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name: inversion-thinking description: Proactive failure analysis using the Saboteur Method. Use when designing critical systems, security features, or debugging root causes. license: MIT

Inversion Thinking (The Saboteur Method)

"Tell me where I'm going to die so I will never go there." - Charlie Munger

When to Use

• Before writing complex code (Architecture, Security, Critical features).
• During debugging (to find root causes).
• When a plan seems "too simple" or "optimistic".

The Protocol: Become the Saboteur

Do not ask "Does this work?". Ask "How do I break this?". Follow these 4 steps explicitly.

1. Define the Anti-Goal

Explicitly write down the worst-case outcome.

• Goal: "Keep user data safe."
• Anti-Goal: "Leak all user data to the public internet."

2. The Saboteur Simulation

Adopt the persona of a malicious actor or the embodiment of Entropy (Murphy's Law). Ask: "I want to achieve the Anti-Goal. What is the easiest way to do it?"

3. Proof of Fragility

List concrete, specific pathways to failure. Use references/failure_modes.md for inspiration.

• "I will send a 10GB file to crash the memory."
• "I will send a request with admin=true."
• "I will unplug the database cable mid-transaction."

4. Inversion (The Fix)

Design specific safeguards to block those pathways.

• "Enforce 10MB limit (HTTP 413)."
• "Validate permissions on server side."
• "Use atomic transactions with rollback."