brainstorming

Guides collaborative design dialogue to turn ideas into approved specs before implementation.

1|Updated Jul 6, 2015
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/ksolomon/dotfiles --skill brainstorming-ksolomon
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: brainstorming
Source: https://github.com/ksolomon/dotfiles/tree/main/AI/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/superpowers/6.1.1/skills/brainstorming
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/ksolomon/dotfiles --skill brainstorming-ksolomon

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Jumping straight into code without a validated design leads to wasted work and unexamined assumptions. This Skill enforces a structured brainstorming process that explores user intent, requirements, and design trade-offs before any implementation begins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Structured Design Dialogue: Explores project context, asks clarifying questions one at a time, and proposes 2-3 approaches with trade-offs before presenting a design for approval. - Spec Generation and Review: Writes the approved design to a dated spec file in docs/superpowers/specs/, runs a self-review for placeholders and contradictions, and gates implementation on user sign-off. - Visual Companion: Optionally serves browser-based mockups, diagrams, and side-by-side comparisons via a local WebSocket server when a question is clearer shown than described. - Use Case: Before building a new feature, use this Skill to refine the idea through questions, compare architectural approaches, and produce a committed design document that feeds directly into implementation planning. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to brainstorm and design your feature idea before writing any code, and it will walk you through questions, approaches, and an approved spec.

Frequently Asked Questions about brainstorming

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I brainstorm a feature design before writing code?▼

Invoke the brainstorming skill before any creative work. It explores your project context, asks clarifying questions one at a time, proposes 2-3 approaches with trade-offs, and presents a design for your approval before any implementation begins.

What is the visual companion in the brainstorming skill?▼

The visual companion is a browser-based tool that shows mockups, diagrams, and side-by-side design comparisons during brainstorming. It runs a local server started with scripts/start-server.sh and is offered only when a question is genuinely clearer shown than described.

Does the brainstorming skill work for small or simple projects?▼

Yes, every project goes through the process regardless of perceived simplicity. The design can be just a few sentences for truly simple projects, but it must still be presented and approved before implementation.

Where does the brainstorming skill save design documents?▼

Approved designs are written to docs/superpowers/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md and committed to git. User preferences for spec location override this default path.

What happens after the design is approved in brainstorming?▼

After the spec passes self-review and user review, the skill invokes the writing-plans skill to create a detailed implementation plan. It does not invoke any other implementation skill directly.

Why won't the brainstorming skill write code immediately?▼

The skill enforces a hard gate that blocks all implementation actions until a design is presented and the user approves it. This prevents unexamined assumptions from causing wasted work, especially in seemingly simple projects.