First Principles Mode | Agent Skills Atlas

About this skill

Strip a problem back to fundamental truths, question every assumption, and rebuild the answer from only what can be verified — instead of giving the conventional answer. Use when the user says "first principles", "enter first principles mode", "reason from first principles", "strip it back to what's actually true", "question the assumptions", "why is this really true", "don't give me the conventional/textbook answer", or wants received wisdom on a decision, belief, design, or estimate challenged from the ground up. Do NOT use for routine factual lookups, simple how-to questions, code execution, or when the user just wants a fast conventional answer.

Quick start

Copy the install prompt. Use the green button above this README.
Send it to your agent. Paste it into your coding agent’s chat and send.
Review the setup. Your agent checks the skill’s instructions, requirements, and installation scope.

Installation guide →

Review, license & listing details

Review the source before using this skill

This is an imported listing. We haven’t certified its safety, license, or compatibility. Skills may include executable scripts.

Automated security scan: Partial

Only SKILL.md was scanned. Supporting files and scripts were not checked. No safety grade has been assigned.

0 potential findings · Scanned 11/4/2026 · Scanner 0.2.1

Content SHA-256: 47fca74b06bc5f9097b28444050e65c69f86bcc7a221ddc7e2a07455bd175e7c

About scan coverage and limitations

Original listing metadata

Original name

first-principles-mode

Original description

About this listing

Category: General
Reported license: Apache-2.0
Listing language (estimated): English
Review status: Not individually reviewed
Agent compatibility: Atlas installation supports Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Skill-specific dependencies and features are checked during setup.