brainstorm
This skill should be used when the user asks to 'brainstorm', 'design this', 'think through', 'plan this out', 'what should we build', 'how should this work', 'let's think about', 'explore approaches', or 'before we start'. Also appropriate when beginning tasks with genuine ambiguity: multiple reasonable approaches, unclear requirements, or cross-cutting changes spanning multiple subsystems.
What this skill does
# Brainstorm Understand what to build before building it. Scale the process to match the problem. ## Core Principle Implementation without understanding is the most common source of wasted work. But process without proportion is the second most common. Match the depth of exploration to the complexity of the task. ## Sizing the Conversation Before anything else, assess scope. Not every task needs the same treatment. **Quick (1-2 exchanges):** The task is clear and constrained. A config change, a single function, a well-specified bug fix. Ask one clarifying question if needed, confirm approach, move on. **Medium (3-6 exchanges):** Genuine ambiguity exists. Multiple reasonable approaches, unclear requirements, or unfamiliar domain. Explore approaches, propose a recommendation, get alignment. **Deep (7+ exchanges):** Large scope, multiple subsystems, or novel territory. Full collaborative design: explore context, ask questions one at a time, propose approaches with trade-offs, present design in sections, get approval before proceeding. The sizing decision is a judgment call, not a checklist. Err toward doing less process, not more. A 30-second clarification that prevents a wrong turn is valuable. A 10-minute design review for a one-line change is not. ## The Process ### 1. Check Context Read relevant files, docs, recent commits. Understand the current state before asking questions. Asking "what framework are you using?" when package.json is right there wastes everyone's time. ### 2. Clarify Intent Ask questions to understand what the user actually wants — not just what they said. Focus on: - **Purpose**: What problem does this solve? Who is it for? - **Constraints**: What must it work with? What can't change? - **Success**: How will we know it's right? One question per message. Prefer multiple choice when the option space is known. Open-ended when it isn't. Stop asking when the path forward is clear. Not every dimension needs to be explored — only the ones where a wrong assumption would waste significant work. ### 3. Explore Approaches (When Warranted) When there are genuinely different ways to solve the problem, present 2-3 approaches with trade-offs. Lead with the recommended approach and explain why. Skip this step when: - There's an obvious right answer given the codebase and constraints - The user has already specified their preferred approach - The task is small enough that exploring alternatives costs more than just doing it ### 4. Present Design (For Deep Tasks Only) For larger tasks, present the design in sections scaled to their complexity. A few sentences for straightforward parts, more detail for nuanced parts. Check alignment after each section. Cover what matters: architecture, data flow, error handling, testing approach. Skip sections that are obvious from context. ### 5. Transition to Implementation When alignment is reached, move to implementation. For deep tasks, consider writing the design to a file if it would help the implementation phase (especially across context windows). For quick and medium tasks, just start building. Do not force a specific file path, spec format, or downstream skill invocation. The transition to implementation is a natural continuation, not a handoff to another process. ## Anti-Patterns to Avoid - **Ceremony for its own sake.** A todo list doesn't need 2-3 approaches and a design doc. - **Asking questions with knowable answers.** Read the codebase first. - **Restating what the user said.** "So you want me to..." — just do it, or ask the real question. - **Blocking on approval for obvious next steps.** If the user said "add a dark mode toggle" and there's one reasonable place to put it, don't present three options. - **Over-decomposition.** Not every feature needs to be broken into sub-projects with their own spec cycles. ## When Implementation Is Already Clear Sometimes the user's request is specific enough that no brainstorming is needed. "Rename `foo` to `bar` in utils.py" doesn't need a design phase. Recognize when the task is already well-specified and skip straight to doing it. The goal is understanding before implementation — if understanding is already there, proceed.
Related in Design
contribute
IncludedLocal-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".
architectural-analysis
IncludedUser-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).
mcp
IncludedModel Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.
react-native-skia
IncludedDesign, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.
plaid
IncludedProduct Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".
nextjs-framer-motion-animations
IncludedAdds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.