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Agent skill

Hicks Law Menus

by hashgraph-online in hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins

A skill your agent uses when designing menus, dropdowns, navigation, command palettes, or any interface where the user picks from a list.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passed

Install Hicks Law Menus

skills CLI
$ npx skills add hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins --skill hicks-law-menus -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins hicks-law-menus --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/HDeibler/universal-design-principles/plugins/cognition-and-learnability-principles/skills/hicks-law-menus .claude/skills/hicks-law-menus && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
hicks-law-menus
GitHub stars
1.3k
Token cost
~1.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
740 words
Files
2 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
716
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when designing menus, dropdowns, navigation, command palettes, or any interface where the user picks from a list.

  • Works in 4 steps: User presses ⌘K (or types /). → A search input appears. → User types; results filter. → …
  • Designing menus
  • SKILL.md covers The menu-size ladder, Top navigation, Sidebar navigation and Dropdown menus (action menus), plus 6 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Hicks Law Menus is an agent skill from hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins. Use this skill when designing menus, dropdowns, navigation, command palettes, or any interface where the user picks from a list. Trigger when the menu has more than ~7 items, when navigation feels overwhelming, when designing a cmd-K palette, when picking what goes in a "More" overflow, or when arguing about whether to add another menu item. Sub-aspect of hicks-law; read that first if you haven't already.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/menu-pattern-library.md`).

The repository describes itself as: A curated list of awesome OpenAI Codex / ChatGPT plugins, skills, and resources. The 1 Codex Marketplace. See live plugins at: https://hol.org/plugins/best-codex-plugins. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Designing menus
  • Command palettes
  • Any interface where the user picks from a list
  • The menu has more than ~7 items

Example prompts

  • “/hicks-law-menus”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. User presses ⌘K (or types /).
  2. A search input appears.
  3. User types; results filter.
  4. User presses Enter on a result.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3e1456a. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Hicks Law Menus loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.5k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 107 tokens; SKILL.md has 740 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~107
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.5k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~2.5k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins at commit 3e1456a, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© hashgraph-online). 740 words, ~1,508 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/hicks-law-menus/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
hicks-law-menus
description
Use this skill when designing menus, dropdowns, navigation, command palettes, or any interface where the user picks from a list. Trigger when the menu has more than ~7 items, when navigation feels overwhelming, when designing a cmd-K palette, when picking what goes in a "More" overflow, or when arguing about whether to add another menu item. Sub-aspect of `hicks-law`; read that first if you haven't already.

Hick's Law in menus and navigation

Menus are the canonical Hick's Law surface — every item adds decision cost, and the structure of the menu determines whether that cost compounds or stays bounded. This skill covers the practical patterns for menus, dropdowns, navigation, and command palettes.

The menu-size ladder

Different menu sizes call for different interaction patterns:

1–4 items     →  inline buttons, tabs, or segmented control (all visible)
5–8 items     →  dropdown menu, sidebar nav (scan-friendly)
9–15 items    →  grouped dropdown with section headings
16–50 items   →  searchable combobox / dropdown with type-to-filter
50+ items     →  command palette (cmd-K) or full-page browser with filters

Picking the wrong rung is the most common Hick's Law failure: a <select> of 200 timezones, a sidebar of 30 flat items, a context menu with every conceivable action.

Top navigation

Top-level navigation should land at 5–7 items in left-to-right scripts. Beyond that, the eye can't hold the structure in working memory while picking.

If your IA naturally has more, group:

Sales | Marketing | Engineering | Finance | HR | Legal | Operations | IT | Facilities

→ regroups as

Departments | Projects | Reports | Settings

Where Departments opens a sub-menu with the 9 specifics.

The trade-off: sub-menus add a click. Worth it when the alternative is a wall of top-level items.

Sidebar navigation

Sidebar nav can hold more items than top nav (scrolling and grouping help), but the same rules apply within each group. Aim for groups of 3–7 items.

Workspace
  Dashboard
  Projects
  Team

Personal
  Profile
  Notifications

Account
  Billing
  Security
  Sign out

Three groups, each with 2–3 items. Total 8 items, but the user reads it as "3 things" then "the right thing within."

Dropdown menus (action menus)

A DropdownMenu triggered by a "more" button on a row, header, or toolbar. Common Hick's Law mistake: dumping every action into one menu.

Better:

  • Surface common actions inline (icon-buttons in the row); reserve the menu for the long tail.
  • Group menu items by purpose (Edit / Share / Move / Delete) with separators.
  • Put destructive actions at the bottom, after a separator (Serial Position Effect: visually distant from common items, also remembered better).
[Edit]
[Duplicate]
[Move to…]
[Share]
─────────
[Archive]
[Delete]    ← red, after separator

The user scans top-to-bottom; the structure aids the choice.

Command palettes (cmd-K)

The command palette is the modern answer to "we have hundreds of commands and can't surface them all." The pattern:

  1. User presses ⌘K (or types /).
  2. A search input appears.
  3. User types; results filter.
  4. User presses Enter on a result.

This collapses Hick's Law — the user no longer scans a long list, they recall a name (or fragment) and the system shows matches. Combined with:

  • Recents at the top (no typing required for recently-used commands).
  • Categorical groups ("Actions / Navigation / Files / Help") so even un-typed exploration is structured.
  • Fuzzy matching so partial recall ("invoic" matches "Create invoice") works.

Command palettes scale to hundreds of items because the interaction has changed.

Mobile menus

Mobile bottom-nav: 3–5 items, no more. The thumb can't reach more than ~5 targets across the bar comfortably, and the screen has no room for labels at higher counts.

If your app needs more entry points than 5, the bottom nav holds 4 primaries plus a "More" tab that opens a sheet with the rest.

Show full SKILL.md (291 more words)Show less

Toolbars

Application toolbars (think Word, Figma, Notion's slash-menu) have the same Hick's Law problem at extreme scale. Strategies:

  • Tab the toolbar (Office's ribbon: Home / Insert / Layout / References / Mailings). Each tab shows ~10 actions; total may be 80, but visible at any moment is one tab's worth.
  • Contextual toolbars that show actions relevant to the current selection. The user never sees the irrelevant 90%.
  • Reserve the persistent toolbar for the 5–7 most-used actions across the entire app.

Anti-patterns

  • The "more is more" toolbar. All actions visible all the time. Looks powerful, performs slow.
  • The flat 50-item dropdown. A <select> with no grouping, no search. Hick's Law tax compounded by the lack of within-list navigation.
  • The context menu of doom. Right-click reveals 25 actions, none separated, none grouped, including 3 destructive ones interspersed. Users learn to fear right-click.
  • The "everything's a tab" pattern. A page with 8 tabs across the top. The user has to commit to one to see what's there; restructure as nav or sections.

Heuristics

  1. Count the visible options. On a glance, how many distinct things can the user pick? More than 7? Group, default, or hide the long tail.
  2. The fresh-user time-to-pick. Watch a new user pick from your menu. Time it. >5 seconds suggests Hick's Law cost is too high.
  3. The category test. Can you label every group of items with a single noun? If yes, your grouping is conceptually clean. If you find yourself reaching for "Misc," you have ungrouped items that need a home.
  • hicks-law (parent).
  • hicks-law-defaults — for menus where one option dominates probability.
  • hicks-law-pricing — for the menu of plan tiers as a conversion event.
  • recognition-over-recall — the principle behind why command palettes work.
  • chunking — the perceptual basis for grouping menu items.

© hashgraph-online, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in plugins/HDeibler/universal-design-principles/plugins/cognition-and-learnability-principles/skills/hicks-law-menus of hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/menu-pattern-library.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3e1456a

Compare with similar skills

Hicks Law Menus next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Hicks Law Menus compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Hicks Law Menus this skillhashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins1.3k—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Design Systemaffaan-m/ECC276k—~698Automated safety check: PassMIT
Design Guidepaperclipai/paperclip100k1 repos~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Design Audit Against Rams' Principlesthedotmack/claude-mem99k—~4.6kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Figma Design to Codewarpdotdev/warp65k4 repos~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassAGPL-3.0
Design Consultationgarrytan/gstack136k—~16kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT

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Questions about Hicks Law Menus

What does Hicks Law Menus do?

A skill your agent uses when designing menus, dropdowns, navigation, command palettes, or any interface where the user picks from a list. Hicks Law Menus is an agent skill from hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins. Use this skill when designing menus, dropdowns, navigation, command palettes, or any interface where the user picks from a list.

When should I use Hicks Law Menus?

Hicks Law Menus fits situations like: designing menus; command palettes; any interface where the user picks from a list; the menu has more than ~7 items.

How do I install Hicks Law Menus in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins --skill hicks-law-menus -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/HDeibler/universal-design-principles/plugins/cognition-and-learnability-principles/skills/hicks-law-menus in hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins) into .claude/skills/hicks-law-menus in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Hicks Law Menus in Codex?

Run `npx skills add hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins --skill hicks-law-menus -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/HDeibler/universal-design-principles/plugins/cognition-and-learnability-principles/skills/hicks-law-menus in hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins) into .agents/skills/hicks-law-menus in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Hicks Law Menus in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins --skill hicks-law-menus -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/hicks-law-menus, .gemini/skills/hicks-law-menus, .github/skills/hicks-law-menus and .opencode/skills/hicks-law-menus in your project.

What does Hicks Law Menus need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Hicks Law Menus is instructions for the agent only.

Does Hicks Law Menus access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Hicks Law Menus safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Hicks Law Menus use?

Hicks Law Menus is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Hicks Law Menus use?

About 1.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 1k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Hicks Law Menus?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Hicks Law Menus: Design System (affaan-m/ECC, 276k stars), Design Guide (paperclipai/paperclip, 100k stars), Design Audit Against Rams' Principles (thedotmack/claude-mem, 99k stars) and Figma Design to Code (warpdotdev/warp, 65k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Hicks Law Menus?

hashgraph-online (a GitHub organization) maintains it in hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins, which has 1,267 GitHub stars. The repository holds 716 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

Source: hashgraph-online/awesome-codex-plugins on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.