devils-advocate
Use when a proposal has unanimous support or relies on a single high-impact assumption—constructs the strongest possible counter-argument (Steel Man) and runs a Pre-Mortem.
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill devils-advocate-joellewis-skill-library --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.
## Overview The Devil's Advocate is an intellectually rigorous stress-test designed to dismantle arguments, expose blind spots, and "steel man" opposing viewpoints. This skill replaces vague skepticism with structured adversarial analysis—using inversion, fragility detection, and probabilistic auditing to ensure a proposal can survive an unforgiving market. ## Guiding Principles ### Principle 1: Invert, Always Invert (Source: Munger, *Poor Charlie's Almanack*) To solve a problem or test a plan, think about what would cause the *opposite* of the desired result. Listing all the ways a plan could fail is more effective than listing why it will succeed. (Source: Farnam Street, "Inversion") ### Principle 2: Anti-Resulting (Source: Duke, *Thinking in Bets*) Never judge a decision solely by its outcome. A "good" result can come from a "bad" process due to luck. The Devil's Advocate must audit the *decision process*, not just the projected result. ### Principle 3: Fragility Detection (Source: Taleb, *Antifragile*) Any proposal that relies on things "staying the same" or has non-linear downside and capped upside is fragile. Strategy should aim for "Optionality"—the ability to benefit from v
- Overview
- Guiding Principles
- Principle 1: Invert, Always Invert (Source: Munger, Poor Charlie's Almanack)
- Principle 2: Anti-Resulting (Source: Duke, Thinking in Bets)
- Principle 3: Fragility Detection (Source: Taleb, Antifragile)
- Principle 4: Steel-Manning (Source: Paul Graham, "How to Think for Yourself")
- Principle 5: The Certainty Audit (Source: Duke, How to Decide)
- When to Use This Skill
- When NOT to Use This Skill
- Core Process
- Step 1: Identify the Linchpin Assumption
- Step 2: Perform the Inversion Audit
- Step 3: Detect Systemic Fragility
- Step 4: Steel-Man the Opposition
What does the devils-advocate skill do?
Use when a proposal has unanimous support or relies on a single high-impact assumption—constructs the strongest possible counter-argument (Steel Man) and runs a Pre-Mortem.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill devils-advocate-joellewis-skill-library --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.