By 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."