idea-refine

Refines raw ideas into actionable one-pagers through structured divergent and convergent thinking.

Updated Aug 22, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/MSC72m/DevForge --skill idea-refine-msc72m
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: idea-refine
Source: https://github.com/MSC72m/DevForge/tree/main/skills/idea-refine
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/MSC72m/DevForge --skill idea-refine-msc72m

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Raw ideas often stay vague, untested, or over-scoped, leading teams to commit to plans built on hidden assumptions. This Skill turns a rough concept into a sharp, validated direction by forcing structured exploration, honest stress-testing, and explicit trade-offs before any building begins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Three-Phase Ideation Dialogue: Guides you through divergent expansion (5-8 idea variations using lenses like inversion and constraint removal), convergent evaluation (clustering, stress-testing on user value, feasibility, and differentiation), and sharpening into a final artifact. - Assumption Auditing: Surfaces hidden assumptions categorized as dealbreakers, important, or nice-to-have, each paired with a validation strategy. - Markdown One-Pager Output: Produces a concrete artifact with a problem statement, recommended direction, MVP scope, and a "Not Doing" list, saved to docs/ideas/ after confirmation. - Use Case: A founder with a vague idea like "help local restaurants compete with delivery apps" invokes the skill, gets the problem reframed around customer retention, evaluates six variations, and walks away with an MVP-scoped one-pager for an SMS-based reordering tool. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to help you refine your idea by describing the concept you want to ideate on or stress-test.

Frequently Asked Questions about idea-refine

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I refine a vague startup or product idea?▼

Invoke the skill with your raw idea and it restates it as a How Might We problem statement, asks 3-5 sharpening questions about the target user and success criteria, then generates 5-8 variations using lenses like inversion, simplification, and audience shift before converging on a direction.

How to stress-test assumptions before committing to a plan?▼

The skill's Phase 2 clusters resonating ideas into 2-3 directions and stress-tests each against user value, feasibility, and differentiation. It explicitly names what you are betting is true, what could kill the idea, and what you are choosing to ignore.

What output does an ideation session produce?▼

The session ends with a markdown one-pager containing a problem statement, recommended direction, key assumptions with validation strategies, MVP scope, a Not Doing list, and open questions. It is saved to docs/ideas/ only after you confirm.

Can idea refinement work inside an existing codebase?▼

Yes. When run inside a project, the skill uses Glob, Grep, and Read to scan existing architecture, patterns, and constraints, then grounds its idea variations in what actually exists and references specific files when relevant.

When should I not use structured ideation?▼

Skip it when the idea is already well-defined with validated assumptions and a clear user, or when you need execution rather than exploration. The skill is designed for the vague, pre-commitment stage, not for implementation planning.