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ds-unstick

Break out of a repeating failure: name the assumption behind all the failed fixes, test it directly, list three other approaches, pick one, and restart clean if needed. Use when the same error or wrong behavior comes back after two fix attempts, or when you notice you are retrying small variations. Invoke as /ds-unstick.

skills/ds-unstick/SKILL.md

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# ds-unstick

When two fixes fail the same way, the problem is usually a wrong belief, not a wrong edit. Find that belief and test it.

## Steps

1. Stop editing. Do not try a third variation of the same fix.
2. Write down each failed attempt in one line: what you changed and what happened. Include the exact error text.
3. Write the assumption that all of those attempts shared. Typical examples: "this file is the one that runs", "the config is loaded", "the function receives a string", "the cache is cleared", "the error comes from my code". Name one, in one sentence.
4. Test that assumption directly with the cheapest probe that gives a yes or no answer: a print statement, a log line, a `which` or `--version`, a grep for the real call site, a minimal script, or a read of the docs for the exact version installed. Paste the result.
5. If the assumption is false, you have found the real problem. Plan the fix from the new fact.
6. If the assumption holds, list 3 different approaches. "Different" means another mechanism, library, layer or data path, not a tweak of the same edit. Give each approach one line on cost and risk.
7. Pick one approach and say why in one sentence.
8. Restart from a clean state if the failed attempts left debris: revert them with git (`git stash` or `git checkout -- <files>`), then apply only the chosen approach.