gof-identify

One-line summary

Diagnose which Gang-of-Four pattern fits a stated design problem — or rule patterns out and point at a simpler solution.

When to use this skill

• The user has described a design problem and wants to know which pattern applies.
• The user is confused between two patterns that look similar (Strategy vs State, Decorator vs Proxy, Adapter vs Facade).
• The user is about to introduce a pattern but isn't sure it's the right one.

When NOT to use this skill

• The user already knows the pattern they want — go directly to that pattern skill (e.g., gof-observer).
• The user wants to refactor existing code toward a known pattern → route to gof-refactor-to-pattern.
• The user wants to audit code for misused patterns → route to gof-review.

Core content

Walk the problem with these diagnostic questions, in this order: