| name | swot |
| description | Map strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats systematically — use when evaluating a strategic position or deciding how to proceed with both internal and external factors at play |
| argument-hint | [project, product, team, or strategy to evaluate] |
| user-invocable | true |
| license | MIT |
Create a structured inventory of internal capabilities (strengths/weaknesses)
and external factors (opportunities/threats). Use the map to identify
strategic options that leverage strengths against opportunities while
defending weaknesses against threats.
1. Define the subject being analyzed (project, product, team, strategy)
2. List internal strengths — what do we do well? What advantages exist?
3. List internal weaknesses — what could improve? What are we missing?
4. List external opportunities — what trends, changes, or gaps can we exploit?
5. List external threats — what risks, competitors, or changes endanger us?
6. Cross-reference: match strengths to opportunities (offensive strategies)
7. Cross-reference: match weaknesses to threats (defensive priorities)
<output_format>
SWOT Analysis: [Topic]
Internal
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|
| [S1] | [W1] |
| [S2] | [W2] |
External
| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|
| [O1] | [T1] |
| [O2] | [T2] |
Strategic Options
- Leverage (S+O): [Use strength X to capture opportunity Y]
- Defend (W+T): [Address weakness X before threat Y materializes]
- Improve (W+O): [Fix weakness X to unlock opportunity Y]
Priority Action
[Single most important action based on the analysis]
</output_format>
## SWOT Analysis: Open-Source CLI Tool Competitive Position
Internal
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|
| Zero dependencies — easy install | No GUI — limits non-technical adoption |
| Fast execution (stdlib only) | Small maintainer team (2 active) |
| Clear documentation and examples | No plugin ecosystem yet |
External
| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|
| Growing demand for CLI-first developer tools | Well-funded competitor launching similar tool |
| Conference talk accepted — visibility boost | Key maintainer may leave in 6 months |
| Integration request from popular IDE plugin | AI-assisted alternatives reducing need for CLI tools |
Strategic Options
- Leverage (S+O): Zero-dep install + IDE integration request = ship an IDE adapter that wraps the CLI, capturing both audiences
- Defend (W+T): Small team + competitor launch = focus on what competitor can't easily copy (simplicity, no vendor lock-in)
- Improve (W+O): No plugins + conference visibility = announce plugin API at conference to attract contributors
Priority Action
Ship the IDE adapter integration — it leverages the core strength (simple CLI) to reach a new audience (IDE users) at exactly the moment visibility is growing (conference).
Key Instructions
- The value is the cross-reference step (steps 6–7), not the lists; a SWOT that produces only four quadrant lists without strategic options hasn't been completed.
Anti-Pattern Guards
- Over-populating all four quadrants — length is noise; aim for 3–5 well-chosen items per quadrant over exhaustive lists that dilute the signal.
- Skipping the cross-reference — the strategic options (S+O, W+T, W+O) are where SWOT becomes actionable; listing quadrants without cross-referencing them is only half the analysis.
Handoff
Chainable to: opportunity-cost (to evaluate tradeoffs between strategic options), eisenhower-matrix (to prioritize the resulting strategic actions)
