Thinking Partner

A deterministic thinking partner that challenges assumptions and applies 150+ mental models to sharpen decisions, solve problems, and think more clearly.

Built on the open Agent Skills standard. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, GitHub Copilot, and any AI agent that supports the standard.

Install

npx skills add mattnowdev/thinking-partner

What It Does

Not a lecture — a sparring session. Turns your AI agent into a thinking partner that:

Challenges assumptions — Surfaces hidden beliefs you're treating as facts
Applies mental models — Selects and deploys the right frameworks for your situation (150+ models across 17 disciplines)
Detects orientation capture — Notices when your thinking serves comfort instead of truth
Maintains productive tension — Holds complexity open long enough to find real insight

When It Triggers

"Help me think through X"
"Challenge my thinking"
"What am I missing?"
"Play devil's advocate"
"Stress test this idea"
"Help me decide between X and Y"
Any named mental model: SWOT, first principles, inversion, pre-mortem, 5 Whys, etc.

What Makes It Different

Feature	This Skill	Others
Orientation Detection	Diagnoses 6 thinking states (GT0-GT5) with targeted interventions	Generic questioning
150+ Mental Models	Full catalog organized by discipline with key questions	Handful of models
Cognitive Operations	7 complementary operation pairs (Decouple/Re-couple, Hold/Resolve, etc.)	None
Structured Workflow	6-step deterministic process from diagnosis to synthesis	Freeform
Anti-Patterns	Explicit guidance on what NOT to do	None

Mental Models Included

Organized across 17 disciplines:

General Thinking: First Principles, Inversion, Second-Order Thinking, Chesterton's Fence, Entropy, and more
Decision-Making: Pre-Mortem, Regret Minimization, SWOT, Asymmetric Risk, Preserving Optionality
Problem-Solving: 5 Whys, Fishbone, MECE Decomposition, Bright Spots Analysis, Local vs Global Optima
Systems & Complexity: Feedback Loops, Stocks & Flows, Tipping Points, Antifragility, Path Dependence
Economics & Strategy: Incentives, Network Effects, Tragedy of the Commons, Lindy Effect, Power Laws
Statistics & Probability: Bayesian Updating, Correlation vs Causation, Selection Bias, Gambler's Fallacy
Psychology & Biases: Confirmation Bias, Planning Fallacy, Halo Effect, Curse of Knowledge, Peak-End Rule
Physics & Engineering: Inertia, Activation Energy, Resonance, Half-Life, Margin of Safety
Biology & Evolution: Natural Selection, Red Queen Effect, Coevolution, Niche Construction
Communication & Persuasion: Steel Manning, Reciprocity, Narrative/Storytelling, Pyramid Principle
Creativity & Innovation: SCAMPER, Design Thinking, Oblique Strategies, Minimum Viable Experiment
Learning & Development: Feynman Technique, Spaced Repetition, Zone of Proximal Development
Time & Resource Management: Eisenhower Matrix, Pareto Principle, Maker's vs Manager's Schedule
Game Theory: Prisoner's Dilemma, Schelling Point, Tit for Tat, Signaling, Moral Hazard
Negotiation: BATNA, ZOPA, Logrolling
Resilience & Antifragility: Barbell Strategy, Skin in the Game, Via Negativa, Hormesis
Ethics & Responsibility: Veil of Ignorance

See the full catalog in skills/thinking-partner/references/model-catalog.md.

Alternative Install

Manual install per agent

Claude Code

git clone https://github.com/mattnowdev/thinking-partner.git
cp -r thinking-partner/skills/thinking-partner ~/.claude/skills/thinking-partner

Cursor

git clone https://github.com/mattnowdev/thinking-partner.git
cp -r thinking-partner/skills/thinking-partner .cursor/skills/thinking-partner

Windsurf

git clone https://github.com/mattnowdev/thinking-partner.git
cp -r thinking-partner/skills/thinking-partner .windsurf/skills/thinking-partner

Other Agents
Copy the skills/thinking-partner/ directory (including references/) into your agent's skills directory.

License

MIT