problem-comprehension
Systematic comprehension of a problem before any solving attempt. Covers restating the problem, identifying knowns, unknowns, constraints, and goal, recognizing problem type (well-defined, ill-defined, optimization, decision, puzzle), and decomposing large problems into tractable sub-problems. Use at the start of any problem-solving session to avoid solving the wrong problem.
Profile →npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill problem-comprehension --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.
# Problem Comprehension Most problem-solving failures happen before any solving begins. A problem that is misunderstood cannot be solved accurately, and time spent on an incorrect interpretation is time lost. Comprehension is the disciplined first phase of Polya's method ("Understand the Problem"): restate, identify, classify, decompose. This skill documents the operations needed to leave comprehension with a clean problem representation that the rest of the pipeline can operate on. **Agent affinity:** polya-ps (overall framing), jonassen (problem typology), simon (state-space representation) **Concept IDs:** prob-problem-representation, prob-knowns-unknowns, prob-problem-types, prob-goal-decomposition ## The Comprehension Toolbox at a Glance | # | Operation | Purpose | Key signal | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Restate in own words | Verify the problem is actually understood | Can you say it without quoting? | | 2 | Identify knowns | List every given | "Given that...," numerical data, constraints | | 3 | Identify unknowns | List what must be found | "Find...," "determine...," "what is..." | | 4 | Identify constraints | List limits on the solution | "Must not...," "at most...," boundary
- The Comprehension Toolbox at a Glance
- Operation 1 — Restate in Your Own Words
- Operation 2 — Identify Knowns
- Operation 3 — Identify Unknowns
- Operation 4 — Identify Constraints
- Operation 5 — State the Goal
- Operation 6 — Classify the Problem Type
- Operation 7 — Build a Problem Representation
- Operation 8 — Decompose into Sub-Problems
- Operation 9 — Check for Hidden Assumptions
- Operation 10 — Restate with All of the Above
- Standard Comprehension Procedure
- When Comprehension Fails
- Cross-References
What does the problem-comprehension skill do?
Systematic comprehension of a problem before any solving attempt. Covers restating the problem, identifying knowns, unknowns, constraints, and goal, recognizing problem type (well-defined, ill-defined, optimization, decision, puzzle), and decomposing large problems into tractable sub-problems. Use at the start of any problem-solving session to avoid solving the wrong problem.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill problem-comprehension --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.