---
name: brain-setup
description: "Load the Charlie Munger brain. Pack ships 10 unified skills in pack/skills/ — 1 router (/brain) + 8 reasoning modes (/advise, /teach, /debate, /connect, /evolve, /surprise, /coach, /predict) + /board (multi-brain advisory) — that work with this brain and any other installed BrainsFor brain."
---

# Charlie Munger Brain Pack — Setup & Configuration

Welcome to the **Munger Brain Pack** from [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com). This is a premium knowledge asset extracted from Charlie Munger's Poor Charlie's Almanack, Berkshire Hathaway and Wesco annual meetings, Daily Journal meetings, and commencement speeches — a curated collection of his most influential thinking on mental models, investing, psychology of human misjudgment, and the art of worldly wisdom.

## What You're Getting

- **1066 knowledge atoms** — Core insights, frameworks, and strategic principles from Poor Charlie's Almanack (his collected speeches and talks), 40+ years of Berkshire Hathaway shareholder Q&A, Wesco and Daily Journal annual meetings, the 1995 'Psychology of Human Misjudgment' speech at Harvard, the 1986 Harvard School commencement address, the 2007 USC Law commencement address, and extensive press interviews from 1962 through 2023
- **1045 typed connections** — Relationships between ideas (supports, contradicts, extends, related, inspired_by)
- **8 specialized thinking skills** — Each a distinct reasoning mode with a unique output type
- **A `/board` of advisors** — Convene this brain alongside your other installed brains for one question (needs 2+ brains)
- **Cross-referenced topics** — mental models, inversion, investing, patience, psychology, incentives, circle of competence, moats, worldly wisdom, temperament, envy, simplicity, learning, ethics, decision-making, and more

This brain is designed to augment YOUR thinking — not replace it. Use it for strategic decisions, creative problem-solving, research, and to challenge your assumptions.

---

## Setup Instructions

### Step 1: Verify Installation

Your Munger Brain Pack folder should contain:

```
pack/
  ├── SKILL.md                 ← you are here (brain-setup)
  ├── brain-context.md         ← full knowledge base + usage guide
  ├── brain-atoms.json         ← structured atoms (1066 insights)
  ├── README.md                ← quick reference
  └── skills/                  ← 10 unified skills (work with any installed brain)
      ├── brain/               ← /brain router (set/show/list/clear active brain)
      ├── advise/              ← /advise — strategic counsel
      ├── teach/               ← /teach — explain through the thinker's lens
      ├── debate/              ← /debate — steel-man both sides
      ├── connect/             ← /connect — find unexpected bridges
      ├── evolve/              ← /evolve — trace how thinking changed
      ├── surprise/            ← /surprise — serendipity engine
      ├── coach/               ← /coach — Socratic questioning
      ├── predict/             ← /predict — implication chains
      └── board/               ← /board — board of advisors (needs 2+ brains)
```

The `skills/` directory is **brain-agnostic**. Every brain pack ships the same 10 skill files — they resolve which brain to use via the `/brain` router (active brain in `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/state/active-brain.txt`) or via an inline slug override.

If any files are missing, reinstall from [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com).

### Step 2: Detect Your AI Environment

This brain works across multiple AI tools. Identify which one you're using:

- **Claude Code** — Run this skill directly; brain context loads automatically
- **Cowork (Claude in Slack)** — Use `/brain-setup` command; Cowork syncs context
- **Cursor** — Paste brain-context.md into `.cursor/rules` or project instructions
- **ChatGPT / Claude.ai** — Copy brain-context.md into system prompt or conversation starter
- **Other tools** — Load brain-context.md as your first message or context injection

### Step 3: Load Brain Context

The brain operates in three layers:

1. **Layer 1 — Quick Reference** (brain-atoms.json)
   - JSON structure of 1066 atoms with titles, summaries, connections
   - Ideal for: Rapid lookups, programmatic access, integrations
   - Use when: You need structured data for routing or filtering

2. **Layer 2 — Full Knowledge Base** (brain-context.md)
   - Complete narrative knowledge graph with topic tags, people, themes
   - Ideal for: Deep reasoning, strategy sessions, comprehensive understanding
   - Load this file when: Starting a session that requires brain-informed thinking

3. **Layer 3 — Thinking Skills** (the 8 skills below)
   - Each skill is a reasoning mode that produces a distinct type of output
   - Ideal for: Targeted analysis, creative workflows, decision-making
   - Use when: You have a specific type of problem to solve

**Recommended:** Run `/brain charlie-munger` at the start of each session. The router writes the active brain to `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/state/active-brain.txt` and loads `brain-context.md` as session context. After that, the 8 thinking skills (`/advise`, `/teach`, etc.) will use this brain automatically — no need to retype the slug on every call. The brain also stays in voice for the entire session: every turn responds as the thinker until you run `/brain clear`.

### Step 4: Verify Everything Works

Test your setup with the Quick Start prompt below. You should get a thoughtful response grounded in Charlie's thinking.

---

## The 9 Unified Skills

These skills live in `pack/skills/` and are brain-agnostic — they work with Charlie Munger and with any other BrainsFor brain installed under `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/brains/`. Set the active brain with `/brain charlie-munger`, or override per call with an inline slug like `/advise charlie-munger <question>`.

### 🎛️ **0. /brain** — Router
Set, show, list, or clear the active brain for the session.
*Usage: `/brain charlie-munger` activates, `/brain` shows current, `/brain list` shows all installed, `/brain clear` unsets.*

### 🧠 **1. /advise** — Strategic Counsel
Ask for advice on decisions grounded in Charlie's frameworks. Best for: career moves, company decisions, strategy choices.
*Example: "I'm thinking about making a large concentrated bet on a single company I've studied deeply. Am I being bold or reckless?"*

### 📚 **2. /teach** — Explain Like I'm Learning
Get a clear explanation of a concept as Charlie sees it. Best for: understanding unfamiliar ideas, building mental models.
*Example: "Explain the 25 tendencies of human misjudgment using Charlie's frameworks from the Harvard speech."*

### 🔥 **3. /debate** — Steel-Man Both Sides
Present a position or pit two ideas against each other; brain argues the counterpoint. Best for: understanding tradeoffs, challenging assumptions, resolving strategic tensions.
*Example: "Is it better to be a specialist who knows one industry deeply or a generalist with a latticework of mental models?"*

### 🔗 **4. /connect** — Bridge Ideas
Find unexpected connections between two concepts or synthesize multiple ideas into something new. Best for: synthesis, innovation, cross-domain thinking.
*Example: "Connect Charlie's ideas about incentive distortion to the failures of modern financial institutions."*

### 📈 **5. /evolve** — How Ideas Build On Each Other
Trace how a concept develops and changes across the brain. Best for: historical perspective, maturity models, trajectory thinking.
*Example: "How did Charlie's thinking on technology companies evolve from his early skepticism to his later positions?"*

### 🎨 **6. /surprise** — Unexpected Insights
Get a random high-quality atom you wouldn't think to ask for. Best for: creative breakthroughs, morning inspiration, breaking tunnel vision.
*Example: No input needed — just run it.*

### 🪞 **7. /coach** — Socratic Questions
No answers — just the questions Charlie would ask you. Best for: uncovering blind spots, pressure-testing decisions, team discussions.
*Example: "I keep second-guessing a long-term position every time the market drops. What questions should I be asking myself?"*

### 🔮 **8. /predict** — Implication Chains
Trace the second and third-order effects of a trend or decision. Best for: forecasting, strategic planning, seeing around corners.
*Example: "What are the second and third-order effects of AI replacing large categories of knowledge work?"*

### 🪑 **/board** — Board of Advisors (Multi-Brain)
Ask one question and hear from several thinkers at once. Each installed brain answers **independently** (no brain sees another's answer), then a synthesis names where they agree and where they clash. Best for: high-stakes decisions where you want genuine disagreement, not one voice.
*Requires 2+ brains installed, plus a host that can run parallel sub-agents (Claude Code's Agent tool or Cowork). No MCP server needed — each board member reads its brain's local pack. With only Charlie Munger installed, `/board` will ask you to add another brain from [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com).*
*Usage: `/board <question>`, `/board set <slug-a> <slug-b> ...`, `/board list`, `/board clear`.*

---

## Recommended Workflows

Use these skill combinations for better results:

### 🎯 Decision Workflow
→ `/advise` (get perspective) → `/debate` (stress-test) → `/coach` (check your blind spots)

*Example: Deciding on a hire? Get advice, challenge the reasoning, then surface what you're not asking.*

### 📚 Learning Workflow
→ `/teach` (understand) → `/evolve` (see how it develops) → `/coach` (test your understanding)

*Example: New to Munger's worldview? Start with Teach (latticework of mental models) → then Evolve (how his thinking developed over decades) → then Coach (apply it to your own decisions).*

### 💡 Creative Workflow
→ `/surprise` (get inspired) → `/connect` (build bridges) → `/predict` (where does this lead?)

*Example: Stuck on a problem? Surprise + connect often surface unexpected angles.*

### 🔮 Forecast Workflow
→ `/predict` (trace implications) → `/debate` (challenge the prediction) → `/advise` (act on it)

*Example: Facing a major business or investment decision? Invert with Predict (trace consequences of being wrong) → stress-test with Debate (argue both sides) → then Advise (get Charlie's direct counsel on your move).*

### 🌅 Daily Ritual
→ Run `/surprise` each morning for 10 seconds of strategic inspiration.

---

## Quick Start

**Try this right now to verify setup:**

```
/brain charlie-munger

/advise "I'm sitting on a great business I understand that's slightly overpriced, or a mediocre business I barely understand that's cheap. Which should I buy?"
```

Or skip the activation step and use an inline slug for a one-off:

```
/advise charlie-munger "I'm sitting on a great business I understand that's slightly overpriced, or a mediocre business I barely understand that's cheap. Which should I buy?"
```

You should get a thoughtful response that:
- References specific frameworks from the brain
- Weighs tradeoffs from Charlie's perspective
- Suggests which of his mental models apply here
- Feels strategic and grounded (not generic)

If you get that, you're all set.

---

## Troubleshooting

**Q: The brain doesn't seem to know what I'm asking about.**
→ Make sure `brain-context.md` is loaded in your session. If using Claude Code, check that the file is in your working directory.

**Q: I want to search the brain for a specific topic.**
→ Use `/advise` with a keyword: `"What does Charlie think about mental models?"` → The brain will pull all relevant atoms.

**Q: Can I combine skills?**
→ Absolutely. Chain them: `"First /advise on whether to pivot, then /debate the tradeoffs, then /coach me on what I'm missing."`

**Q: What if a skill doesn't feel relevant to my question?**
→ Try a different one. `/coach` often works when you're stuck; `/connect` when you need something original; `/surprise` when you need inspiration.

**Q: How often should I reload the brain?**
→ Once per session is sufficient. Brain context doesn't expire, and atoms don't change. But if you're switching between different projects, fresh context load = sharper thinking.

---

## About Charlie Munger

Charlie Munger (1924-2023) was the Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett's intellectual partner for more than sixty years. A lawyer turned investor, he built his fortune through patience, multidisciplinary thinking, and an almost militant insistence on rationality. His 'latticework of mental models' approach to decision-making, his speech on the psychology of human misjudgment, and his lifelong commitment to inversion have made him one of the most influential practical philosophers of the modern era.

This brain pack extracts and structures his core ideas so you can activate his mental models in your own thinking.

**More:** Visit [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com) for other brain packs, documentation, and community.

---

## Sources & Ethics

This brain was built exclusively from **freely available, public sources** — Munger's widely published speeches, freely distributed Poor Charlie's Almanack content, public Berkshire/Wesco/Daily Journal shareholder meeting transcripts, and press coverage of his interviews and commentary across six decades. No transcripts from commercial works (e.g., audiobooks, paid courses) or paywalled essays were used to derive this brain.

Where a thinker's book ideas appear in the knowledge graph, they are represented as they exist in the public discourse: book reviews, author interviews, press coverage, conference talks, and widely discussed concepts. Authors typically share their core ideas through extensive public appearances — those public representations are what this brain captures.

## Support & Feedback

If you encounter issues or have feedback:

1. Check `README.md` for quick answers
2. Verify all files are present and readable
3. Try a fresh load of `brain-context.md`
4. Contact support via [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com)

---

**You're ready to think with Charlie. Let's go.** 🚀
