Iterativedepth skill
Structured multi-angle exploration running 2-8 sequential passes over the same problem, each through a different scientific lens, to surface hidden requirements and edge cases invisible from one angle.
by danielmiessler·MIT license·★ 19,269 Stars on the repo·GitHub ↗
npx degit danielmiessler/LifeOS/LifeOS/install/skills/IterativeDepth#main ~/.claude/skills/iterativedepthChecked ·commit main
Files of Iterativedepth
Show the full text62 lines
Customization
Before executing, check for user customizations at:
~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/IterativeDepth/
If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults.
IterativeDepth
What It Does
IterativeDepth examines one problem through several structurally different lenses — literal, stakeholder, failure, temporal, and more — merging what each angle surfaces into ISC criteria a single pass misses. Grounded in 20 established techniques across cognitive science, AI/ML, requirements engineering, and design thinking (see ScientificFoundation.md).
The Deliverable
A done run produces:
- A deduplicated ISC set — each criterion binary-testable, 8-12 words, phrased as a state not an action. No two criteria restate each other.
- Refinements to existing criteria, each noting what changed and why.
- Anti-criteria — failure modes that must NOT happen.
- At least one surprising cross-angle finding — a requirement that only appeared because two lenses collided. A run that surfaces nothing a single pass would have missed added no value.
Passes stop when a new lens repeats what earlier lenses already found. Non-redundant angles are what matter; more angles for their own sake are not.
The Lenses
TheLenses.md is a catalog of eight exploration angles. Draw from it — pick the lenses the problem calls for, in whatever order, as many as earn their keep. No fixed count, no prescribed sequence: a security problem leans on the failure and adversary angles, a UX problem on the experiential one. Let the problem select the lenses.
Workflow Routing
| Workflow | Trigger | File |
|---|---|---|
| Explore | "iterative depth", "explore deeper", "multi-angle" | Workflows/Explore.md |
Reference
- Lens catalog:
TheLenses.md - Scientific grounding:
ScientificFoundation.md
Gotchas
- 2-8 lens passes, not infinite. Diminishing returns after ~5 passes for most topics.
- Each pass should surface genuinely NEW requirements, not restate previous findings. If passes start repeating, stop early.
- This is a BPE-fragile skill. Monitor whether smarter models make it unnecessary. Quarterly test recommended.
Execution Log
After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry:
echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"IterativeDepth","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/LIFEOS/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl
Replace WORKFLOW_USED with the workflow executed, 8_WORD_SUMMARY with a brief input description, and SECONDS with approximate wall-clock time. Log status: "error" if the workflow failed.
| 1 | |
| 2 | name IterativeDepth |
| 3 | version 1.1.16 |
| 4 | description "Structured multi-angle exploration running 2-8 sequential passes over the same problem, each through a different scientific lens, to surface hidden requirements and edge cases invisible from one angle; each pass yields new ISC criteria. USE WHEN iterative depth, explore deeper, multi-angle analysis, surface hidden requirements, blind spot check, what am I missing. NOT FOR scope/zoom analysis (use ApertureOscillation)." |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ## Customization |
| 8 | |
| 9 | **Before executing, check for user customizations at:** |
| 10 | `~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/IterativeDepth/` |
| 11 | |
| 12 | If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | # IterativeDepth |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ## What It Does |
| 18 | |
| 19 | IterativeDepth examines one problem through several structurally different lenses — literal, stakeholder, failure, temporal, and more — merging what each angle surfaces into ISC criteria a single pass misses. Grounded in 20 established techniques across cognitive science, AI/ML, requirements engineering, and design thinking (see `ScientificFoundation.md`). |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ## The Deliverable |
| 22 | |
| 23 | A done run produces: |
| 24 | |
| 25 | **A deduplicated ISC set** — each criterion binary-testable, 8-12 words, phrased as a state not an action. No two criteria restate each other. |
| 26 | **Refinements** to existing criteria, each noting what changed and why. |
| 27 | **Anti-criteria** — failure modes that must NOT happen. |
| 28 | **At least one surprising cross-angle finding** — a requirement that only appeared because two lenses collided. A run that surfaces nothing a single pass would have missed added no value. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Passes stop when a new lens repeats what earlier lenses already found. Non-redundant angles are what matter; more angles for their own sake are not. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ## The Lenses |
| 33 | |
| 34 | `TheLenses.md` is a catalog of eight exploration angles. Draw from it — pick the lenses the problem calls for, in whatever order, as many as earn their keep. No fixed count, no prescribed sequence: a security problem leans on the failure and adversary angles, a UX problem on the experiential one. Let the problem select the lenses. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | ## Workflow Routing |
| 37 | |
| 38 | | Workflow | Trigger | File | |
| 39 | |----------|---------|------| |
| 40 | | Explore | "iterative depth", "explore deeper", "multi-angle" | `Workflows/Explore.md` | |
| 41 | |
| 42 | ## Reference |
| 43 | |
| 44 | Lens catalog: `TheLenses.md` |
| 45 | Scientific grounding: `ScientificFoundation.md` |
| 46 | |
| 47 | ## Gotchas |
| 48 | |
| 49 | **2-8 lens passes, not infinite.** Diminishing returns after ~5 passes for most topics. |
| 50 | **Each pass should surface genuinely NEW requirements, not restate previous findings.** If passes start repeating, stop early. |
| 51 | **This is a BPE-fragile skill.** Monitor whether smarter models make it unnecessary. Quarterly test recommended. |
| 52 | |
| 53 | ## Execution Log |
| 54 | |
| 55 | After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry: |
| 56 | |
| 57 | |
| 58 | echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"IterativeDepth","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/LIFEOS/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl |
| 59 | |
| 60 | |
| 61 | Replace `WORKFLOW_USED` with the workflow executed, `8_WORD_SUMMARY` with a brief input description, and `SECONDS` with approximate wall-clock time. Log `status: "error"` if the workflow failed. |
| 62 |
Discussion
Browse more free Claude skills.