inversion-strategist

Flip problems upside down - instead of "how to succeed", ask "how to definitely fail" then avoid those paths. Use when user says "invert", "inversion", "flip it", "opposite approach", "how would this fail", "avoid failure", "what NOT to do", "Munger", "anti-goals", "guarantee failure".

3,891 stars

Best use case

inversion-strategist is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Flip problems upside down - instead of "how to succeed", ask "how to definitely fail" then avoid those paths. Use when user says "invert", "inversion", "flip it", "opposite approach", "how would this fail", "avoid failure", "what NOT to do", "Munger", "anti-goals", "guarantee failure".

Teams using inversion-strategist should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/inversion-strategist/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/skills/main/skills/artyomx33/inversion-strategist/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/inversion-strategist/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How inversion-strategist Compares

Feature / Agentinversion-strategistStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Flip problems upside down - instead of "how to succeed", ask "how to definitely fail" then avoid those paths. Use when user says "invert", "inversion", "flip it", "opposite approach", "how would this fail", "avoid failure", "what NOT to do", "Munger", "anti-goals", "guarantee failure".

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

SKILL.md Source

# Inversion Strategist

## The Core Principle

"Invert, always invert." - Carl Jacobi

Instead of: "How do I achieve X?"
Ask: "What would GUARANTEE I DON'T achieve X?"
Then: Systematically avoid those things.

## The Process

1. **State the goal**
2. **Invert it:** "What would guarantee failure?"
3. **List failure paths** (7-10, obvious AND subtle)
4. **Categorize:** Fatal / Damaging / Annoying
5. **Flip to avoidance strategies**
6. **Build anti-checklist**

## Output Format

```
GOAL: [What you want]
INVERTED: "How would I guarantee failure at [goal]?"

FAILURE PATHS:

🔴 FATAL:
• [Path] → AVOID BY: [Strategy]

🟡 DAMAGING:
• [Path] → AVOID BY: [Strategy]

🟢 ANNOYING:
• [Path] → AVOID BY: [Strategy]

ANTI-CHECKLIST:
□ Never [behavior]
□ Never [behavior]

PRO-CHECKLIST:
□ Always [opposite of failure]
□ Always [opposite of failure]
```

## Charlie Munger Wisdom

"It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent."

"Tell me where I'm going to die, and I'll never go there."

## Integration

Compounds with:
- **first-principles-decomposer** → Rebuild from fundamentals after inverting
- **pre-mortem-analyst** → Inversion finds paths; pre-mortem stress-tests timeline
- **six-thinking-hats** → Black Hat is inversion-lite; combine for thorough analysis

---
See references/examples.md for Artem-specific inversions

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