Structured reflective problem-solving methodology. Process: decompose, analyze, hypothesize, verify, revise. Capabilities: complex problem decomposition, adaptive planning, course correction, hypothesis verification, multi-step analysis. Actions: decompose, analyze, plan, revise, verify solutions step-by-step. Keywords: sequential thinking, problem decomposition, multi-step analysis, hypothesis verification, adaptive planning, course correction, reflective thinking, step-by-step, thought sequence, dynamic adjustment, unclear scope, complex problem, structured analysis. Use when: decomposing complex problems, planning with revision capability, analyzing unclear scope, verifying hypotheses, needing course correction, solving multi-step problems.
72
72%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
54%
3.17xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./data/0-sequential-thinking/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
59%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
The description is structurally complete with explicit 'what' and 'when' sections, but suffers from being overly abstract and generic. The capabilities described (decompose, analyze, verify, revise) apply to almost any complex task, making it nearly impossible to distinguish from other skills. The keyword list is heavily padded with redundant and methodological terms rather than natural user language.
Suggestions
Narrow the scope to specific problem domains or types (e.g., 'Use when solving mathematical proofs, debugging complex system architectures, or analyzing multi-variable business decisions') to reduce conflict risk with other skills.
Replace abstract methodological terms with concrete examples of what the skill produces or handles, e.g., 'Generates structured thought chains with explicit revision points' rather than 'adaptive planning, course correction.'
Reduce keyword redundancy — terms like 'sequential thinking,' 'thought sequence,' 'step-by-step,' and 'multi-step analysis' overlap heavily. Replace duplicates with distinct natural-language triggers users would actually type.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description names a domain (reflective problem-solving) and lists actions like 'decompose, analyze, hypothesize, verify, revise,' but these are abstract methodological steps rather than concrete, tangible actions. It never specifies what kinds of problems or what concrete outputs are produced. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | The description explicitly answers both 'what does this do' (structured reflective problem-solving with decompose/analyze/verify process) and 'when should Claude use it' with an explicit 'Use when:' clause listing trigger scenarios like 'decomposing complex problems' and 'analyzing unclear scope.' | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | It includes several keywords like 'sequential thinking,' 'problem decomposition,' 'step-by-step,' and 'complex problem,' some of which users might naturally say. However, many terms are redundant or overly methodological ('hypothesis verification,' 'adaptive planning,' 'course correction') rather than reflecting natural user language. The keyword stuffing reduces signal quality. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | This description is extremely generic — virtually any complex task involves decomposition, analysis, planning, and verification. It would conflict with nearly any skill that involves reasoning, problem-solving, or multi-step work, making it very difficult to distinguish from other skills. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 8 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
85%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a well-structured skill that efficiently communicates a reflective problem-solving methodology. Its strengths are excellent progressive disclosure with clear references, a well-sequenced workflow with dynamic adjustment mechanisms, and token-efficient presentation. The main weakness is that actionability is somewhat limited since the content is inherently methodological rather than code-driven, with templates that show format but leave the substantive content abstract.
Suggestions
Consider adding one brief, concrete end-to-end mini-example (e.g., 3-4 actual thoughts for a specific problem like debugging a null pointer) to make the methodology more tangible and actionable beyond just format templates.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is lean and efficient. It avoids explaining what sequential thinking or problem decomposition is conceptually, instead jumping straight into actionable structure. Every section earns its place with no padding or unnecessary context. | 3 / 3 |
Actionability | The skill provides concrete formatting templates (thought markers, revision format, branching format) which are useful, but the guidance is more structural/methodological than executable. The code-like blocks are templates rather than executable code, and the actual 'what to do' within each thought step remains somewhat abstract (e.g., '[Initial analysis]'). | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The multi-step process is clearly sequenced from initial estimate through dynamic adjustment, revision, branching, hypothesis verification, and completion criteria. Each step has explicit markers and the completion criteria serve as validation checkpoints. The revision and branching steps include feedback loops for course correction. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The SKILL.md provides a clear, concise overview of the methodology with well-signaled one-level-deep references to detailed patterns, examples, and advanced techniques. The references section clearly lists what each file contains, and the scripts section is appropriately marked as optional. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Validation
90%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 10 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
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Table of Contents
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