brainstorming

Name: brainstorming
Author: obra

291kinstalls23kforks

How to install brainstorming?

obra/superpowers/brainstorming

$npx -y skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming

Installs into the current project.

Summary

You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Explores user intent, requirements and design before implementation.

Files · 1

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SKILL.md

1	# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs
2
3	Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.
4
5	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.
6
7	<HARD-GATE>
8	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.
9	</HARD-GATE>
10
11	## Anti-Pattern: "This Is Too Simple To Need A Design"
12
13	Every project goes through this process. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config change — all of them. "Simple" projects are where unexamined assumptions cause the most wasted work. The design can be short (a few sentences for truly simple projects), but you MUST present it and get approval.
14
15	## Checklist
16
17	You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:
18
19	1. Explore project context — check files, docs, recent commits
20	2. Offer the visual companion just-in-time — NOT upfront. The first time a question would genuinely be clearer shown than described, offer it then (its own message); on approval its browser tab opens for you. If no visual question ever arises, never offer it. See the Visual Companion section below.
21	3. Ask clarifying questions — one at a time, understand purpose/constraints/success criteria
22	4. Propose 2-3 approaches — with trade-offs and your recommendation
23	5. Present design — in sections scaled to their complexity, get user approval after each section
24	6. Write design doc — save to `docs/superpowers/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md` and commit
25	7. Spec self-review — quick inline check for placeholders, contradictions, ambiguity, scope (see below)
26	8. User reviews written spec — ask user to review the spec file before proceeding
27	9. Transition to implementation — invoke writing-plans skill to create implementation plan
28
29	## Process Flow
30
31	```dot
32	digraph brainstorming {
33	"Explore project context" [shape=box];
34	"Ask clarifying questions" [shape=box];
35	"Propose 2-3 approaches" [shape=box];
36	"Present design sections" [shape=box];
37	"User approves design?" [shape=diamond];
38	"Write design doc" [shape=box];
39	"Spec self-review\n(fix inline)" [shape=box];
40	"User reviews spec?" [shape=diamond];
41	"Invoke writing-plans skill" [shape=doublecircle];
42
43	"Explore project context" -> "Ask clarifying questions";
44	"Ask clarifying questions" -> "Propose 2-3 approaches";
45	"Propose 2-3 approaches" -> "Present design sections";
46	"Present design sections" -> "User approves design?";
47	"User approves design?" -> "Present design sections" [label="no, revise"];
48	"User approves design?" -> "Write design doc" [label="yes"];
49	"Write design doc" -> "Spec self-review\n(fix inline)";
50	"Spec self-review\n(fix inline)" -> "User reviews spec?";
51	"User reviews spec?" -> "Write design doc" [label="changes requested"];
52	"User reviews spec?" -> "Invoke writing-plans skill" [label="approved"];
53	}
54	```
55
56	The terminal state is invoking writing-plans. Do NOT invoke frontend-design, mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. The ONLY skill you invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans.
57
58	## The Process
59
60	Understanding the idea:
61
62	- Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
63	- Before asking detailed questions, assess scope: if the request describes multiple independent subsystems (e.g., "build a platform with chat, file storage, billing, and analytics"), flag this immediately. Don't spend questions refining details of a project that needs to be decomposed first.
64	- If the project is too large for a single spec, help the user decompose into sub-projects: what are the independent pieces, how do they relate, what order should they be built? Then brainstorm the first sub-project through the normal design flow. Each sub-project gets its own spec → plan → implementation cycle.
65	- For appropriately-scoped projects, ask questions one at a time to refine the idea
66	- Prefer multiple choice questions when possible, but open-ended is fine too
67	- Only one question per message - if a topic needs more exploration, break it into multiple questions
68	- Focus on understanding: purpose, constraints, success criteria
69
70	Exploring approaches:
71
72	- Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
73	- Present options conversationally with your recommendation and reasoning
74	- Lead with your recommended option and explain why
75
76	Presenting the design:
77
78	- Once you believe you understand what you're building, present the design
79	- Scale each section

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brainstorming

291kinstalls23kforks

View on GitHub

How to install brainstorming?

obra/superpowers/brainstorming

$npx -y skills add obra/superpowers --skill brainstorming

Installs into the current project.

Summary

You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Explores user intent, requirements and design before implementation.

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs
2
3	Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.
4
5	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.
6
7	<HARD-GATE>
8	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.
9	</HARD-GATE>
10
11	## Anti-Pattern: "This Is Too Simple To Need A Design"
12
13	Every project goes through this process. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config change — all of them. "Simple" projects are where unexamined assumptions cause the most wasted work. The design can be short (a few sentences for truly simple projects), but you MUST present it and get approval.
14
15	## Checklist
16
17	You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:
18
19	1. Explore project context — check files, docs, recent commits
20	2. Offer the visual companion just-in-time — NOT upfront. The first time a question would genuinely be clearer shown than described, offer it then (its own message); on approval its browser tab opens for you. If no visual question ever arises, never offer it. See the Visual Companion section below.
21	3. Ask clarifying questions — one at a time, understand purpose/constraints/success criteria
22	4. Propose 2-3 approaches — with trade-offs and your recommendation
23	5. Present design — in sections scaled to their complexity, get user approval after each section
24	6. Write design doc — save to `docs/superpowers/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md` and commit
25	7. Spec self-review — quick inline check for placeholders, contradictions, ambiguity, scope (see below)
26	8. User reviews written spec — ask user to review the spec file before proceeding
27	9. Transition to implementation — invoke writing-plans skill to create implementation plan
28
29	## Process Flow
30
31	```dot
32	digraph brainstorming {
33	"Explore project context" [shape=box];
34	"Ask clarifying questions" [shape=box];
35	"Propose 2-3 approaches" [shape=box];
36	"Present design sections" [shape=box];
37	"User approves design?" [shape=diamond];
38	"Write design doc" [shape=box];
39	"Spec self-review\n(fix inline)" [shape=box];
40	"User reviews spec?" [shape=diamond];
41	"Invoke writing-plans skill" [shape=doublecircle];
42
43	"Explore project context" -> "Ask clarifying questions";
44	"Ask clarifying questions" -> "Propose 2-3 approaches";
45	"Propose 2-3 approaches" -> "Present design sections";
46	"Present design sections" -> "User approves design?";
47	"User approves design?" -> "Present design sections" [label="no, revise"];
48	"User approves design?" -> "Write design doc" [label="yes"];
49	"Write design doc" -> "Spec self-review\n(fix inline)";
50	"Spec self-review\n(fix inline)" -> "User reviews spec?";
51	"User reviews spec?" -> "Write design doc" [label="changes requested"];
52	"User reviews spec?" -> "Invoke writing-plans skill" [label="approved"];
53	}
54	```
55
56	The terminal state is invoking writing-plans. Do NOT invoke frontend-design, mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. The ONLY skill you invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans.
57
58	## The Process
59
60	Understanding the idea:
61
62	- Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
63	- Before asking detailed questions, assess scope: if the request describes multiple independent subsystems (e.g., "build a platform with chat, file storage, billing, and analytics"), flag this immediately. Don't spend questions refining details of a project that needs to be decomposed first.
64	- If the project is too large for a single spec, help the user decompose into sub-projects: what are the independent pieces, how do they relate, what order should they be built? Then brainstorm the first sub-project through the normal design flow. Each sub-project gets its own spec → plan → implementation cycle.
65	- For appropriately-scoped projects, ask questions one at a time to refine the idea
66	- Prefer multiple choice questions when possible, but open-ended is fine too
67	- Only one question per message - if a topic needs more exploration, break it into multiple questions
68	- Focus on understanding: purpose, constraints, success criteria
69
70	Exploring approaches:
71
72	- Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
73	- Present options conversationally with your recommendation and reasoning
74	- Lead with your recommended option and explain why
75
76	Presenting the design:
77
78	- Once you believe you understand what you're building, present the design
79	- Scale each section

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Type