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skills/shared-patterns/failure-recovery.md

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+# Universal Failure Recovery Pattern
+
+Add this section to any skill with potential failure points:
+
+## When You Violate This Skill
+
+**Skills can be violated by skipping steps or doing things out of order.**
+
+Add skill-specific violation recovery procedures:
+
+### Violation Template
+
+```markdown
+### Violation: [Common violation name]
+
+**How to detect:**
+[What indicates this violation occurred]
+
+**Recovery procedure:**
+1. [Step 1 to recover]
+2. [Step 2 to recover]
+3. [Step 3 to recover]
+
+**Why recovery matters:**
+[Explanation of why you can't just continue]
+```
+
+**Example:**
+
+Violation: Wrote implementation before test (in TDD)
+
+**How to detect:**
+- Implementation file exists but no test file
+- Git history shows implementation committed before test
+
+**Recovery procedure:**
+1. Stash or delete the implementation code
+2. Write the failing test first
+3. Run test to verify it fails
+4. Rewrite the implementation to make test pass
+
+**Why recovery matters:**
+The test must fail first to prove it actually tests something. If implementation exists first, you can't verify the test works - it might be passing for the wrong reason or not testing anything at all.
+
+---
+
+## When Things Go Wrong
+
+**If you get stuck:**
+
+1. **Attempt failed?**
+   - Document exactly what happened
+   - Include error messages verbatim
+   - Note what you tried
+
+2. **Can't proceed?**
+   - State blocker explicitly: "Blocked by: [specific issue]"
+   - Don't guess or work around
+   - Ask for help
+
+3. **Confused?**
+   - Say "I don't understand [specific thing]"
+   - Don't pretend to understand
+   - Research or ask for clarification
+
+4. **Multiple failures?**
+   - After 3 attempts: STOP
+   - Document all attempts
+   - Reassess approach with human partner
+
+**Never:** Pretend to succeed when stuck
+**Never:** Continue after 3 failures
+**Never:** Hide confusion or errors
+**Always:** Be explicit about blockage