Rubber duck debugging works because explaining a problem out loud forces you to think clearly. Claude is a rubber duck that can also tell you where you’re wrong.
The Prompt
I'm going to explain my understanding of this problem.
Listen, then tell me where my thinking is wrong or
incomplete. Don't solve it for me, just point out the gaps.When to use it
- You’ve been staring at a bug for 30 minutes
- You have a mental model of how something works but aren’t sure it’s right
- You’re deciding between approaches and want someone to stress-test your reasoning
- You understand 80% of something but can’t figure out the last 20%
The key phrase
“Don’t solve it for me, just point out the gaps.” Without this, Claude will skip to the answer. The point is to fix your mental model, not to get a solution handed to you. You’ll learn more and the fix will stick better.
Variation for code
Here's what I think this code does: [your explanation].
Walk through the actual execution and tell me where my
understanding diverges from what really happens.