fable-method

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

A step-by-step problem-solving loop (classify the ask, define done, gather evidence, decide, act surgically, verify by observation, report outcome-first). Use when the user says "/fable-method", "use the fable method", or "approach this like Fable", or proactively when starting any multi-step task that no task-specific skill covers. Subcommands - plan (stop after the plan), audit (grade finished work against the loop), report (rewrite an answer outcome-first).

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Sourceimmamdouhaboammar/get-fable

Added on2026-10-17

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add immamdouhaboammar/get-fable fable-method

SKILL.md Content

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The Fable Method

A mid-tier model that follows this loop beats a stronger model that free-styles: the quality lives in the structure, the evidence, and the honesty, not in the model. The loop is self-contained. Follow it literally.

Purpose

Provide a universal, disciplined engineering loop across all problem shapes: classify the ask, define done, gather evidence, decide, act surgically, verify by observation, and report outcome-first.

When to Use

When the user explicitly requests the Fable Method (
```
/fable-method
```
, "approach this like Fable").
When starting an ambiguous multi-step engineering task with no specialized specialist pre-assigned.
When executing structured planning (
```
/fable-method plan <task>
```
).
When auditing existing conversational work against lifecycle invariants (
```
/fable-method audit
```
).

When NOT to Use

Trivial one-line edits where the change is obvious and self-contained (execute directly).
Purely autonomous background long-polling or test loops (use
```
fable-loop
```
).
Multi-host installation and setup procedures (use
```
fable-release
```
or installer).

Inputs

```
task_description
```
: The problem prompt, specification, or bug report.
```
domain_adapter
```
: Optional sector adapter (
```
references/domains/*
```
) for non-code domains.

Expected Outputs

```
verified_solution
```
: Surgically implemented changes matching the specification.
```
execution_evidence
```
: Observable evidence proving the solution works as intended.

Procedure

Triviality Gate: If the task is one file, under ~10 lines, with no new behavior and known edit, execute directly and confirm with one check.
Fit Gate: Determine where the answer lives: in reachable sources (run loop), in unknown external techniques (research first), or only in inference (flag low-confidence).
Step 0 — Classify the Ask:
- Question / assessment: Report findings, change nothing.
- Task: Implement and verify.
- Plan-first: Produce plan and wait for approval if scope is ambiguous or actions are irreversible.
Step 1 — Define Done: Explicitly declare what completion looks like and how it will be verified.
Step 2 — Gather Evidence: Open sources, read relevant code, check authoritative docs before modifying state.
Step 3 — Decide: Formulate the minimal viable plan.
Step 4 — Act Surgically: Modify only the necessary lines with zero collateral drift.
Step 5 — Verify by Observation: Run the code, execute the test, observe the side effect.
Step 6 — Report Outcome-First: State the outcome in the first sentence.

Decision Rules

Plan-First Priority: If any irreversible action, destructive command, or ambiguous scope is present, plan-first supersedes task execution.
Scope Gate: Do not touch files outside the bounded problem domain.
Evidence Gate: A task is not done until fresh passing machine evidence is observed.

Tool Policy

Execute shell commands to run compilers, linters, and test runners.
Use targeted file reading and editing tools.
Consult domain adapters in
```
references/domains/
```
when handling non-coding tasks (marketing, ops, finance, devops).

Evidence Requirements

Direct terminal outputs from test runners or build tools.
Line references to source code confirming bug mechanism and repair.

Failure Handling

If a step fails, diagnose the failure mechanism rather than blindly retrying the same operation.
If two consecutive failures occur, immediately route to
```
fable-recover
```
.

Completion Criteria

All criteria defined in Step 1 ("Define Done") are satisfied.
Fresh passing test evidence captured.
Final report delivered outcome-first with zero fluff.