Set Shifting — Break the Stuck Loop

What this addresses

Cognitive flexibility (set shifting): the ability to abandon a failing approach and try something genuinely different. For people with ADHD or autism, perseveration — continuing the same strategy even when it's not working — is a common difficulty. In coding, this appears as trying the same fix slightly differently 5 times, or approaching the same problem from the same angle repeatedly.

This skill detects the "stuck loop" and proposes a strategy switch before it wastes more time.

When to apply

Apply when:

• The same error has appeared 3+ times despite attempts to fix it
• Three or more similar tool calls (same function, similar args) have returned similar results
• The user has expressed frustration ("I've tried everything", "this keeps not working")
• A debugging session has lasted more than 20 tool calls without resolution

Also apply at task start: Before attempting a complex fix, check prior failure logs (ERRORS.md or similar) for similar problems.

Instructions