Inversion

When you're stuck on a problem or building something risky, this walks you through Carl Jacobi's mathematical principle that Charlie Munger popularized: solve problems backward by identifying what would guarantee failure, then avoid those things. You get a structured five-step process that forces you to list 10-15 ways something could fail, flip them into success principles, and create anti-goals (things you'll never do). It's especially useful for startup decisions, strategy development, and risk analysis where the path to failure is often clearer than the path to success. The framework is thorough but could feel heavy-handed if you just need a quick sanity check.

skills.sh installs: 227
GitHub stars: 150
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills --skill inversion --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

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Inversion

"Invert, always invert." Apply Carl Jacobi's mathematical principle and Charlie Munger's investing wisdom to solve problems by thinking backward from failure.

When to Use This Skill

Goal setting - Define what would guarantee failure, then avoid it
Risk analysis - Identify what could destroy your project before starting
Decision making - Evaluate choices by examining their worst outcomes
Problem solving - When direct approaches aren't working, reverse the question
Strategy development - Find competitive advantages by avoiding common mistakes
Personal development - Identify habits and behaviors that guarantee failure

Methodology Foundation

Aspect	Details
Source	Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (1804-1851), mathematician; Charlie Munger, investor
Expert	Munger credits Jacobi: "Invert, always invert" (from "man muss immer umkehren")
Core Principle	Many problems are best solved backward. Instead of asking "How do I succeed?", ask "What would guarantee failure?" then avoid those things.