brainstorming
Collaboratively explore ideas and design solutions through guided dialogue before implementation. Use this skill when creating features, building components, adding functionality, designing systems, or when the user says "brainstorm", "design this", "help me think through", or "let's plan".
What this skill does
# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs ## Overview 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 in small sections (200-300 words), checking after each section whether it looks right so far. ## Tool Usage **ALWAYS use the `AskUserQuestion` tool** when asking questions to the user. This provides a structured interface for gathering input. - Use `multiSelect: false` for single-choice questions (most common) - Use `multiSelect: true` when multiple options can be selected together - Provide 2-4 clear options with descriptions - Keep the `header` short (max 12 chars) - e.g., "Approach", "Auth type", "Storage" - **Always include your recommendation**: Put your recommended option first and add "(Recommended)" to the label - **Always explain why**: In the question text or option descriptions, explain your reasoning for the recommendation ## The Process **Understanding the idea:** - Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits) - Use `AskUserQuestion` to ask one question at a time to refine the idea - Prefer multiple choice questions when possible, but open-ended is fine too - Only one question per message - if a topic needs more exploration, break it into multiple questions - Focus on understanding: purpose, constraints, success criteria **Exploring approaches:** - Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs - Present options conversationally with your recommendation and reasoning - Lead with your recommended option and explain why - **Consult the Oracle** when facing complex architectural decisions (see below) **Presenting the design:** - Once you believe you understand what you're building, present the design - Break it into sections of 200-300 words - Use `AskUserQuestion` after each section to validate (e.g., "Does this section look right?") - Cover: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing - Be ready to go back and clarify if something doesn't make sense ## Key Principles - **Use AskUserQuestion tool** - Always use the tool for structured user input - **Recommend with reasoning** - Every question must include your recommendation and why - **Consult Oracle proactively** - Get second opinions on complex decisions - **One question at a time** - Don't overwhelm with multiple questions - **Multiple choice preferred** - Easier to answer than open-ended when possible - **YAGNI ruthlessly** - Remove unnecessary features from all designs - **Explore alternatives** - Always propose 2-3 approaches before settling - **Incremental validation** - Present design in sections, validate each - **Be flexible** - Go back and clarify when something doesn't make sense ## Oracle Consultation **Proactively invoke the Oracle skill** to get a second opinion when: - **Complex architectural decisions** - Multiple viable patterns with significant trade-offs (e.g., microservices vs monolith, event-driven vs request-response) - **Security-sensitive designs** - Authentication flows, data encryption, access control patterns - **Performance-critical choices** - Caching strategies, database indexing, algorithm selection - **You're uncertain** - When you have a recommendation but want validation before presenting to the user ### How to Consult Use the **Skill tool** to invoke the oracle: `Skill(skill: "oracle")`. The oracle's instructions will be loaded and guide you through the consultation process. ### Reaching Consensus When Oracle's opinion differs from yours: 1. **Present both perspectives** to the user with clear reasoning 2. **Highlight where opinions align** - these are likely the right choices 3. **Explain disagreements honestly** - "Oracle suggests X because [reason], but I lean toward Y because [reason]" 4. **Let the user decide** on contentious points with full context ### When NOT to Consult - Simple, straightforward decisions with obvious answers - Minor implementation details that don't affect architecture - When the user has already expressed a strong preference
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.