Methodology Packs

Curated skill packs for debugging, testing, planning, and collaboration

Methodology Packs

Methodology packs are curated collections of skills that guide AI agents through structured workflows. Each pack bundles related skills around a domain — debugging, testing, planning, or collaboration.

Available Packs

Commands

skillkit methodology list                    # List available packs
skillkit methodology install debugging       # Install a pack
skillkit methodology apply testing           # Apply pack to current project
skillkit methodology validate planning       # Validate pack skills
skillkit methodology load collaboration      # Load pack into agent context

Pack Structure

Each pack lives under packages/core/src/methodology/packs/ with this structure:

packs/
  debugging/
    pack.json           # Pack manifest (name, skills, tags)
    root-cause-analysis/
      SKILL.md          # Skill content
    trace-and-isolate/
      SKILL.md
    hypothesis-testing/
      SKILL.md

Skills Reference

Debugging

• root-cause-analysis — Five Whys method, structured investigation phases, evidence collection, causal chain verification
• trace-and-isolate — Binary search debugging, git bisect, strategic logging, component isolation, minimal reproduction
• hypothesis-testing — Scientific method for debugging: observe, hypothesize, predict, test, conclude

Testing

• red-green-refactor — Write a failing test, make it pass with minimal code, then refactor while green
• test-patterns — AAA, Given-When-Then, Test Data Builders, Object Mother, parameterized tests, fixtures, spies
• anti-patterns — Flaky tests, over-mocking, brittle assertions, test interdependency, hidden logic

Planning

• design-first — Technical design documents before code: architecture, data models, API definitions, trade-off analysis
• task-decomposition — Vertical slicing, horizontal layering, workflow and component decomposition
• verification-gates — Validation checkpoints between phases with checklists and approval criteria

Collaboration

• structured-review — Five-stage code review: requirements, correctness, quality, testing, security
• parallel-investigation — Coordinate multiple investigation threads with sync points and convergence decisions
• handoff-protocols — Structured work transitions: planned, unplanned, and partial handoffs

Meta

• skill-authoring — Guidelines for writing SKILL.md files: frontmatter, triggers, directive language, content patterns

Using with Agents

Once installed, methodology skills activate automatically based on trigger phrases. For example:

You: "I need to debug this failing API endpoint"
Agent: [Activates root-cause-analysis skill]

You: "Let's write tests first for this feature"
Agent: [Activates red-green-refactor skill]

You: "Break down this feature into tasks"
Agent: [Activates task-decomposition skill]

TUI Integration

Access methodology packs from the TUI by pressing o (Methodology screen). Browse, install, and apply packs interactively.