5whys
Five Whys root cause analysis. Iteratively asks "why" to drill past symptoms to underlying causes. Use for debugging, investigating failures, or understanding why something went wrong.
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill 5whys --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Five Whys Analysis Perform iterative root cause analysis by asking "why" repeatedly until you reach the underlying cause. ## Instructions Start with the stated problem and ask "why" it occurred. For each answer, ask "why" again. Continue until you reach a root cause that: - Is actionable (you can do something about it) - Is fundamental (asking "why" further leads to abstract/unhelpful answers) - Explains the chain of causation Typically this takes 5 iterations, but may be fewer or more. ### Output Format **Problem Statement** Restate the problem clearly and specifically. **Why Chain** | Level | Question | Answer | |-------|----------|--------| | 1 | Why did [problem]? | [Answer 1] | | 2 | Why did [Answer 1]? | [Answer 2] | | 3 | Why did [Answer 2]? | [Answer 3] | | 4 | Why did [Answer 3]? | [Answer 4] | | 5 | Why did [Answer 4]? | [Root Cause] | **Root Cause** The fundamental issue identified. Explain why this is the root (not just another symptom). **Branches** (if applicable) If multiple valid answers exist at any level, show the branching analysis. **Corrective Actions** - Immediate: What to do now to address the symptom - Systemic: What to change to prevent recurrence **Verif
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- Software Bug
- Customer Churn
What does the 5whys skill do?
Five Whys root cause analysis. Iteratively asks "why" to drill past symptoms to underlying causes. Use for debugging, investigating failures, or understanding why something went wrong.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill 5whys --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.