---
title: "5 whys"
description: "<objective> Apply the 5 Whys technique to $ARGUMENTS (or the current discussion if no arguments provided)."
type: skill
canonical_url: https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/5-whys
source: "Claudary"
difficulty: intermediate
author: "Claude Code Knowledge Pack"
date: 2026-07-10T10:59:10.057Z
license: CC-BY-4.0
attribution: "5 whys — Claudary (https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/5-whys)"
---

# 5 whys
<objective> Apply the 5 Whys technique to $ARGUMENTS (or the current discussion if no arguments provided).

## Overview

---
description: Drill to root cause by asking why repeatedly
argument-hint: [problem or leave blank for current context]
---

<objective>
Apply the 5 Whys technique to $ARGUMENTS (or the current discussion if no arguments provided).

Keep asking "why" until you hit the root cause, not just symptoms.
</objective>

<process>
1. State the problem clearly
2. Ask "Why does this happen?" - Answer 1
3. Ask "Why?" about Answer 1 - Answer 2
4. Ask "Why?" about Answer 2 - Answer 3
5. Continue until you hit a root cause (usually 5 iterations, sometimes fewer)
6. Identify actionable intervention at the root
</process>

<output_format>
**Problem:** [clear statement]

**Why 1:** [surface cause]
**Why 2:** [deeper cause]
**Why 3:** [even deeper]
**Why 4:** [approaching root]
**Why 5:** [root cause]

**Root Cause:** [the actual thing to fix]

**Intervention:** [specific action at the root level]
</output_format>

<success_criteria>
- Moves past symptoms to actual cause
- Each "why" digs genuinely deeper
- Stops when hitting actionable root (not infinite regress)
- Intervention addresses root, not surface
- Prevents same problem from recurring
</success_criteria>

---

Source: [Claudary](https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/5-whys) · https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com