Protocol Reverse
zhaoxuya520/reverse-skill
A skill your agent uses for authorized reverse engineering of custom binary protocols, Protobuf/gRPC, WebSocket frames, and PCAP-driven protocol recovery.
Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.
MITAuto-check passed
Install Thinking Reversibility
$ npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-reversibility --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/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-reversibility .claude/skills/thinking-reversibility && 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 "thinking-reversibility" agent skill from https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibility into .claude/skills/thinking-reversibility/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "thinking-reversibility", 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/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibilityType 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-reversibility --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-reversibility .agents/skills/thinking-reversibility && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "thinking-reversibility" agent skill from https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibility into .agents/skills/thinking-reversibility/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "thinking-reversibility", 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-reversibility --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-reversibility .cursor/skills/thinking-reversibility && 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 "thinking-reversibility" agent skill from https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibility into .cursor/skills/thinking-reversibility/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "thinking-reversibility", 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/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git --path skills/thinking-reversibility--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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-reversibility --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-reversibility .gemini/skills/thinking-reversibility && 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 "thinking-reversibility" agent skill from https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibility into .gemini/skills/thinking-reversibility/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "thinking-reversibility", 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-reversibilityInstalls 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-reversibility .github/skills/thinking-reversibility && 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 "thinking-reversibility" agent skill from https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibility into .github/skills/thinking-reversibility/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "thinking-reversibility", 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills thinking-reversibility --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/thinking-reversibility .opencode/skills/thinking-reversibility && 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 "thinking-reversibility" agent skill from https://github.com/tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills/tree/main/skills/thinking-reversibility into .opencode/skills/thinking-reversibility/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "thinking-reversibility", 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
thinking-reversibility- GitHub stars
- 1.6k
- Token cost
- ~790 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 370 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 26
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.
- Works in 5 steps: Name the decision and undo path. State… → Score reversibility. Assess technical… → Asymmetric downside / recovery. For Type… → …
- SKILL.md covers When to Use, When NOT to Use, Procedure and Output, plus 1 more section
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Thinking Reversibility is an agent skill from tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills. Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.
Its SKILL.md is about 790 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
The repository describes itself as: 28 eval-informed mental models and critical-thinking skills for Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex, Cursor, and other Agent Skills-compatible tools. The licence is MIT.
Example prompts
- “/thinking-reversibility”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Name the decision and undo path. State what would be committed and the concrete reverse move (rollback, migrate back, revoke, re-hire…
- Score reversibility. Assess technical effort, time, money, reputation, dependents, and learning lost if reversed. Classify
- Asymmetric downside / recovery. For Type 1 or 1.5
- Option-preserving redesign. Prefer pilots, feature flags, interfaces, versioning, time-boxed vendor terms, or strangler slices that…
- Match process and commit. Type 2: pick a reasonable option, ship, monitor. Type 1: document assumptions, argue the opposing case, surface…
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7b8fece. 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
Thinking Reversibility loads about 790 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 43 tokens; SKILL.md has 370 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills at commit 7b8fece, republished under its MIT licence (© tjboudreaux). 370 words, ~790 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/thinking-reversibility/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- thinking-reversibility
- description
- Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.
- disable-model-invocation
- true
Reversibility
Core rule: match process depth to undo cost. Most decisions are cheaper to reverse than they look; irreversible ones deserve deliberation and staged commitment.
When to Use
- Uncertain how much analysis a decision deserves (tech, process, product, org)
- Tempted to committee a low-blast-radius choice, or to rush a high-lock-in one
- Can redesign the move (pilot, flag, abstraction, time-box) to lower undo cost
- High-stakes choice where acting vs waiting have asymmetric recovery profiles
When NOT to Use
- Already classified this session—decide at matched depth; do not re-label forever
- Trivial two-way calls (names, local refactors) where deciding is cheaper than classifying
- Externally forced move with no optionality (hard deadline, contract, regulation)
- Correctness gates (security, data integrity) that need the right answer, not speed theater
Procedure
- Name the decision and undo path. State what would be committed and the concrete reverse move (rollback, migrate back, revoke, re-hire, re-contract).
- Score reversibility. Assess technical effort, time, money, reputation, dependents, and learning lost if reversed. Classify:
- Type 2: undo in days, low cost → decide fast
- Type 1.5: undo in weeks, moderate cost → light structure + monitor
- Type 1: months or not realistically undoable → deliberate
- Asymmetric downside / recovery. For Type 1 or 1.5:
- Acting wrong: downside, recoverable?, recovery cost
- Not acting: what permanently closes (window, exclusivity, path lock)
- Rule: recoverable acting downside + permanent inaction loss → staged commit over indefinite delay; catastrophic or third-party harm → refuse or redesign first
- Option-preserving redesign. Prefer pilots, feature flags, interfaces, versioning, time-boxed vendor terms, or strangler slices that convert Type 1 surface into Type 2 experiments. Deliberate only the residual irreversible core.
- Match process and commit. Type 2: pick a reasonable option, ship, monitor. Type 1: document assumptions, argue the opposing case, surface to owner if stakes require it. Stop once class and commitment depth are set—do not re-analyze without new undo-cost evidence.
Show full SKILL.md (64 more words)Show less
Output
Decision: …
Undo path: …
Class: Type 2 | 1.5 | 1 (factors: …)
Acting downside / recovery: …
Not-acting permanent loss: …
Staging / option-preserving move: …
Process depth: decide-now | pilot | full deliberation
Commitment: …Verification
- Falsify: If "we can always change later" has no concrete undo path and cost, treat as more irreversible until proven otherwise.
- Stop: After class and process depth are set, further taxonomy is waste—execute the matched process.
- Over-application guard: Do not slow trivial Type 2 work with matrices. Do not use "two-way door" to skip verification on irreversible data, security, or public commitments.
© tjboudreaux, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/thinking-reversibility of tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7b8fece
Compare with similar skills
Thinking Reversibility 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinking Reversibility this skilltjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills | 1.6k | — | ~790 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Protocol Reversezhaoxuya520/reverse-skill | 41k | 2 repos | ~620 | Automated safety check: Warn | MIT | |
| macOS Reversezhaoxuya520/reverse-skill | 41k | 2 repos | ~366 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Protocol Reversesickn33/agentic-awesome-skills | 47k | 1 repos | ~689 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| macOS Reversesickn33/agentic-awesome-skills | 47k | 1 repos | ~466 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| JS Reversesickn33/agentic-awesome-skills | 47k | 1 repos | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Questions about Thinking Reversibility
What does Thinking Reversibility do?
Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options. Thinking Reversibility is an agent skill from tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills. Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.
How do I install Thinking Reversibility in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/thinking-reversibility in tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills) into .claude/skills/thinking-reversibility in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Thinking Reversibility in Codex?
Run `npx skills add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/thinking-reversibility in tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills) into .agents/skills/thinking-reversibility in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Thinking Reversibility 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 tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills --skill thinking-reversibility -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/thinking-reversibility, .gemini/skills/thinking-reversibility, .github/skills/thinking-reversibility and .opencode/skills/thinking-reversibility in your project.
What does Thinking Reversibility need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Thinking Reversibility is instructions for the agent only.
Does Thinking Reversibility 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 Thinking Reversibility 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 Thinking Reversibility use?
Thinking Reversibility 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 Thinking Reversibility use?
About 790 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Thinking Reversibility?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Thinking Reversibility: Protocol Reverse (zhaoxuya520/reverse-skill, 41k stars), macOS Reverse (zhaoxuya520/reverse-skill, 41k stars), Protocol Reverse (sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, 47k stars) and macOS Reverse (sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, 47k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Thinking Reversibility?
tjboudreaux (a GitHub user) maintains it in tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills, which has 1,613 GitHub stars. The repository holds 26 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 7, 2026.
Source: tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.