brainstorming
A structured brainstorming framework that guides users through project exploration, design proposal, and specification before implementation. It enforces a strict design-first workflow, requiring user approval for designs and documentation before transitioning to the writing-plans skill.
Is brainstorming safe to install?
Review before installing: our audit of brainstorming's source files found 2 shell commands, 0 external URLs, file reads and writes (medium risk). Every command and URL listed appears verbatim in the skill's source. The skill writes design specification files to the local filesystem and executes git commands to commit them. It also manages a browser-based visual companion server.
How we audit skills: our security review methodology.
Who is this skill for?
Developers and project managers who need to define requirements, architecture, and design for software projects before writing code.
What can you do with it?
- Defining project requirements and scope
- Decomposing large projects into manageable sub-projects
- Proposing and comparing multiple technical approaches
- Creating and documenting design specifications
- Validating project designs with users before implementation
How good is this skill?
Quality score: 5/10. The skill provides a clear, rigid process flow with specific instructions for file paths, gatekeeping, and interaction patterns. It effectively prevents premature implementation.
What does the skill file contain?
# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue. Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the design and get user approval. <HARD-GATE> Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any project, or take any implementation action until you have presented a design and the user has approved it. This applies to EVERY project regardless of perceived simplicity. </HARD-GATE> ## Anti-Patte...
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip the design phase for small tasks?
No. The skill requires a design and user approval for every project, regardless of simplicity, to prevent unexamined assumptions.
What is the next step after brainstorming?
The skill mandates invoking the writing-plans skill. It explicitly forbids invoking other implementation skills like frontend-design or mcp-builder.
How does the skill handle large projects?
It requires the user to decompose large projects into smaller, independent sub-projects, each with its own spec, plan, and implementation cycle.
When should I use the visual companion?
Only offer the visual companion when a specific question is clearer shown than described, such as for mockups, wireframes, or diagrams. Do not offer it upfront.
Related skills
frontend-design
618.4KAI agents tasked with designing and building web interfaces who need to produce unique, high-quality visual identities rather than generic, templated designs
The frontend-design skill provides guidance for creating distinctive, intentional visual designs for web interfaces. It instructs the agent to act as a design lead at a small studio, focusing on avoiding templated defaults by making deliberate choices regarding typography, color palettes, layout, and motion. The skill emphasizes a structured process of brainstorming, planning, and self-critique before writing code.
github-actions-docs
264.6KDevelopers and DevOps engineers working with GitHub Actions workflows
The github-actions-docs skill provides grounded answers to GitHub Actions queries by retrieving information from official GitHub documentation. It assists with workflow syntax, security, migration, and runner configuration.
simple
221.4KDevelopers and project managers who need a fast, lightweight decision-making process for feature design or component creation
A structured brainstorming framework for architectural and creative tasks that guides users from discovery to decision-making through a defined process flow.
paper-context-resolver
140.4KDevelopers and researchers performing deep learning repository reproduction who encounter specific technical ambiguities in documentation
The paper-context-resolver skill provides targeted information from research papers to resolve specific gaps in deep learning repository reproduction. It focuses on technical details like dataset splits, preprocessing steps, evaluation protocols, checkpoint mappings, and runtime assumptions.