Meta-Pattern Recognition

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 6d51b9a892b5 · 28 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherobra GitHub userOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderobra/superpowers-skills/skills/problem-solving/meta-pattern-recognitionThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceMITAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict6d51b9a892b5A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusArchivedLast push 378 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles

---
name: Meta-Pattern Recognition
description: Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles
when_to_use: when noticing the same pattern across 3+ different domains or experiencing déjà vu in problem-solving
version: 1.1.0
---

# Meta-Pattern Recognition

## Overview

When the same pattern appears in 3+ domains, it's probably a universal principle worth extracting.

**Core principle:** Find patterns in how patterns emerge.

## Quick Reference

| Pattern Appears In | Abstract Form | Where Else? |
|-------------------|---------------|-------------|
| CPU/DB/HTTP/DNS caching | Store frequently-accessed data closer | LLM prompt caching, CDN |
| Layering (network/storage/compute) | Separate concerns into abstraction levels | Architecture, organization |
| Queuing (message/task/request) | Decouple producer from consumer with buffer | Event systems, async processing |
| Pooling (connection/thread/object) | Reuse expensive resources | Memory management, resource governance |

## Process

1. **Spot repetition** - See same shape in 3+ places
2. **Extract abstract form** - Describe independent of any domain
3. **Identify variations** - How does it adapt per domain?
4. **Check applicability** - Where else might this help?

## Example

**Pattern spotted:** Rate limiting in API throttling, traffic shaping, circuit breakers, admission control

**Abstract form:** Bound resource consumption to prevent exhaustion

**Variation points:** What resource, what limit, what happens when exceeded

**New application:** LLM token budgets (same pattern - prevent context window exhaustion)

## Red Flags You're Missing Meta-Patterns

- "This problem is unique" (probably not)
- Multiple teams independently solving "different" problems identically
- Reinventing wheels across domains
- "Haven't we done something like this?" (yes, find it)

## Remember

- 3+ domains = likely universal
- Abstract form reveals new applications
- Variations show adaptation points
- Universal patterns are battle-tested

Excerpt, first 2,020 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/obra/superpowers-skills
git -C superpowers-skills checkout 6d51b9a892b5

Works in

1. 2026-10-28
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 6d51b9a892b5

Questions about Meta-Pattern Recognition

• github.com/obra/superpowers-skills/tree/main/skills/problem-solv — the audited source at commit 6d51b9a892b5 and every finding aboveObserved · 28 Oct 2026

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