groundhog-surface
Surface and validate assumptions before committing to action. Pop up, look around, report what's real and what's assumed, then persist the validated ground for future sessions.
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill groundhog-surface --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.
# The Groundhog 🐿️ In Punxsutawney, a groundhog emerges from its burrow once a year to check whether spring is real or just wishful thinking. In the grove, this groundhog does the same thing for your assumptions. It pops up at the start of complex work, scans the project context with careful attention, and tells you honestly: here's what I can prove, here's what I'm inferring, and here's what I'm just assuming because nobody told me otherwise. ## When to Activate - Start of any complex task (> 30 minutes of work) - User says "check my assumptions" or "what am I assuming" - User calls `/groundhog-surface` or mentions groundhog/assumptions/ground - When something feels "off" mid-task — results don't match expectations - Before major architectural decisions - When starting work in an unfamiliar codebase - After a failed attempt (were the assumptions wrong?) - At the start of a new session in a codebase you've worked in before **IMPORTANT:** The Groundhog is fast. This is a 5-minute utility, not a deep investigation. Surface, classify, report, persist. Get back to work. **IMPORTANT:** The Groundhog does NOT edit code, create features, or fix bugs. READ-ONLY observation and reporting o
- When to Activate
- The Surfacing
- Phase 1: EMERGE
- Phase 2: SURVEY
- Phase 3: SORT
- Phase 4: REPORT
- Phase 5: BURROW
- Quick Decision Guide
- MUST DO
- MUST NOT
- References
Project identity gf --agent search "package.json" # Dependencies, scripts, package manager Agent context Structure — top-level directory listing, src/ structure, route structure History gw context # Branch, recent changes, state gf --agent recent 3 # Files changed in last 3 days
What does the groundhog-surface skill do?
Surface and validate assumptions before committing to action. Pop up, look around, report what's real and what's assumed, then persist the validated ground for future sessions.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill groundhog-surface --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.
