brainstorm
Brainstorm
Overview
This skill provides structured single-session brainstorming through Socratic questioning and targeted analytical frameworks. It helps users refine raw ideas into well-structured concepts ready for implementation planning.
The key philosophy: adapt the analysis to the idea, not the idea to the analysis. Different types of ideas benefit from different frameworks. A risk-heavy initiative needs premortem analysis, not SCAMPER. A product feature needs SCAMPER, not just risk tables. Select the right tools for the job rather than running everything mechanically.
This skill runs in the main conversation, not a subagent. Phase 2 waits on the user's answers before continuing, and Phase 5 writes a file and offers follow-up skills — none of which a forked context can do, since it has no conversation history, gets backgrounded by default, and (under agent: Explore) has no write tools. Don't add context: fork or agent: to the frontmatter.
Initial Response
When this skill is invoked, don't use a canned response. Instead, acknowledge the user's idea naturally and start engaging immediately. If the user has already described their idea, summarize your understanding and begin asking clarifying questions. If they haven't, ask them to share what they're thinking about.
Avoid scripted openings like "I'm ready to help you explore and refine your idea." Just start the conversation.