inversion.md

description	Solve problems backwards - what would guarantee failure?
argument-hint	[goal or leave blank for current context]

Apply inversion thinking to $ARGUMENTS (or the current discussion if no arguments provided).

Instead of asking "How do I succeed?", ask "What would guarantee failure?" then avoid those things.

1. State the goal or desired outcome 2. Invert: "What would guarantee I fail at this?" 3. List all failure modes 4. For each failure mode, identify the avoidance strategy 5. Build success plan by systematically avoiding failure

<output_format> Goal: [what success looks like]

Guaranteed Failure Modes:

1. [Way to fail]: Avoid by [specific action]
2. [Way to fail]: Avoid by [specific action]
3. [Way to fail]: Avoid by [specific action]

Anti-Goals (Never Do):

• [Behavior to eliminate]
• [Behavior to eliminate]

Success By Avoidance: By not doing [X, Y, Z], success becomes much more likely because...

Remaining Risk: [What's left after avoiding obvious failures] </output_format>

<success_criteria>

• Failure modes are specific and realistic
• Avoidance strategies are actionable
• Surfaces risks that optimistic planning misses
• Creates clear "never do" boundaries </success_criteria>