idea-refine

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

Updated Sep 15, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Qiuyi-Hong/addyosmani-skills --skill idea-refine-qiuyi-hong
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: idea-refine
Source: https://github.com/Qiuyi-Hong/addyosmani-skills/tree/main/skills/idea-refine
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Qiuyi-Hong/addyosmani-skills --skill idea-refine-qiuyi-hong

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Raw ideas are often vague, untested, and overloaded with hidden assumptions. This Skill turns a rough concept into a sharp, validated direction by guiding you through structured ideation, stress-testing, and scoping before any code is written. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Divergent Ideation: Restates your idea as a "How Might We" problem statement, asks sharpening questions, and generates 5-8 variations using lenses like inversion, constraint removal, and audience shift. - Convergent Evaluation: Clusters ideas into distinct directions and stress-tests them against user value, feasibility, and differentiation, explicitly surfacing hidden assumptions. - Actionable Output: Produces a markdown one-pager with problem statement, recommended direction, assumptions to validate, MVP scope, and a "Not Doing" list, saved to docs/ideas/ after your confirmation. - Use Case: You have a vague startup idea like "help local restaurants compete with delivery apps." Invoke the skill and it guides you through reframing the problem, generating six distinct directions, stress-testing the strongest one, and shipping a concrete one-pager with validation steps. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to help you refine or stress-test your idea by describing the concept you want to explore.

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 guides you through three phases: restating the problem as a How Might We statement, generating 5-8 idea variations using structured lenses, then stress-testing the strongest directions against user value, feasibility, and differentiation.

How to stress-test assumptions before building a product?

The skill's Phase 2 explicitly surfaces hidden assumptions for each direction, categorizing what must be true, what could kill the idea, and what you are choosing to ignore. Each assumption gets paired with a concrete validation strategy in the final one-pager.

What output does the idea refinement process produce?

It produces a markdown one-pager containing a problem statement, recommended direction, key assumptions to validate, MVP scope, a Not Doing list, and open questions. The file 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 scans the codebase for existing architecture, patterns, and constraints, then grounds its idea variations in what actually exists, referencing specific files and patterns where relevant.

When should I not use structured ideation?

Skip it when the problem and solution are already well-defined and validated, or when you need immediate implementation rather than exploration. The skill is designed for the pre-planning stage, not for executing committed work.