# Problem Decomposition

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- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-npbuilds-skill-library-problem-decomposition`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [npbuilds](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/npbuilds)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [npbuilds](https://github.com/npbuilds)
- **Source:** https://github.com/npbuilds/skill-library/tree/main/skills/binding-vow/problem-decomposition
- **Website:** https://skill-library-prod.web.app/

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-npbuilds-skill-library-problem-decomposition
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Problem Decomposition — Director

A diagnosed problem is rarely atomic. This director realizes six-eyes' Phase 3 (Decompose): it
selects the right root-cause method for the problem's typology and stakes, tags each piece as
root vs. symptom, and grounds the work in Polya's problem-solving heuristics. The goal is a set
of atomic, root-tagged claims that downstream reframing and audit can operate on cleanly.

Decomposition partners with the research domain's `claim-decomposer` (cross-domain) for atomic-claim
extraction; this director focuses on *root-cause structure* — which split is causal, which is
cosmetic.

## Routing Table

| Child skill | Use when | Output |
|---|---|---|
| `root-vs-symptom-tagger` | You need to pick a root-cause method (5 Whys / Fishbone / dependency map / Current Reality Tree) and tag each part root vs. symptom | Method choice + per-claim root/symptom tags |
| `polya-method` | You need the heuristic basis for understand → plan → execute → look-back, or specialize/generalize moves | Reference: Polya's *How to Solve It* catalog |

## Routing Logic

1. Take the typology tag from `problem-diagnosis`. It selects the method: dependency mapping for
   **mess**, Current Reality Tree for **wicked**, 5 Whys / Fishbone for **well-** or
   **ill-defined**. `root-vs-symptom-tagger` performs this selection.
2. Pull `polya-method` when the decomposition stalls — its specialize/generalize operations and
   the "understand the problem" step often unstick a tangled statement.
3. If decomposition yields 15+ atomic claims, hand back to `six-eyes` to ask the user to
   prioritize before continuing.

## Scope Boundaries

- **In scope:** selecting a decomposition method, root vs. symptom tagging, Polya heuristics.
- **Out of scope:** classifying the problem (→ `problem-diagnosis`), generating alternative
  formulations (→ `problem-reframing`).
- **Cross-domain:** atomic-claim extraction proper is `research/claim-decomposer`; this director
  routes to it via the orchestrator rather than duplicating it.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [npbuilds](https://github.com/npbuilds)
- **Source:** [npbuilds/skill-library](https://github.com/npbuilds/skill-library)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://skill-library-prod.web.app/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-npbuilds-skill-library-problem-decomposition
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/npbuilds
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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