shape-idea

Turns a broad product idea into an implementation-ready spec through structured decision interviews.

Updated Sep 17, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/hkw2028/toy-project --skill shape-idea-hkw2028
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: shape-idea
Source: https://github.com/hkw2028/toy-project/tree/main/.agents/skills/shape-idea
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/hkw2028/toy-project --skill shape-idea-hkw2028

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Teams often jump from a vague idea straight into code, leaving scope, behavior, and trade-offs undecided. This Skill runs a disciplined shaping session that settles product decisions one at a time and produces a stable spec before any implementation begins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - One-decision-at-a-time interviews: Presents a single consequential question with a recommended answer and rationale, deciding cheap reversible choices as labeled assumptions. - Evidence-grounded decisions: Reads project knowledge (GLOSSARY.md, docs/decisions/, PRODUCT.md) and verifies third-party tool behavior from real sources before building on it. - Visual and diagram support: Renders prototypes or variant comparisons for experiential choices and diagrams for multi-branch flows, while keeping linear flows in prose. - Spec generation: Writes docs/specs/<slug>/spec.md with outcomes, acceptance criteria, constraints, assumptions, deferred points, and risks, linking approved prototypes and decision contracts. - Use Case: A PM wants to add workspace invitations. The Skill interviews through the state model, confirms edge cases like re-inviting expired links, and writes an implementation-ready spec without touching product code. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to use shape-idea to clarify your feature idea and produce an implementation-ready spec in docs/specs.

Frequently Asked Questions about shape-idea

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I turn a rough feature idea into an implementation-ready spec?

Run a shaping session that resolves decisions one at a time, each with a recommended answer and rationale. When every implementation-relevant decision is settled or explicitly deferred, the confirmed outcomes, acceptance criteria, assumptions, and risks are written to docs/specs/<slug>/spec.md.

What is the difference between shaping an idea and implementing it?

Shaping settles product decisions and writes a spec; implementation applies those decisions in code. During shaping, no product source, configuration, or dependencies are changed, and experiments run only in scratch directories outside the working tree.

When should a decision be shown as a prototype instead of asked in prose?

Choices judged by looking or trying, such as layout density or disclosure patterns, are rendered as two or three controlled variants for the user's reaction. Propositional trade-offs like plan limits are settled in prose with one recommended answer.

Does shaping require a PRODUCT.md file to exist?

No. A missing PRODUCT.md does not block shaping; the session proceeds from the concrete work-unit direction. When PRODUCT.md exists, it is read as the app-level premise and only relevant constraints are carried into the spec.

What happens to unresolved decisions when the spec is written?

Consequential unresolved branches are either asked as one concrete question or explicitly deferred with their impact recorded as a remaining risk. They are never silently converted into settled constraints or acceptance criteria.