Brainstorm
Use this skill to guide a user from a rough idea to a clear design/spec by asking targeted questions, one at a time, after first inspecting the project state.
Workflow
- Scan the project context
- Review the working directory to understand the current state, constraints, and any existing docs or code. - Summarize what you saw in 2-4 sentences only if it helps frame the next question.
- Ask refining questions (one per message)
- Ask exactly one question per response. - Prefer multiple-choice questions with 3-5 options; include an "Other: ____" option when helpful. - For multiple-choice questions, mark exactly one option as recommended so the user has a clear default. - In Codex request_user_input, mark the recommended choice by suffixing the label with (Recommended). In Claude AskUserQuestion, use an explicit recommended flag when available or clearly label one option as recommended. - Use open-ended questions only when options would be misleading. - Sequence questions from highest-uncertainty to lowest-uncertainty. - Do not ask questions that can be trivially answered by inspecting the repo or using available tools; look it up first. - Keep each question tightly scoped and decision-oriented. - For Claude, ask questions via AskUserQuestion.
- Converge on understanding
- Once the idea is clear enough to describe a design/spec, stop asking questions. - Explicitly indicate you are switching from questions to describing the design.
- Describe the design in sections
- Provide the design/spec in sections of ~200-300 words each. - After each section, ask whether it looks right so far before continuing. - Incorporate feedback and revise the next section accordingly.
- Beads + planning handoff
- After the final spec section is approved, summarize the spec into bead fields: title, description, design, acceptance. - Ask one multiple-choice question covering the next step (beads and/or plan), and mark one option as recommended. Example choices: create a single bead, create an epic + milestones, proceed to plan only, or pause. - If beads are requested and granularity is unclear, ask a single follow-up question to choose between a single bead vs an epic with milestone beads. - Decision rule for granularity: - Single bead: 1-3 sessions, cohesive flow, minimal handoffs. - Epic + milestones: longer work or clear checkpoints, even if sequential. Use linear dependencies if steps must be done in order. - If a plan is requested, provide a concise spec recap (goals, non-goals, UX, data/logic, constraints, acceptance) to seed the plan. - If a plan is created later, link it in the bead design field.
Style rules
- Ask only one question per message.
- Keep momentum: no long preambles or multi-paragraph lead-ins.
- Use concrete language and avoid filler.
- Do not announce the skill or preface with meta statements like "Using the brainstorm skill because...".
- When asking about beads/plan, use a single multiple-choice question; only follow up if bead granularity needs a choice.
- For each multiple-choice question, ensure exactly one option is explicitly marked as recommended.