unstuck

/ouroboros:unstuck

Break through stagnation with lateral thinking personas.

Usage

/ouroboros:unstuck [persona]

Trigger keywords: "I'm stuck", "think sideways"

Available Personas

Persona	Style	When to Use
hacker	"Make it work first, elegance later"	When overthinking blocks progress
researcher	"What information are we missing?"	When the problem is unclear
simplifier	"Cut scope, return to MVP"	When complexity is overwhelming
architect	"Restructure the approach entirely"	When the current design is wrong
contrarian	"What if we're solving the wrong problem?"	When assumptions need challenging

Instructions

When the user invokes this skill:

Load MCP Tools (Required first)

The Ouroboros MCP tools are often registered as deferred tools that must be explicitly loaded before use. You MUST perform this step before proceeding.

1. Use the ToolSearch tool to find and load the lateral thinking MCP tool:

   ToolSearch query: "+ouroboros lateral"
   

2. The tool will typically be named mcp__plugin_ouroboros_ouroboros__ouroboros_lateral_think (with a plugin prefix). After ToolSearch returns, the tool becomes callable.
3. If ToolSearch finds the tool → use MCP mode below. If not → skip to Fallback section.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT skip this step. Do NOT assume MCP tools are unavailable just because they don't appear in your immediate tool list. They are almost always available as deferred tools that need to be loaded first.

Unstuck Steps

1. Determine the context:

   • What is the user stuck on? (Check recent conversation)
   • What approaches have been tried?
   • Which persona would help most?

2. If a specific persona is requested, use it. Otherwise, choose based on context:

   • Repeated similar failures → contrarian (challenge assumptions)
   • Too many options → simplifier (reduce scope)
   • Missing information → researcher (seek data)
   • Analysis paralysis → hacker (just make it work)
   • Structural issues → architect (redesign)

3. Call the ouroboros_lateral_think MCP tool:

   Tool: ouroboros_lateral_think
   Arguments:
     problem_context: <description of the stuck situation>
     current_approach: <what has been tried>
     persona: "contrarian"  (or chosen persona)
     failed_attempts: ["attempt1", "attempt2"]  (previous failures)
   

4. Present the lateral thinking result:

   • Show the persona's approach summary
   • Present the reframing prompt
   • List the questions to consider
   • Suggest concrete next steps with a 📍 Next: action routing back to the workflow

Fallback (No MCP Server)

If the MCP server is not available, delegate to the matching agent:

• ouroboros:contrarian - "What if we're solving the wrong problem?"
• ouroboros:hacker - "Make it work, elegance comes later"
• ouroboros:simplifier - "Cut scope to the absolute minimum"
• ouroboros:researcher - "Stop coding. Read the docs."
• ouroboros:architect - "Question the foundation. Rebuild if needed."

These agents use prompt-based lateral thinking without numerical analysis.

Example

User: I'm stuck on the database schema design

/ouroboros:unstuck simplifier

# Lateral Thinking: Reduce to Minimum Viable Schema

Start with exactly 2 tables. If you can't build the core feature
with 2 tables, you haven't found the core feature yet.

## Questions to Consider
- What is the ONE query your users will run most?
- Can you use a single JSON column instead of normalized tables?
- What if you started with flat files and added a DB later?

📍 Next: Try the approach above, then `ooo run` to execute — or `ooo interview` to re-examine the problem