Why Tree

Why Tree is a Claude Code skill for turning vague requests into purpose-driven briefs.

If a user starts with something fuzzy like:

• "논문 쓸 거야"
• "서비스 방향 정리해야 해"
• "발표자료 만들어야 해"
• "I need to figure out what this project is really trying to achieve"

Why Tree helps structure it into:

• task
• purpose
• why now
• problem framing
• constraints
• success signals
• open questions
• next-step options

The goal is simple: do not jump straight from a vague idea to shallow execution.

Install as a Claude Code skill

One-line install

git clone https://github.com/roar-jar/whytree-mcp.git ~/.claude/skills/whytree

One-line install or update

if [ -d ~/.claude/skills/whytree ]; then
  git -C ~/.claude/skills/whytree pull
else
  git clone https://github.com/roar-jar/whytree-mcp.git ~/.claude/skills/whytree
fi

Use

In Claude Code, run:

/whytree

What the skill does

Why Tree acts like a lightweight logic-tree / design-thinking layer before execution:

1. clarify what the user is actually trying to do
2. surface why it matters now
3. expose missing constraints or success criteria
4. turn that into a reusable prompt or brief

Example outcome

Input:

논문 쓸 거야

Output shape:

Task: 요청을 구체적인 research 브리프와 다음 실행으로 전환: 논문 쓸 거야
Purpose: "논문 쓸 거야"라는 요청 뒤의 실제 의도를 실행 전에 먼저 분명히 한다...
Why now: 연구를 시작하려면 주제·질문·자료 범위를 먼저 분명히 해야 한다.
Problem framing: 지금 막힌 지점이 연구질문 정의인지, 목차 설계인지, 선행연구 확보인지 나눠서 본다.
Success signals: 연구 질문이 한 문장으로 정리된다 ...

Advanced: MCP package

This repository also includes an MCP package named whytree-mcp for advanced users who want to run Why Tree as an MCP server.

Run with npx

npx -y whytree-mcp

Claude Code / Claude Desktop MCP config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whytree": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "whytree-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Local development

npm install
npm test
npm pack --dry-run

npm trusted publishing setup

For the MCP package release flow, configure npm trusted publishing for:

• repository: roar-jar/whytree-mcp
• workflow file: .github/workflows/publish.yml
• environment: none required

License

MIT