CE Brainstorm
EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
Turns a vague or ambitious feature idea into a requirements-only plan through dialogue with you, sized to the work, before any code is written.
Sorts a problem into the Cynefin domains of simple, complicated, complex, chaotic or confused, then recommends a way of working that fits that domain.
Install Cynefin Problem Classifier
$ npx skills add neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install neurofoo/agent-skills cynefin --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/neurofoo/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/cynefin .claude/skills/cynefin && 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 "cynefin" agent skill from https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefin into .claude/skills/cynefin/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cynefin", 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/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefinType 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 neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install neurofoo/agent-skills cynefin --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/cynefin .agents/skills/cynefin && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "cynefin" agent skill from https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefin into .agents/skills/cynefin/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cynefin", 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 neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install neurofoo/agent-skills cynefin --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/cynefin .cursor/skills/cynefin && 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 "cynefin" agent skill from https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefin into .cursor/skills/cynefin/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cynefin", 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/neurofoo/agent-skills.git --path cynefin--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 neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install neurofoo/agent-skills cynefin --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/cynefin .gemini/skills/cynefin && 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 "cynefin" agent skill from https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefin into .gemini/skills/cynefin/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cynefin", 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 neurofoo/agent-skills cynefinInstalls 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 neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/cynefin .github/skills/cynefin && 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 "cynefin" agent skill from https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefin into .github/skills/cynefin/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cynefin", 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 neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install neurofoo/agent-skills cynefin --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/cynefin .opencode/skills/cynefin && 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 "cynefin" agent skill from https://github.com/neurofoo/agent-skills/tree/main/cynefin into .opencode/skills/cynefin/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cynefin", 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
cynefin- GitHub stars
- 119
- Used in
- 1 other repo
- Token cost
- ~696 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 280 words
- Files
- 5 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 22
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Sorts a problem into the Cynefin domains of simple, complicated, complex, chaotic or confused, then recommends a way of working that fits that domain.
- Works in 2 steps: [Primary approach] → [Supporting action]
- You are unsure whether a problem needs analysis, experiments or fast action
- SKILL.md covers Instructions, Initial Assessment, Domain Classification and Domain-Appropriate Response, plus 3 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
The agent starts with a short characteristics check: whether cause and effect are predictable, whether experts could settle the answer, whether outcomes only make sense in hindsight, whether the situation is in crisis, and whether anyone knows what kind of problem it is. From the evidence it picks a primary domain and explains the choice.
Each domain has its own response pattern. Simple problems get an established best practice, complicated ones get expert analysis, complex ones get small safe-to-fail experiments with signs for when to amplify or dampen them, and chaotic ones get immediate stabilization. Confused situations are split into sub-problems and classified separately. A boundary table warns about drift between domains, such as analysis that never converges. The skill also ships two command files and reference notes with domain details and worked examples.
When your agent uses it
- You are unsure whether a problem needs analysis, experiments or fast action
- Planning work where the right approach is unclear before any code is written
- Analysis keeps dragging on and you suspect the problem is complex, not complicated
- Triaging an incident-like situation and deciding what to stabilize first
Example prompts
- “Run a Cynefin analysis on our plan to migrate three teams to a new billing system.”
- “Is this flaky deployment problem complicated or complex? Classify it and suggest next steps.”
- “Our checkout service is down and nobody knows why. Which domain are we in, and what do we do first?”
- “Categorize the open questions in this product launch and propose safe-to-fail probes.”
Workflow steps
2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- [Primary approach]
- [Supporting action]
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 0e7ac2a. 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
Cynefin Problem Classifier loads about 696 tokens when it runs, and up to ~3.5k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 46 tokens; SKILL.md has 280 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 neurofoo/agent-skills at commit 0e7ac2a, republished under its MIT licence (© neurofoo). 280 words, ~696 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/cynefin/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 4 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- cynefin
- description
- Cynefin sense-making framework categorizing problems as Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic, or Confused to select the right approach. Use when unsure how to tackle a problem.
- user-invocable
- true
Cynefin Analysis
Analyze a situation through the Cynefin framework to understand what type of problem it is and choose the appropriate response.
Instructions
Determine which Cynefin domain the problem belongs to, then apply the appropriate response approach. Be willing to recognize that parts of a problem may span multiple domains.
Output Format
Situation: [What we're analyzing]
Initial Assessment
Characteristics Check
| Characteristic | Yes/No/Maybe | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cause and effect are clear and predictable | ||
| Experts can analyze and determine the answer | ||
| Outcomes can only be understood in hindsight | ||
| The situation is unstable/in crisis | ||
| We genuinely don't know what kind of problem this is |
Domain Classification
Primary Domain: [Simple/Complicated/Complex/Chaotic/Confused]
Why this domain? [Reasoning for the classification]
Domain-Appropriate Response
If SIMPLE/OBVIOUS
Sense → Categorize → Respond
Best Practice to Apply: [The established approach]
If COMPLICATED
Sense → Analyze → Respond
Experts Needed: [Who has the expertise?] Analysis Required: [What to investigate?]
If COMPLEX
Probe → Sense → Respond
Safe-to-Fail Experiments:
| Probe | What We'd Learn | Amplify if... | Dampen if... |
|---|---|---|---|
| [experiment] | [insight] | [success indicators] | [failure indicators] |
Key Mindset: Don't try to predict. Try things, observe, adapt.
If CHAOTIC
Act → Sense → Respond
Immediate Stabilization: [What action do we take right now?]
If CONFUSED
Break down, then categorize
| Sub-problem | Likely Domain | Why |
|---|---|---|
| [sub-problem] | [domain] | [reasoning] |
Boundary Warnings
| Transition | Warning Signs | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Simple → Chaotic | Complacency | Challenge assumptions |
| Complicated → Complex | Analysis not converging | Try probes instead |
| Complex → Chaotic | Loss of control | Stabilize fast |
Recommended Approach
Given this is a [DOMAIN] problem, we should:
- [Primary approach]
- [Supporting action]
Guidelines
- Most people default to Complicated (analysis) when Complex (probes) is needed
- "Best practice" is only valid in Simple domain
- In Complex, you can't predict—you can only experiment and adapt
- In Chaotic, act first, think later
$ARGUMENTS
© neurofoo, MIT. 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 4 other files (references) in cynefin of neurofoo/agent-skills.
- SKILL.md
- commands/categorize.md
- commands/cynefin.md
- references/domains.md
- references/examples.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 0e7ac2a
Used in 1 other repository
We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in neurofoo/agent-skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
Compare with similar skills
Cynefin Problem Classifier 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cynefin Problem Classifier this skillneurofoo/agent-skills | 119 | 1 repos | ~696 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| CE BrainstormEveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin | 25k | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Discoveranombyte93/prd-taskmaster | 604 | — | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Feature BrainstormVeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan | 109 | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| LLM Councilgcpdev/llm-council-skill | 461 | 1 repos | ~1k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Brainstorming Before BuildingjnMetaCode/superpowers-zh | 8.3k | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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- Official
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Related
Questions about Cynefin Problem Classifier
What does Cynefin Problem Classifier do?
Sorts a problem into the Cynefin domains of simple, complicated, complex, chaotic or confused, then recommends a way of working that fits that domain. The agent starts with a short characteristics check: whether cause and effect are predictable, whether experts could settle the answer, whether outcomes only make sense in hindsight, whether the situation is in crisis, and whether anyone knows what kind of problem it is. From the evidence it picks a primary domain and explains the choice.
When should I use Cynefin Problem Classifier?
Cynefin Problem Classifier fits situations like: you are unsure whether a problem needs analysis, experiments or fast action; planning work where the right approach is unclear before any code is written; analysis keeps dragging on and you suspect the problem is complex, not complicated; triaging an incident-like situation and deciding what to stabilize first.
How do I install Cynefin Problem Classifier in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (cynefin in neurofoo/agent-skills) into .claude/skills/cynefin in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Cynefin Problem Classifier in Codex?
Run `npx skills add neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (cynefin in neurofoo/agent-skills) into .agents/skills/cynefin in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Cynefin Problem Classifier 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 neurofoo/agent-skills --skill cynefin -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/cynefin, .gemini/skills/cynefin, .github/skills/cynefin and .opencode/skills/cynefin in your project.
What does Cynefin Problem Classifier need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Cynefin Problem Classifier is instructions for the agent only.
Does Cynefin Problem Classifier 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 Cynefin Problem Classifier 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 Cynefin Problem Classifier use?
Cynefin Problem Classifier is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Cynefin Problem Classifier use?
About 696 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.8k 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 2.8k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Cynefin Problem Classifier?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Cynefin Problem Classifier: CE Brainstorm (EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin, 25k stars), Discover (anombyte93/prd-taskmaster, 604 stars), Feature Brainstorm (VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan, 109 stars) and LLM Council (gcpdev/llm-council-skill, 461 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Cynefin Problem Classifier?
neurofoo (a GitHub user) maintains it in neurofoo/agent-skills, which has 119 GitHub stars. The repository holds 22 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on January 19, 2026.
Source: neurofoo/agent-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.