Troubleshooting i-have-adhd Not Working: 5 Common Causes and Fixes

The i-have-adhd skill fails most often because users forget the initial invocation command (/i-have-adhd in Claude or $i-have-adhd in Codex) that activates its persistent rules.

The i-have-adhd repository provides a response-style plugin that reformats AI assistant output for ADHD-friendly readability. When troubleshooting i-have-adhd not working, you need to understand its three-layer architecture: the skill definition in [skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md), marketplace installation hooks, and runtime invocation triggers.

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Why the i-have-adhd Skill Appears to Do Nothing

The skill modifies how Claude, Codex, or Gemini structure their responses through a 10-rule style guide. According to the source code, most "not working" reports trace back to five specific failure points:

Failure point	Quick check	Verification command
Plugin not in marketplace	Plugin listed in agent's plugins	claude plugin list or codex plugin list
Skill not invoked this session	First response line is actionable command	Type /i-have-adhd and check response format
Auto-activation disabled	Sentinel file exists	ls ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always
Conflicting configuration	plugin.json name field matches	Open plugin.json and verify "name": "i-have-adhd"
Disable-model-invocation overridden	No extra LLM call after skill trigger	Inspect debug API payload for model requests

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Fix 1: Verify the Plugin Is Installed in Your Agent's Marketplace

Before troubleshooting i-have-adhd not working any further, confirm the plugin appears in your agent's marketplace.

For Claude:

claude plugin list

You should see i-have-adhd in the output. If missing, reinstall:

claude plugin marketplace remove i-have-adhd
claude plugin marketplace add ayghri/i-have-adhd
claude plugin install i-have-adhd@i-have-adhd

For Codex:

codex plugin list

If absent, reinstall with:

codex plugin marketplace remove i-have-adhd
codex plugin marketplace add ayghri/i-have-adhd --ref main
codex plugin add i-have-adhd@i-have-adhd

Reference: [README.md § "Install"](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/README.md#install)

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Fix 2: Trigger the Initial Skill Invocation

The skill's persistence rules only activate after you explicitly invoke it once per session. This is the most overlooked step when troubleshooting i-have-adhd not working.

Claude invocation:

/i-have-adhd

Codex invocation:

$i-have-adhd

After typing the command, the first line of the AI response should be a concrete action (for example, "Run npm install …"). If you see plain prose instead, the skill did not load.

Reference: [SKILL.md § "Persistence"](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md#persistence)

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Fix 3: Enable Automatic Activation for Every Session

If you want the skill active without typing the command each time, create the sentinel file that forces automatic loading:

touch ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always

Verify the file exists:

ls ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always

Without this file, you must manually invoke /i-have-adhd at the start of every new Claude session.

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Fix 4: Check for Configuration Conflicts

A stale or custom plugin.json can shadow the current skill definition. Open the repository's root [plugin.json](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/plugin.json) and confirm:

{
  "name": "i-have-adhd"
}

If the name field differs, the agent marketplace cannot correctly resolve the skill.

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Fix 5: Verify the Disable-Model-Invocation Flag

The skill sets disable-model-invocation: true in its YAML definition to prevent additional LLM calls after triggering. According to the source code in [skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md), a downstream plugin may override this flag.

To verify:

1. Run /i-have-adhd with debug mode enabled in your agent
2. Inspect the raw API payload
3. Confirm the payload contains only skill metadata, not an additional model request

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How to Disable the Skill Mid-Session

When you want to return to standard output formatting, say either:

stop adhd mode

or

normal mode

The skill's persistence rules immediately deactivate until the next manual invocation (or session restart if auto-activation is enabled).

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Summary

• Most common cause: Forgetting to type /i-have-adhd (Claude) or $i-have-adhd (Codex) to trigger the skill's persistent rules
• Verify installation: Use plugin list commands and reinstall if the skill is missing from the marketplace
• Enable auto-start: Create ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always to skip manual invocation
• Check conflicts: Validate plugin.json contains "name": "i-have-adhd"
• Debug mode: Inspect API payloads if the disable-model-invocation flag appears ignored

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does i-have-adhd stop working after I restart Claude?

The skill's persistence rules are session-scoped unless you enable automatic activation. Create ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always to maintain the behavior across restarts, or remember to type /i-have-adhd at the start of each new session.

Can I use i-have-adhd with Codex or Gemini instead of Claude?

Yes. The repository provides installation snippets for multiple agents. For Codex, use $i-have-adhd as the invocation trigger and refer to [INSTALL.md](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/INSTALL.md) for Gemini-specific steps. The core [SKILL.md](https://github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd/blob/main/skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md) definition remains the same across all platforms.

What does "disable-model-invocation: true" mean in the skill definition?

This YAML flag tells the agent to stop processing additional LLM calls for the current turn after the skill triggers. It ensures the skill's 10-rule style guide applies directly without the base model reinterpreting the output. If a downstream plugin overrides this flag, you may see mixed formatting.

How do I completely remove i-have-adhd and start fresh?

Run the marketplace remove commands for your agent, then delete any local configuration:

# Claude

claude plugin marketplace remove i-have-adhd
rm -f ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always

# Codex

codex plugin marketplace remove i-have-adhd

Reinstall using the commands in Fix 1 above, restart your agent session, and invoke the skill with /i-have-adhd or $i-have-adhd.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}