This repository provides a curated collection of 39 mental models and critical thinking frameworks designed to enhance problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic analysis within the Claude Code environment. It targets users of Claude Code seeking to leverage structured, proven cognitive and strategic frameworks to improve AI-assisted reasoning and output quality. The primary benefit is empowering users with advanced analytical tools directly integrated into their AI workflow.

How It Works

The project integrates 39 distinct thinking frameworks, such as First Principles, Bayesian Reasoning, Systems Thinking, and OODA loops, as callable "skills" within Claude Code. Each skill encapsulates a specific model or framework, allowing users to invoke them directly by name in their prompts. This approach provides structured, battle-tested methodologies for complex tasks, enhancing the AI's analytical capabilities beyond its default reasoning.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Primary install / run command: Installation is recommended via the Claude Code Plugin Marketplace: /plugin marketplace add tjboudreaux/cc-thinking-skills followed by /plugin install thinking-skills@thinking-skills-marketplace. An alternative manual installation involves cloning the repository and copying the skills/ directory to ~/.claude/skills/ or a project-specific .claude/skills/.
• Non-default prerequisites and dependencies: Requires the Claude Code environment. No other external dependencies are listed.
• Estimated setup time or resource footprint: Setup is designed to be zero-configuration and quick, especially via the plugin marketplace.
• Links: Claude Code Documentation is referenced in related resources.

Highlighted Details

• Features a comprehensive suite of 39 thinking frameworks categorized into Decision Making & Analysis, Cognitive & Behavioral, Systems & Strategy, Problem Solving & Innovation, Estimation & Risk, Product & Innovation, and Meta-Skills.
• Includes integrated Quality Assurance Tools with scripts to validate skill quality, generate enhancement suggestions, and create AI improvement prompts for further refinement.
• Skills are designed for direct invocation, enabling users to apply concepts like "first-principles thinking" or "pre-mortem analysis" to specific problems within Claude Code.

Maintenance & Community

Contributions are welcomed, with guidelines provided in a CONTRIBUTING.md file. The repository does not list specific community channels (e.g., Discord, Slack) or notable contributors/sponsorships in the provided README.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project is released under the MIT License, which is permissive and generally allows for commercial use and integration into closed-source projects without significant restrictions.

Limitations & Caveats

This collection is exclusively designed for and dependent on the Claude Code environment; it cannot be used as a standalone tool. The effectiveness of the skills relies on the user's ability to correctly invoke them within Claude Code and the underlying capabilities of the Claude AI model itself.