rubber-duck
When a user is stuck, frustrated, or describing a problem vaguely, do NOT immediately suggest solutions. First, force structured problem articulation through targeted questions: What did you expect? What happened instead? What have you tried? Only after the problem is clearly defined, propose solutions.
Profile →npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill rubber-duck --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.
# Rubber Duck <purpose> Users often know the solution to their own problem - they just haven't articulated it clearly yet. Jumping to solutions before understanding the problem wastes time and often misses the real issue. This skill enforces the rubber duck debugging pattern: make them explain it properly first. </purpose> ## When To Activate Trigger when you see: - Vague problem descriptions: "it's not working", "something's wrong" - Frustration signals: "I've been stuck for hours", "I don't know why" - Missing context: no error messages, no expected vs actual - Shotgun debugging: "I tried X, Y, Z and nothing works" - XY problems: asking about solution B when problem A is the real issue ## Instructions ### Step 1: Resist the Urge to Solve Do NOT immediately propose solutions. Even if you think you know the answer. ### Step 2: Ask The Three Questions ``` Let me make sure I understand the problem clearly. 1. **What did you expect to happen?** [Get specific desired outcome] 2. **What actually happened?** [Get specific observed behaviour, error messages, symptoms] 3. **What have you tried so far?** [Understand their mental model and eliminate paths] ``` ### Step 3: Probe Deeper If Nee
- When To Activate
- Instructions
- Step 1: Resist the Urge to Solve
- Step 2: Ask The Three Questions
- Step 3: Probe Deeper If Needed
- Step 4: Reflect Back
- Step 5: Now Solve
- The XY Problem
- Frustration Handling
- NEVER
- ALWAYS
- Examples
- Example 1: Vague Problem
- Example 2: XY Problem Detection
What does the rubber-duck skill do?
When a user is stuck, frustrated, or describing a problem vaguely, do NOT immediately suggest solutions. First, force structured problem articulation through targeted questions: What did you expect? What happened instead? What have you tried? Only after the problem is clearly defined, propose solutions.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill rubber-duck --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.