An 8,000-Star Open Source Project
In mid-May 2026, a project called **skills-for-humanity** debuted on Hacker News Show. Its premise was startlingly simple: package the structured reasoning methods of history's most rigorous thinkers into skills that AI can call directly.
As of May 26, 2026, the project had earned **over 8,000 stars on GitHub**, becoming one of the most discussed Show HN projects in recent weeks.
The project homepage opens with a provocative question:
"When AI can instantly retrieve all of human knowledge, what distinguishes an individual is no longer 'what you know,' but 'how you know how to think.'"
This project is a system manual for "how to think" — written for AI.
171 Skills, 27 Categories
skills-for-humanity packages structured reasoning methods as skills callable by Claude Code. Below is the full skill inventory, organized by five modules and 27 sub-categories:
🧠 Think Sharper — 7 Categories
`/logic`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/logic` | Entry point for the logic toolkit |
| `/logic-argument-validation` | Check if premises support conclusions; identify logical fallacies |
| `/logic-causality-mapping` | Map causal relationships; trace dependency chains |
| `/logic-check` | Fast comprehensive logic report: validate premises, test reasoning, detect fallacies, output verdict |
| `/logic-consistency-check` | Surface internal contradictions in documents, specs, plans |
| `/logic-constraint-mapping` | Map full constraint landscape: distinguish hard limits from soft preferences |
| `/logic-council` | 5-logical-advisor "council" collaborative analysis |
`/probability`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/probability` | Entry point for the probability toolkit |
| `/probability-base-rate-anchoring` | Anchor estimates in historical base rates; adjust for specific factors |
| `/probability-confidence-calibration` | Test if confidence matches evidence (correct overconfidence/underconfidence) |
| `/probability-expected-value-calculation` | Calculate expected value; compare options under uncertainty |
| `/probability-scenario-weighting` | Assign explicit probabilities to scenarios before deciding |
`/decision`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/decision` | Entry point for the decision toolkit |
| `/decision-criteria-weighting` | Weighted multi-criteria analysis quantifying each option's performance |
| `/decision-option-mapping` | Ensure all real options are visible before choosing (counter false dichotomies) |
| `/decision-premortem-analysis` | Imagine the decision was made and failed; diagnose why |
| `/decision-reversibility-analysis` | Categorise decisions by reversibility; apply appropriate rigour |
`/constraint`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/constraint` | Entry point for the constraint toolkit |
| `/constraint-hardness-testing` | Test if a constraint is real (distinguish limits from assumptions/habits) |
| `/constraint-rule-inversion` | Flip a constraint into a creative driver |
| `/constraint-scope-reduction` | Find the minimum that satisfies the actual requirement |
| `/constraint-workaround-mapping` | Find paths around a fixed constraint without removing it |
`/game-theory`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/game-theory` | Entry point for the game theory toolkit |
| `/game-theory-auction` | Analyze bidding strategy and auction design |
| `/game-theory-coalition` | Analyze coalition formation and gain distribution (Shapley value) |
| `/game-theory-equilibrium` | Find stable outcomes of strategic interactions (Nash equilibrium) |
| `/game-theory-iterated` | Analyze long-run repeated interactions: cooperation, trust, defection |
| `/game-theory-mechanism-design` | Design rules and incentive systems that produce desired outcomes |
| `/game-theory-prisoners-dilemma` | Analyze cooperation problems where individual rationality produces collective irrationality |
| `/game-theory-signaling` | Analyze credibility problems; design signals costly to fake |
`/epistemology`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/epistemology` | Entry point for the epistemology toolkit |
| `/epistemology-epistemic-status` | Calibrate honestly: know vs believe vs assume vs hope |
| `/epistemology-justification` | Analyze what evidence truly supports a claim |
| `/epistemology-knowledge-types` | Map the types of knowledge involved in a claim |
| `/epistemology-limits` | Identify what is "unknowable"; define the answerable portion |
`/investigation`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/investigation` | Entry point for the investigation toolkit |
| `/investigation-claim-decomposition` | Break complex claims into smallest independently verifiable sub-claims |
| `/investigation-counter-hypothesis` | Generate the best alternative explanation for the same observation |
| `/investigation-evidence-audit` | Evaluate evidence quality, strength, and completeness |
| `/investigation-source-trace` | Trace a claim to its origin |
| `/investigation-triangulation` | Verify claims with genuinely independent sources |
💡 Think Differently — 3 Categories
`/creativity` (all from Edward de Bono methods)
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/creativity` | Entry point for the creativity toolkit |
| `/creativity-alternatives` | Deliberately generate options without evaluating |
| `/creativity-assumption-excavator` | Excavate hidden assumptions behind problems |
| `/creativity-brainstorm` | Multi-method creativity sprint |
| `/creativity-concept-fan` | Expand solution space before committing |
| `/creativity-consider-factors` | Consider all relevant factors before deciding |
| `/creativity-lateral-thinking` | Escape dominant patterns; generate genuinely new directions |
| `/creativity-other-perspectives` | Truly think from another's perspective |
| `/creativity-plus-minus-interesting` | Multi-dimensional evaluation of any idea |
| `/creativity-provocation` | Use deliberately absurd statements to provoke new thinking |
| `/creativity-random-entry` | Use unrelated words/objects to break cognitive inertia |
| `/creativity-six-hats` | Structured parallel thinking |
| `/creativity-water-logic` | Flow-based, non-judgmental exploration |
`/analogy`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/analogy` | Entry point for the analogy toolkit |
| `/analogy-boundary-testing` | Find where an analogy breaks before relying on it |
| `/analogy-domain-transfer` | Import solutions from unrelated domains |
| `/analogy-perspective-shifting` | Approach problems from completely different fields |
| `/analogy-structure-mapping` | Identify deep structural correspondence vs surface similarity |
`/play`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/play` | Entry point for the play toolkit |
| `/play-constraint-inversion` | Remove or invert main constraints for inspiration |
| `/play-perspective-reversal` | Think from the opposite side: competitors, critics, users |
| `/play-stimulus-generation` | Introduce random unrelated elements to break patterns |
| `/play-worst-case-reversal` | Design the worst version; invert each failure into a design principle |
👥 Think About People — 9 Categories
`/communication`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/communication` | Entry point for the communication toolkit |
| `/communication-audience-modeling` | Map audience beliefs, concerns, and fears |
| `/communication-clarity-audit` | Audit communication for potential misunderstanding |
| `/communication-medium-selection` | Select the best channel and format for the message |
| `/communication-objection-mapping` | Anticipate objections before presenting a proposal |
`/social`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/social` | Entry point for the social dynamics toolkit |
| `/social-coalition-mapping` | Map key people to align; coalition building strategy |
| `/social-dynamics-analysis` | Identify group psychology: groupthink, status, psychological safety |
| `/social-incentive-analysis` | Map the real incentive structure driving behavior |
| `/social-power-mapping` | Map power distribution: formal authority, informal influence, expert power |
`/emotional`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/emotional` | Entry point for the emotional toolkit |
| `/emotional-motivation-mapping` | Map what truly drives different people |
| `/emotional-resistance-diagnosis` | Diagnose reasons behind resistance |
| `/emotional-stakes-mapping` | Map what each stakeholder truly cares about |
| `/emotional-trust-audit` | Assess trust-building and trust-breaking factors |
`/ethics`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/ethics` | Entry point for the ethics toolkit |
| `/ethics-bias-check` | Assess algorithmic discrimination patterns |
| `/ethics-check` | Fast comprehensive ethics report (run 5 frameworks at once) |
| `/ethics-consent-review` | Audit authenticity of user consent in UX flows |
| `/ethics-council` | 5 advisors "council" independent analysis |
| `/ethics-crisis-triage` | Crisis ethics: data breaches, harmful outcomes, discrimination |
| `/ethics-data-audit` | Audit data collection/storage/sharing decisions |
| `/ethics-empathy-circle` | Jaron Lanier's empathy circle framework |
| `/ethics-impact-scan` | Quick ethics impact assessment before feature launch |
| `/ethics-vendor-review` | Assess third-party vendor ethics standards |
`/identity`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/identity` | Entry point for the identity toolkit |
| `/identity-character-testing` | Ask: what would someone of true integrity do? |
| `/identity-mission-alignment` | Test if decisions truly align with mission |
| `/identity-values-clarification` | Excavate and test actual operating values |
`/narrative`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/narrative` | Entry point for the narrative toolkit |
| `/narrative-audience-modeling` | Map audience beliefs/goals/fears before communicating |
| `/narrative-frame-analysis` | Identify current frame; generate alternatives revealing different truths |
| `/narrative-structure-mapping` | Apply story architecture to proposals, presentations |
| `/narrative-tension-mapping` | Find or create tension that makes communication compelling |
`/psychology`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/psychology` | Entry point for the psychology toolkit |
| `/psychology-behavior-change` | Diagnose maintaining factors; design interventions |
| `/psychology-cognitive-biases` | Diagnose active biases in current situation |
| `/psychology-heuristics` | Assess when fast thinking is reliable vs misleading |
| `/psychology-motivation` | Diagnose true drivers of behavior |
| `/psychology-persuasion` | Identify appropriate influence approaches |
`/mindset`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/mindset` | Entry point for the mindset toolkit |
| `/mindset-flow` | Csikszentmihalyi flow: diagnose and design optimal experience |
| `/mindset-growth` | Carol Dweck's growth mindset as practical methodology |
| `/mindset-positive` | Positive psychology as rigorous practice |
| `/mindset-reframe` | Cognitive reframing as rigorous methodology (CBT framework) |
| `/mindset-stoic` | Complete Stoic methodology toolkit |
`/writing` (Largest category, 23 skills)
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/writing` | Entry point for the writing toolkit |
| `/writing-arc-design` | Map and fix character arcs and thematic arcs |
| `/writing-argument` | Build and fix persuasive arguments |
| `/writing-audience-calibration` | Calibrate writing for specific readers |
| `/writing-character-development` | Create psychologically real characters |
| `/writing-copy` | Marketing copy, landing pages (attention-desire-action) |
| `/writing-dialogue` | Diagnose and fix subtext, character differentiation |
| `/writing-executive-summary` | Generate executive briefs (situation-finding-impact-recommendation) |
| `/writing-inconsistency-audit` | 4-round systematic audit: timeline, character logic, world rules, continuity |
| `/writing-line-editing` | 5-category editing: redundancy, nominalization, passive voice, rhythm |
| `/writing-plot-structure` | 5-act dramatic structure diagnosis |
| `/writing-pov` | Point-of-view audit: violation, consistency, fit |
| `/writing-prose-elevation` | Elevate mediocre prose (eliminate abstraction, weak verbs, sensory gaps) |
| `/writing-report` | Business reports, briefing documents |
| `/writing-restructure` | Diagnose and fix structural issues in non-fiction |
| `/writing-rhetoric` | Analyze rhetorical strategies: rhetorical situation, metaphor mapping |
| `/writing-scene-construction` | Diagnose individual scenes with need/obstacle/result framework |
| `/writing-technical` | Technical docs, API docs, user guides |
| `/writing-tone-alignment` | Diagnose and fix tone drift |
| `/writing-voice-consistency` | Extract "voice fingerprint" and audit consistency |
| `/writing-worldbuilding` | Audit fictional world internal consistency and rule alignment |
⏳ Think in Time & Systems — 5 Categories
`/systems`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/systems` | Entry point for the systems thinking toolkit |
| `/systems-archetype-matching` | Use Senge's 8 classic system archetypes |
| `/systems-emergence-detection` | Identify properties that don't exist in any individual component |
| `/systems-feedback-mapping` | Map all reinforcing (+) and balancing (-) feedback loops |
| `/systems-leverage-analysis` | Use Meadows' leverage point hierarchy to find most effective interventions |
`/temporal`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/temporal` | Entry point for the temporal thinking toolkit |
| `/temporal-cycle-detection` | Identify which cycle pattern the current situation follows |
| `/temporal-futures-mapping` | Scenario thinking across possible, probable, preferable futures |
| `/temporal-horizon-mapping` | Map decision impacts across short/medium/long term |
| `/temporal-timing-analysis` | Assess whether now is the time to act, wait, or prepare |
`/historical`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/historical` | Entry point for the historical thinking toolkit |
| `/historical-cycle-detection` | Identify which historical cycle the current situation mirrors |
| `/historical-failure-analysis` | Extract recurring failure patterns from comparable historical situations |
| `/historical-lesson-extraction` | Extract transferable principles from specific historical cases |
| `/historical-precedent-analysis` | Find and apply genuinely similar historical precedents |
`/resource`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/resource` | Entry point for the resource optimization toolkit |
| `/resource-allocation-analysis` | Allocate limited resources among competing demands |
| `/resource-bottleneck-analysis` | Identify the true throughput constraint (Theory of Constraints) |
| `/resource-leverage-mapping` | Find maximum leverage points for limited resources |
| `/resource-waste-audit` | Identify resource waste, duplication, and inefficiency |
`/strategy` (Rooted in Sun Tzu + Clausewitz)
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/strategy` | Entry point for the strategy toolkit |
| `/strategy-alliance` | Map forces, identify natural allies, assess alliance stability |
| `/strategy-deception` | Manage information asymmetry in legitimate competition |
| `/strategy-force-economy` | Achieve objectives with minimal force |
| `/strategy-intelligence` | Audit what you truly know about yourself and opponents |
| `/strategy-positioning` | Build unassailable positions before competition begins |
| `/strategy-terrain` | Map competitive terrain: advantage points, cost-gap zones |
| `/strategy-timing` | Analyze whether to act now or wait |
| `/strategy-victory` | Define what "winning" truly means before competition begins |
👁️ See More Clearly — 2 Categories
`/aesthetic`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/aesthetic` | Entry point for the aesthetic toolkit |
| `/aesthetic-coherence-check` | Check if parts of a work cohere |
| `/aesthetic-elegance-testing` | Assess if a solution is more complex than necessary |
| `/aesthetic-pattern-detection` | Identify patterns operating at the formal level |
| `/aesthetic-simplicity-analysis` | Find simpler versions — distinguishing simplification from removal of essential complexity |
`/sensory`
| Skill | Function |
|---|---|
| `/sensory` | Entry point for the sensory toolkit |
| `/sensory-detail-mining` | Extract overlooked details from observations |
| `/sensory-signal-detection` | Identify truly important signals amid noise |
| `/sensory-structured-observation` | Observe with discipline before interpreting |
| **Core philosophy**: Most thinking errors happen not in reasoning but in observation — we rush to interpret before fully observing |
🧩 `/think` — Central Router
`/think` — Describe your situation. Routes to the right methodology automatically. You don't need to know which skill fits — that's the point.
The Thinkers Behind the Skills
Each skill traces to its intellectual lineage:
**Edward de Bono** (12 creativity skills) · **Donella Meadows** (system leverage points) · **Genrich Altshuller** (TRIZ) · **Barbara Minto** (Pyramid Principle) · **Eliyahu Goldratt** (Theory of Constraints) · **Philip Tetlock** (prediction calibration) · **Gary Klein** (decision-making) · **John Stuart Mill** (logic) · **Immanuel Kant** (ethics) · **Aristotle** (logic & ethics) · **Nel Noddings** (care ethics) · **John Rawls** (justice) · **Sun Tzu** (8 strategy skills) · **Carl von Clausewitz** · **Miyamoto Musashi** · **John Nash** (game theory) · **Robert Axelrod** (cooperation) · **William Vickrey** · **Lloyd Shapley** · **Michael Spence** (signaling)
And: **Peter Senge** · **Carol Dweck** · **Csikszentmihalyi** · **Jaron Lanier** · **Frans de Waal** · **Daniel Kahneman** · **Cialdini**
Why Did This Project Explode?
171 skills, 27 categories, 8000+ stars — this is not a "useful tool" level of virality. It hit its mark because it lands at the intersection of three powerful trends:
Trend 1: The "Structured Demand" for AI Abilities Bursts
2025-2026 saw AI evolve from "being able to converse" to "being able to execute tasks." But a core bottleneck remained: **AI lacks the ability to call structured methods.** Ask AI to "analyze this business problem" — you get a beautifully generic answer. Structure it as "Step 1: Porter's Five Forces; Step 2: SWOT; Step 3: SCQA conclusion" — and the output is entirely different.
skills-for-humanity gives AI a "thinking framework dispatcher."
Trend 2: Knowledge Management Shifts from "Storage" to "Activation"
For a decade, the core KM question was "how to store and retrieve." Wikis, knowledge bases, RAG all operated on this dimension. But when AI can instantly retrieve anything, the bottleneck has shifted: **the problem isn't finding information. It's knowing what to do with it.**
skills-for-humanity represents a new KM paradigm: **the unit of knowledge management is no longer the "knowledge point" — it's the "thinking protocol."**
Trend 3: The Return of the Human Perspective
Most striking: the skill library doesn't come from AI-generated "best practices." It comes from humanity's true masters — all skills trace to clear intellectual lineages. In a fascinating reversal, while attention focuses on "what AI can do," skills-for-humanity asks "what are humans best at — and how can AI learn it?"
A New Human-AI Fit Framework: From "Prompt" to "Protocol"
skills-for-humanity points to a structural upgrade in human-AI collaboration across three generations:
| Generation | Period | Core Pattern | Quality Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2018-2023 | **Prompt → Response** | Human expression ability |
| 2.0 | 2024-2025 | **Chain of Thought → Reasoning** | Framework design quality |
| **3.0** | **2026-** | **Protocol → Execution** | **Methodology structuring** |
skills-for-humanity is the archetype of Generation 3. It isn't teaching AI "what to answer." It's teaching AI "how to think."
From a Human-AI Fit perspective: **humans no longer need to micromanage every step. Humanity's best 'thinking habits' are pre-installed in AI's execution engine. AI gains methodological intuition. Humans retain value judgment and priority authority.**
Three Challenges Worth Considering
1. Will structuring methodologies "kill" creativity?
skills-for-humanity's skills are **optional, not mandatory**. It's a thinking toolbox — improvise most of the time, but when stuck, open the toolbox for a proven method.
Creativity isn't the absence of structure. It's knowing structure so well you can choose when to break it.
2. Who decides which methods are "worthy" of structuring?
The current 171 skills skew toward Western intellectual traditions. How will Eastern dialectical thinking, Zen intuition, or Traditional Chinese Medicine's holistic worldview be represented? This is the most imaginative direction for expansion.
3. Will "thinking protocols" become the next KM infrastructure?
If the trend holds, every knowledge worker may soon have their own "thinking skill pack." This is no longer "knowledge management" (managing information) — it's **"thinking management" (managing methodology)** . A company's AI competitiveness may depend less on data center size and more on the depth of its "thinking protocol library."
Conclusion: A Week Worth Remembering
The final week of May 2026 featured two pieces on Hacker News' front page, pointing in the same direction:
Nolan Lawson's "Using AI to write better code more slowly" — exploring human-AI collaboration quality standards from a practitioner's perspective.
skills-for-humanity — exploring the structured transmission of 171 human reasoning methods to AI from a methodological perspective.
Both send the same signal: **The next frontier of human-AI collaboration isn't making AI smarter. It's passing human wisdom to AI in a more structured way.**
Speed takes a back seat. Method takes the wheel.
References
- skills-for-humanity — 171 Personal Reasoning Skills | GitHub, 2026-05 (HN)
- Nolan Lawson — "Using AI to write better code more slowly", 2026-05-25 (HN)
- Peter Senge — The Fifth Discipline
- Edward de Bono — Lateral Thinking
- Donella Meadows — Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System
- Carol Dweck — Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- Csikszentmihalyi — Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
- Eliyahu Goldratt — The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
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