diagnose

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 5015fcf4cde3 · 24 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publishergetagentseal GitHub organizationOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source foldergetagentseal/founder-playbook/skills/diagnoseThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceMITAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict5015fcf4cde3A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 17 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Startup diagnostic router. Use FIRST when a founder doesn't know where to start, has multiple overlapping problems, or asks a vague question like 'what's wrong with my startup', 'why aren't people buying', 'what should…

---
name: diagnose
description: "Startup diagnostic router. Use FIRST when a founder doesn't know where to start, has multiple overlapping problems, or asks a vague question like 'what's wrong with my startup', 'why aren't people buying', 'what should I focus on', 'where do I even begin', 'nothing is working'. Routes to the right framework from the 15 available skills — or tells you when no framework fits and you just need to go talk to people. This is the entry point. Use it before reaching for any specific skill."
---

> **Note:** This skill is independent analysis and commentary, not a reproduction of any original text. It synthesizes frameworks from multiple books with modern startup practice and routes founders to the right tool for their situation.

# Diagnose

> "The dangerous moment is when you apply the right framework to the wrong problem."

## When to Use This Skill

```
Do you know exactly what's broken?
|-- YES --> Do you know which framework to use?
|   |-- YES --> Go use that skill directly. You don't need this.
|   +-- NO  --> THIS SKILL. You know the problem, need the tool.
+-- NO  --> THIS SKILL. Start here.
```

This skill exists because frameworks are tools, not answers. A hammer doesn't help when the problem is a screw. The first job is diagnosis — figuring out what's actually broken before reaching for any specific framework.

---

## The Five Failure Modes

Every startup problem maps to one of five root causes. Most founders misdiagnose which one they have.

| Failure Mode | What It Looks Like | Common Misdiagnosis |
|---|---|---|
| **Product** | People try it and stop using it | "We need better marketing" |
| **Market** | Can't find anyone who cares enough to pay | "We need to build more features" |
| **Messaging** | Good product, people don't understand what it does | "The product must be wrong" |
| **Distribution** | People would buy it but never hear about it | "We need a better website" |
| **Pricing** | People want it but won't pay what you charge | "We need more features to justify the price" |

### The Misdiagnosis Problem

Founders almost always misdiagnose their problem by one layer. The pattern:

```
ACTUAL PROBLEM:        WHAT FOUNDERS THINK:        WHAT THEY DO:
Product problem    →   "Marketing isn't working"   →   Spend on ads (waste)
Market problem     →   "Need more features"        →   Build for months (waste)
Messaging problem  →   "Product must be wrong"     →   Pivot prematurely (waste)
Distribution       →   "Need better website"       →   Redesign 5 times (waste)
Pricing problem    →   "Need more value"            →   Add features nobody asked for (waste)
```

---

## The Diagnostic

Answer these honestly. Not what you hope is true — what the evidence says.

### Step 1: Do people want this?

```
Have at least 5 people given you real money (or signed a binding LOI)?
|-- YES --> Go to Step 2.
|-- NO  --> Have you talked to 10+ potential customers about their problem
|           (not your solution)?
|   |-- YES --> Did they describe the problem with emotion and specifics?
|   |   |-- YES --> You probably have a messaging, pricing, or distribution
|   |   |           problem. Go to Step 2.
|   |   +-- NO  --> You might have a MARKET problem. The problem you're
|   |               solving may not be painful enough to pay for.
|   |               → Use mom-test to validate the problem exists.
|   |               → Use four-steps Customer Discovery process.
|   +-- NO  --> STOP. You are guessing. Nothing else matters until you
|               talk to real people. → Use mom-test.
```

### Step 2: Can people understand what you do?

```
Show your website/pitch to a stranger for 5 seconds. Can they tell you:
  1. What you offer?
  2. How it makes their life better?
  3. What they should do next?

All 3 clear?
|-- YES --> Go to Step 3.
|-- NO  --> You have a MESSAGING problem.
|           → Use storybrand to restructure your message.
|           → Use made-to-stick to make individual messages land.
|           → Use obviously-awesome if the confusion is about
|             what category you belong in.
```

### Step 3: Are the right people finding you?

```
Are potential customers discovering your product?
|-- YES, enough volume → Go to Step 4.
|-- YES, but wrong people → You have a POSITIONING problem.
|   → Use obviously-awesome to redefine your target segment.
|   → Use crossing-the-chasm if you're reaching innovators
|     but need pragmatists.
|-- NO → You have a DISTRIBUTION problem.
|   → Use traction to systematically test channels.
|   → Use 100m-leads for tactical execution in chosen channels.
|   → Use money-models if you can't AFFORD the channels that work (make acquisition self-funding first).
```

### Step 4: Are they buying?

```
People find you, understand you, but don't buy. Why?
|-- "Too expensive" → PRICING problem.
|   → Use monetizing-innovation to redesign price+product together.
|   → Use 100m-offers to repackage the offer.
|-- "Not sure it'll work for me" → TRUST problem.
|   → Use influence (social proof, authority).
|   → Use storybrand (guide authority + testimonials).
|-- "I'll think about it" (then ghost) → URGENCY problem.
|   → Use 100m-offers (scarcity, urgency, bonuses, guarantees).
|   → Use influence (scarcity, commitment/consistency).
|-- "Went with competitor" → POSITIONING problem.
|   → Use obviously-awesome to find your unique value.
|   → Use blue-ocean-strategy if the market is commoditized.
|-- Signing up but churning → PRODUCT problem.
|   → Use lean-startup to measure and iterate.
|   → Use mom-test to understand why they leave.
|-- Buying once but never again / LTV too low to fund growth → MONEY MODEL problem.
|   → Use money-models (upsells, downsells, continuity).
```

### Step 5: Is the sales process working?

```
For B2B / high-touch sales:
|-- Meetings happen but deals stall → SALES PROCESS problem.
|   → Use spin-selling for the conversation structure.
|   → Use influence for persuasion mechanics.
|-- C

Excerpt, first 6,000 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/getagentseal/founder-playbook
git -C founder-playbook checkout 5015fcf4cde3

Works in

1. 2026-10-24
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 5015fcf4cde3

Questions about diagnose

• github.com/getagentseal/founder-playbook/tree/main/skills/diagno — the audited source at commit 5015fcf4cde3 and every finding aboveObserved · 24 Oct 2026

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