name: thinking-kepner-tregoe
description: Use when a selective defect needs IS/IS-NOT difference analysis or a consequential option choice needs must/want weighting and adverse-consequence comparison.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Kepner-Tregoe Analysis

**Core rule:** Diagnose deviations by testing causes against both IS and IS-NOT. Compare consequential choices by screening MUSTs, weighting WANTs, and exposing adverse consequences before selecting.

## When to Use

- A defect affects some objects, places, times, or cohorts but not comparable others.
- Several candidate causes remain and the contrast boundary can discriminate them.
- A consequential option choice has explicit non-negotiables, competing objectives, and risks that should be compared consistently.

## When NOT to Use

- A uniform failure has no meaningful IS-NOT contrast, or the cause is already confirmed.
- One cheap observation settles the cause or one option plainly dominates every requirement.
- The criteria cannot be made operational; clarify them before assigning weights.
- The task is forward failure discovery for a planned change rather than diagnosis or option selection.

## Procedure

1. **Choose the mode.** Use Problem Analysis for a deviation from expected behavior; use Decision Analysis for a choice among options. State the target and do not mix scores with causal evidence.
2. **Frame the target.** For a deviation, record object, defect, location, time, extent, and impact. For a choice, state the decision, alternatives, constraints, and deadline.
3. **Problem Analysis — build IS/IS-NOT.** For WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and EXTENT, record IS, closest comparable IS-NOT, and the distinction unique to the IS side. List changes near the first occurrence.
4. **Problem Analysis — difference-test causes.** Generate candidates from distinctions and changes. A candidate survives only if it explains both IS and IS-NOT. Run the cheapest discriminating check; stop when one verified cause explains the full boundary.
5. **Decision Analysis — screen and score.** Define pass/fail MUSTs and weighted WANTs (1–10 importance) before scoring. Eliminate options that fail any MUST; score survivors against each WANT and calculate weighted totals using the same scale.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 7680af4ded2a47b3

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 7680af4ded2a47b3 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.

First 2271 of 3649 bytes. © tjboudreaux · MIT · https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/thinking-kepner-tregoe/SKILL.md

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