Add problem-solving skills from amplifier patterns

[obra]

Summary

Extract and adapt problem-solving techniques from Amplifier's agent system into focused, composable skills.

New skills added:

• 5 problem-solving techniques (simplification-cascades, collision-zone-thinking, meta-pattern-recognition, inversion-exercise, scale-game)
• 1 dispatch skill (when-stuck flowchart)
• 1 architecture skill (preserving-productive-tensions)
• 1 research skill (tracing-knowledge-lineages)

Enhanced existing skills:

• brainstorming: Added flexibility to revisit earlier phases
• executing-plans: Added explicit blocker handling

Key improvements:

• ~60 lines each with quick reference tables
• Symptom-based when_to_use for discovery
• Pattern-based triggers (not exact phrases)
• Cross-referenced from brainstorming for discoverability
• All pressure-tested with subagents

What Changed

Problem-Solving Skills (New)

• simplification-cascades: Find one insight that eliminates multiple components
• collision-zone-thinking: Force unrelated concepts together for breakthroughs
• meta-pattern-recognition: Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains
• inversion-exercise: Flip assumptions to reveal alternatives
• scale-game: Test at extremes to expose fundamental truths
• when-stuck: Dispatch flowchart mapping stuck-symptoms to techniques

Architecture Skills (New)

• preserving-productive-tensions: Preserve multiple valid approaches when context determines which is better

Research Skills (New)

• tracing-knowledge-lineages: Understand why code exists before changing it

Workflow Skills (Enhanced)

• brainstorming: Phases with "When to Revisit" - flexibility over rigid progression
• executing-plans: Steps with "When to Stop" - blocker handling

Testing

All skills tested with RED-GREEN-REFACTOR methodology:

• Baseline tests without skills showed natural behavior
• Tests with skills verified compliance under pressure
• Pressure scenarios included: sunk cost, time pressure, momentum bias
• All skills passed final verification

Attribution

Skills derived from amplifier agents (commit 2adb63f):

• insight-synthesizer → 5 problem-solving techniques
• ambiguity-guardian → preserving-productive-tensions
• knowledge-archaeologist → tracing-knowledge-lineages

See ABOUT.md files in each category for full attribution.

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • New skill guides: Collision-Zone Thinking, Inversion Exercise, Meta-Pattern Recognition, Scale Game, Simplification Cascades, When Stuck (dispatch), Tracing Knowledge Lineages, and Preserving Productive Tensions.

• Improvements

  • Brainstorming: clarified non-linear flow, added “When to Revisit Earlier Phases,” simplified guidance.
  • Executing Plans: added “When to Stop and Ask for Help” and “When to Revisit Earlier Steps,” reorganized reminders.

• Documentation

  • Added attribution pages for Architecture, Problem-Solving, and Research skill sets.

[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

Adds new documentation skills and attribution ABOUT pages across architecture, problem-solving, and research domains; updates two collaboration skills with version bumps and new guidance on revisiting steps and asking for help. Introduces multiple new problem-solving techniques and a dispatch guide; adds a research lineage-tracing skill and an architecture skill on preserving productive tensions.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary of Changes
Architecture Attribution & Skills skills/architecture/ABOUT.md, skills/architecture/preserving-productive-tensions/SKILL.md	Added attribution for Architecture Skills and a new skill on preserving productive tensions with criteria, patterns, red flags, and documentation guidelines.
Collaboration Updates skills/collaboration/brainstorming/SKILL.md, skills/collaboration/executing-plans/SKILL.md	Version bumps to 2.1.0. Added guidance on revisiting phases/steps and when to stop and ask for help; minor text edits and reorganization.
Problem-Solving Attribution skills/problem-solving/ABOUT.md	Added attribution detailing sources, derived agents/patterns, and adaptation notes.
Problem-Solving Techniques (New) skills/problem-solving/collision-zone-thinking/SKILL.md, skills/problem-solving/inversion-exercise/SKILL.md, skills/problem-solving/meta-pattern-recognition/SKILL.md, skills/problem-solving/scale-game/SKILL.md, skills/problem-solving/simplification-cascades/SKILL.md	Added new skills with metadata, overviews, quick references, processes, examples, red flags, and reminders. Documentation only.
Problem-Solving Dispatch skills/problem-solving/when-stuck/SKILL.md	Added a dispatch guide mapping stuck symptoms to techniques; includes a diagram, rules table, process, and combo guidance.
Research Attribution & Skill skills/research/ABOUT.md, skills/research/tracing-knowledge-lineages/SKILL.md	Added research attribution and a new lineage-tracing skill with techniques, templates, search strategies, and red flags.

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  autonumber
  actor Practitioner
  participant Dispatch as When-Stuck Dispatch
  participant Technique as Selected Technique
  participant Output as Outcome

  Practitioner->>Dispatch: Describe stuck symptom
  Dispatch->>Dispatch: Map symptom to technique
  Dispatch-->>Practitioner: Recommend specific skill
  Practitioner->>Technique: Apply process (steps/examples)
  alt Resolved
    Technique-->>Output: Document insights/actions
    Output-->>Practitioner: Next steps
  else Still stuck
    Technique-->>Dispatch: Feedback: unresolved
    Dispatch-->>Practitioner: Suggest alternative/combined technique
  end

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Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~12 minutes

Poem

A hare with notes and nimble paws,
I mapped the maze of thinking laws.
New trails for scale and pattern sight,
When stuck, I route the quickest right.
I tuck tensions where they thrive—
Then hop to trace what ideas survive. 🐇✨

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Title Check	⚠️ Warning	The title only highlights the addition of problem-solving skills and omits other significant changes such as new architecture and research skills and updates to existing collaboration guides, so it does not fully represent the primary scope of the pull request.	Please update the title to reflect all major additions and modifications, for example: “Add problem-solving, architecture, and research skills from amplifier patterns” or a similarly concise summary covering new skills and updated guides.

✅ Passed checks (2 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changes. Docstring coverage check skipped.

✨ Finishing touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment
• Commit unit tests in branch amplifier-skills

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 0

🧹 Nitpick comments (4)

skills/architecture/ABOUT.md (1)

7-8: Wrap the repository URL to satisfy markdownlint.

markdownlint (MD034) flags the bare URL on Line 7. Wrapping it in angle brackets resolves the warning while keeping the text identical.

-- URL: https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier
+- URL: <https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier>

skills/research/ABOUT.md (1)

7-8: Fix the bare URL to clear MD034.

Line 7 still has an unwrapped URL, so markdownlint continues to warn. Angle brackets silence the rule without altering meaning.

-- URL: https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier
+- URL: <https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier>

skills/collaboration/executing-plans/SKILL.md (1)

72-78: Remove the duplicated blocker reminder.

The new “Stop and Ask for Help” section already captures this guidance, yet Line 78 still repeats the old wording. Drop the duplicate to keep the Remember section focused.

 - Reference skills when plan says to
 - Between batches: just report and wait
-- Stop when blocked, don't guess

skills/problem-solving/ABOUT.md (1)

7-8: Convert the bare URL to comply with MD034.

Line 7 needs angle brackets so markdownlint stops flagging the link.

-- URL: https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier
+- URL: <https://github.com/microsoft/amplifier>

📜 Review details

Configuration used: CodeRabbit UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between dee324d and f801cd6.

📒 Files selected for processing (13)

• skills/architecture/ABOUT.md (1 hunks)
• skills/architecture/preserving-productive-tensions/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/collaboration/brainstorming/SKILL.md (3 hunks)
• skills/collaboration/executing-plans/SKILL.md (2 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/ABOUT.md (1 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/collision-zone-thinking/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/inversion-exercise/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/meta-pattern-recognition/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/scale-game/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/simplification-cascades/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/problem-solving/when-stuck/SKILL.md (1 hunks)
• skills/research/ABOUT.md (1 hunks)
• skills/research/tracing-knowledge-lineages/SKILL.md (1 hunks)

🧰 Additional context used

🪛 markdownlint-cli2 (0.18.1)

skills/architecture/ABOUT.md

7-7: Bare URL used

(MD034, no-bare-urls)

skills/research/ABOUT.md

7-7: Bare URL used

(MD034, no-bare-urls)

skills/problem-solving/ABOUT.md

7-7: Bare URL used

(MD034, no-bare-urls)