Code Design Rationale Investigator
cursor/plugins
Digs into why code is shaped the way it is by checking git history, pull requests and connected tools in parallel, then reporting a cited read on the tradeoffs.
A skill your agent uses when a framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix, applying Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint…
Install 022 Root Cause Analysis
$ npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install jabrena/plinth 022-root-cause-analysis --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/022-root-cause-analysis .claude/skills/022-root-cause-analysis && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "022-root-cause-analysis" agent skill from https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysis into .claude/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "022-root-cause-analysis", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysisType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install jabrena/plinth 022-root-cause-analysis --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/022-root-cause-analysis .agents/skills/022-root-cause-analysis && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "022-root-cause-analysis" agent skill from https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysis into .agents/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "022-root-cause-analysis", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install jabrena/plinth 022-root-cause-analysis --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/022-root-cause-analysis .cursor/skills/022-root-cause-analysis && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "022-root-cause-analysis" agent skill from https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysis into .cursor/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "022-root-cause-analysis", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git --path skills/022-root-cause-analysis--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install jabrena/plinth 022-root-cause-analysis --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/022-root-cause-analysis .gemini/skills/022-root-cause-analysis && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "022-root-cause-analysis" agent skill from https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysis into .gemini/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "022-root-cause-analysis", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install jabrena/plinth 022-root-cause-analysisInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/022-root-cause-analysis .github/skills/022-root-cause-analysis && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "022-root-cause-analysis" agent skill from https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysis into .github/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "022-root-cause-analysis", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install jabrena/plinth 022-root-cause-analysis --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jabrena/plinth.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/022-root-cause-analysis .opencode/skills/022-root-cause-analysis && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "022-root-cause-analysis" agent skill from https://github.com/jabrena/plinth/tree/main/skills/022-root-cause-analysis into .opencode/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "022-root-cause-analysis", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
022-root-cause-analysis- GitHub stars
- 447
- Token cost
- ~980 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 459 words
- Files
- 2 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 124
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when a framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix, applying Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint…
- A framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix
- SKILL.md covers Constraints, When to use this skill, Workflow and Reference
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Applying Five Whys
What it does
022 Root Cause Analysis is an agent skill from jabrena/plinth. Use when a framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix, applying Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint identification. This should trigger when an issue's Root Cause Analysis point of view needs evaluation, or when a maintainer directly asks to find the root cause of a problem before proposing a fix. Part of Plinth Toolkit
Its SKILL.md is about 980 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/022-root-cause-analysis.md`).
It sits in Development, covering Root cause analysis. The repository describes itself as: Plinth is an AI-native engineering toolkit for modern Java enterprise SDLC, built around reusable Commands, Agents, Skills, and MCP Servers. The licence is Apache-2.0.
When your agent uses it
- A framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix
- Applying Five Whys
- Fishbone (Ishikawa)
- Current Reality Tree
Example prompts
- “/022-root-cause-analysis”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit dca88dc. 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
022 Root Cause Analysis loads about 980 tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.8k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 103 tokens; SKILL.md has 459 words of instructions outside code blocks.
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 jabrena/plinth at commit dca88dc, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© jabrena). 459 words, ~980 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/022-root-cause-analysis/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- 022-root-cause-analysis
- description
- Use when a framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix, applying Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint identification. This should trigger when an issue's Root Cause Analysis point of view needs evaluation, or when a maintainer directly asks to find the root cause of a problem before proposing a fix. Part of Plinth Toolkit
- license
- Apache-2.0
- metadata.author
- Juan Antonio Breña Moral
- metadata.version
- 0.19.0
Root Cause Analysis
Guide the identification of root causes, not symptoms, for a framed problem, using Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint identification. This is an interactive SKILL.
What is covered in this Skill?
- Five Whys for a linear causal chain from a symptom to a root cause
- Fishbone (Ishikawa) for categorized candidate causes across multiple dimensions
- Current Reality Tree for interconnected causes and effects with a small number of core problems
- Constraint identification for the limiting factor holding the current state in place
- Choosing the technique(s) proportionate to the problem's complexity
- Feeding root-cause findings into
023-assumption-analysisand the remaining Functional Specification lenses
Constraints
Distinguish root causes from symptoms before recommending a fix. When this technique is orchestrated by another workflow, the orchestrator owns clarifying-question sequencing; when applied standalone, ask directly.
- MUST read
references/022-root-cause-analysis.mdbefore applying Root Cause Analysis guidance - MUST distinguish a symptom (an observed effect) from a root cause (the condition that produces it)
- MUST apply Five Whys as a chain of "why" questions grounded in evidence from the problem frame, not assumption
- MUST apply Fishbone to organize candidate causes into categories (for example people, process, technology, environment) when more than one causal dimension is plausible
- MUST apply Current Reality Tree when multiple symptoms may share one or a small number of core problems connected by cause-effect relationships
- MUST identify the constraint limiting the current state, not only the most visible cause
- MUST NOT invent a root cause when the available evidence is vague or ambiguous; flag the gap for a clarifying question instead
Show full SKILL.md (200 more words)Show less
When to use this skill
- Find the root cause of this problem
- Apply Five Whys to this issue
- Build a Fishbone diagram for this problem
- Use Current Reality Tree to connect these symptoms
- Identify the constraint limiting the current state
- Draft the Root Cause Analysis section of a Functional Specification
Workflow
- Read the Reference
Read references/022-root-cause-analysis.md, then identify the symptom(s) evidenced by the problem frame.
- Apply Five Whys
Chain "why" questions from the symptom toward an evidenced root cause, stopping when further "why" steps would require guessing.
- Apply Fishbone When Multiple Dimensions Are Plausible
Organize candidate causes into categories when more than one causal dimension (people, process, technology, environment) is plausible.
- Apply Current Reality Tree When Symptoms Interconnect
Connect multiple symptoms to a small number of shared core problems through cause-effect relationships when the symptoms appear related.
- Identify the Constraint
Name the constraint limiting the current state, distinct from the most visible or most recently reported cause.
- Report the Root Cause Findings
Report findings using Five Whys, Fishbone, Current Reality Tree, and the identified constraint, and flag any finding left open pending a clarifying answer.
Reference
For detailed guidance, examples, and constraints, see references/022-root-cause-analysis.md.
© jabrena, 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 skills/022-root-cause-analysis of jabrena/plinth.
- SKILL.md
- references/022-root-cause-analysis.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit dca88dc
Compare with similar skills
022 Root Cause Analysis 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.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 022 Root Cause Analysis this skilljabrena/plinth | 447 | — | ~980 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Code Design Rationale Investigatorcursor/plugins | 10k | 9 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| OpenLogi macOS Permissions TriageAprilNEA/OpenLogi | 23k | — | ~2.5k | Automated safety check: Notes | Apache-2.0 | |
| Bug Finder for daisyUIsaadeghi/daisyui | 43k | — | ~2.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Root Cause Debugginggarrytan/gstack | 136k | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Review PRapache/shardingsphere | 21k | — | ~6.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
Similar skills
- Official
OpenLogi macOS Permissions Triage
AprilNEA/OpenLogi
Decides whether an OpenLogi device problem on macOS is a privacy-permission (TCC) problem, using agent log lines, and says which identity needs which grant.
Bug Finder for daisyUI
saadeghi/daisyui
Investigates suspected bugs in the daisyUI monorepo through read-only analysis, then writes a decision-ready fix plan in tmp/bugs without changing any product code.
Root Cause Debugging
garrytan/gstack
Investigates bugs, errors and stack traces in phases and requires a root-cause hypothesis to be confirmed before any fix is written.
Review PR
apache/shardingsphere
Review Apache ShardingSphere or user-authorized downstream pull requests and PR discussions from public or authorized repository evidence.
Graph-Based Bug Tracing
tirth8205/code-review-graph
Traces a bug through a code knowledge graph, following callers, callees and execution flow before opening source files, within a small token budget.
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Related
Categories
Questions about 022 Root Cause Analysis
What does 022 Root Cause Analysis do?
A skill your agent uses when a framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix, applying Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint…. 022 Root Cause Analysis is an agent skill from jabrena/plinth. Use when a framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix, applying Five Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa), Current Reality Tree, and constraint identification.
When should I use 022 Root Cause Analysis?
022 Root Cause Analysis fits situations like: A framed problem needs root-cause investigation rather than a symptom-level fix; applying Five Whys; fishbone (Ishikawa); current Reality Tree.
How do I install 022 Root Cause Analysis in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/022-root-cause-analysis in jabrena/plinth) into .claude/skills/022-root-cause-analysis in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install 022 Root Cause Analysis in Codex?
Run `npx skills add jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/022-root-cause-analysis in jabrena/plinth) into .agents/skills/022-root-cause-analysis in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use 022 Root Cause Analysis 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 jabrena/plinth --skill 022-root-cause-analysis -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/022-root-cause-analysis, .gemini/skills/022-root-cause-analysis, .github/skills/022-root-cause-analysis and .opencode/skills/022-root-cause-analysis in your project.
What does 022 Root Cause Analysis need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: 022 Root Cause Analysis is instructions for the agent only.
Does 022 Root Cause Analysis 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 022 Root Cause Analysis 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 022 Root Cause Analysis use?
022 Root Cause Analysis is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does 022 Root Cause Analysis use?
About 980 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.9k 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 1.8k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to 022 Root Cause Analysis?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with 022 Root Cause Analysis: Code Design Rationale Investigator (cursor/plugins, 10k stars), OpenLogi macOS Permissions Triage (AprilNEA/OpenLogi, 23k stars), Bug Finder for daisyUI (saadeghi/daisyui, 43k stars) and Root Cause Debugging (garrytan/gstack, 136k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains 022 Root Cause Analysis?
jabrena (a GitHub user) maintains it in jabrena/plinth, which has 447 GitHub stars. The repository holds 124 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.
Source: jabrena/plinth on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.