judge-theme-ideas

Diagnoses structural failures in worldbuilding theme concepts using four derivation tests.

Updated Sep 21, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/dev-skill-up/ai-skills --skill judge-theme-ideas-dev-skill-up
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: judge-theme-ideas
Source: https://github.com/dev-skill-up/ai-skills/tree/main/plugins/dev-skill-up/skills/judge-theme-ideas
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/dev-skill-up/ai-skills --skill judge-theme-ideas-dev-skill-up

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Worldbuilders often can't tell why a theme concept feels flat or generic. This Skill judges a theme idea — a name, a short description, and a list of attributes — and locates exactly which structural link in the derivation chain (name → description → attributes) is broken, instead of giving a vague score. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Four structural tests: a swap test (name ↔ description), a derivation test classifying each attribute as theorem, paraphrase, smuggled, or filler, a coherence check, and a generativity test that derives new attributes from the axiom. - Located diagnosis with minimal repair: delivers a verdict naming the broken link and the smallest change that fixes it, using material already latent in the concept's name. - Use Case: You pitch "Salt Fairies — straightforward and uncompromising" with three attributes. The Skill identifies "salt" as a dead word, classifies two attributes as paraphrases and one as smuggled, then rewrites the description to "salt preserves, purifies, and pays" so the attributes derive themselves. ## Quick Start Judge this worldbuilding theme: give it the name, a five-or-six-word description, and the list of attributes, and ask whether it holds together.

Frequently Asked Questions about judge-theme-ideas

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I judge whether a worldbuilding theme idea is good?

Normalize the idea into a name, a five-or-six-word description, and a list of attributes, then test the derivation chain: swap test for name and description, a because/therefore derivation for each attribute, a coherence check, and a generativity test deriving new attributes from the axiom.

How to tell if a theme description is too generic?

Run the swap test: if the description could sit unchanged under an unrelated name, it fails. A description that is pure temperament — trait adjectives rather than a rule the world runs on — is usually inert, which the generativity test confirms.

What makes a good attribute for a worldbuilding theme?

A good attribute is a theorem: tethered to the description (the because needs nothing beyond it) and traveling to a register the description never mentioned, such as economy, law, shame, or ritual. Paraphrases restate the description and smuggled attributes import outside material.

Can contradictory attributes in a theme be a good thing?

Yes, if the contradiction is produced by the theme's axiom itself — that tension is where stories come from and counts as a virtue. Only contradictions with no mechanism connecting them to the axiom are flaws.

When should I rewrite the description versus the attributes?

The generativity test decides: if the description yields new attributes easily but the existing list is weak, replace the attributes. If the description yields only synonyms of itself, it is inert and must be rewritten, typically from the name's strongest associations.