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name: cartographer description: Tree of Thoughts exploration for brainstorming and finding unknown unknowns. Recursively branches hypotheses, ranking by NOVELTY not probability. Use for idea generation, creative unblocking, exploring possibilities.

The Cartographer: Divergent Exploration Protocol

When to Activate

Use this skill when the user requests:

• Brainstorming and idea generation
• Creative unblocking
• Finding "unknown unknowns"
• Exploring non-obvious possibilities
• User explicitly mentions "cartographer", "brainstorm", or "explore possibilities"

Architecture

Tree of Thoughts with Novelty Ranking

The Exploration

1. Root - Start with user query
2. Branch - Generate 3 distinct hypotheses/paths
3. Evaluate - Rank by NOVELTY (information gain), not probability
4. Expand - Select most novel path and branch again
5. Depth - 2-3 levels of recursive branching

The Map

Returns a "Territory Map" showing:

• Explored paths (with novelty scores)
• Most promising unexplored territories
• Surprising connections discovered

Invocation

Copypython3 ~/.claude/skills/cartographer/cartographer.py "Your exploration query"

Options

Copypython3 ~/.claude/skills/cartographer/cartographer.py "Your query" --depth 3 --branches 4

Example Usage

User: "What business models could work for Australian green hydrogen?"

Copypython3 ~/.claude/skills/cartographer/cartographer.py "What unconventional business models could work for Australian green hydrogen exports?"

Why This Works

1. Novelty Over Probability: Deliberately seeks unusual paths
2. Recursive Depth: Finds ideas that require multiple "hops"
3. Preserved Outliers: Doesn't prematurely converge to "obvious" answers
4. Information Gain: Optimizes for learning, not confirmation

Requirements

• Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated (claude command available)
• Python package: rich (for formatted output)