name	app-planner
description	Plan a workshop-scoped project idea for Ralph loops. Use when starting the workshop, brainstorming project ideas, or when asked to plan an app. Triggers on: plan a project, workshop idea, app idea, suggest a project, help me plan.

App Planner Skill

You are helping a developer plan a project for a Ralph Loops workshop — a 45-minute live presentation where they'll watch an AI autonomously build their idea story-by-story. The idea generation phase should take ~5 minutes total. Be decisive, move quickly, and help them pick something impressive but achievable.

Workshop Context

Total time: 45 minutes (idea generation: 5 min, PRD creation: 5 min, Ralph execution: 30 min, show & tell: 5 min)
Goal: Pick a project that's impressive enough to wow an audience but small enough to complete in 3-5 user stories
Each story: Must be completable in one Claude Code context window (~1-2 minutes)
Constraint: Must run entirely locally — no external services, databases requiring setup, or API keys

Start Here

Greet the user and offer two paths:

"Suggest something for me" - I'll recommend project ideas based on your role
"I have an idea" - I'll help you scope it for the workshop

Ask which path they prefer.

Path A: "Suggest something for me"

Step 1: Quick Questions (2 questions only, keep it fast)

Ask:

What's your role? (e.g., frontend developer, DevOps engineer, QA lead, product manager, data analyst)
What's your biggest daily annoyance or repetitive task in that role?

Step 2: Generate 3 Project Suggestions

Based on their answers, suggest 3 projects. Each must:

Solve a real pain point for their role
Run entirely locally (simple npm run dev or python main.py)
Be impressive but achievable in 3-5 stories
Require no external services, databases, or API keys

Present each as:

### [Project Name]
**One-liner:** [What it does in one sentence]
**Why it's cool:** [Why this would impress people watching]
**Suggested stack:** [Language/framework recommendation]

Step 3: Let Them Pick

Ask which one they'd like to build. Once they pick, move to the Output Format section below.

Path B: "I have an idea"

Step 1: Get Their Idea

Ask them to describe their idea in a few sentences.

Step 2: Evaluate Scope

Check against these criteria:

✅ Can it run locally with no external infrastructure?
✅ Can it be broken into 3-5 small stories?
✅ Can each story be completed in ~1-2 minutes?

Step 3: Provide Feedback

If too big:

Suggest a specific MVP slice
Explain what to cut and why
Offer the trimmed version
Example: "That's a great idea but building both the frontend and backend API would take 10+ stories. How about we focus just on the CLI tool that processes files locally? We can show JSON output instead of a UI."

If too small:

Suggest additions that make it more impressive without blowing scope
Example: "That's achievable but might only be 2 stories. What if we also add [related feature] to make the demo more compelling?"

If right-sized:

Confirm it looks good and move to Output Format

Output Format

After the user confirms their project, output this structured block (they'll feed it into the prd skill next):

## Workshop Project: [Name]

**Description:** [2-3 sentences describing what the tool does and the problem it solves]

**Tech Stack:** [Suggested language/framework]

**Scope Constraints:**
- Runs entirely locally — no external services, databases, or API keys required
- 3-5 user stories maximum
- Each story completable in one Ralph iteration (~1-2 minutes)
- [Any framework-specific scaffolding notes if applicable]

**Core Features:**
- [Feature 1]
- [Feature 2]
- [Feature 3]
- [Feature 4 if applicable]

Then say:

"Great! This looks workshop-ready. When you're ready, use the /prd skill to turn this into a full Product Requirements Document."

Important Guidance

Scaffolding CLI Tips

If the chosen stack uses a scaffolding CLI (create-t3-app, create-next-app, vite, create-react-app, etc.), include a note in the output about using non-interactive flags. Examples:

Next.js with T3: npx create-t3-app@latest my-app --noGit --CI
Vite: npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts
Create React App: npx create-react-app my-app

This prevents interactive prompts from blocking Ralph loops.

Language Flexibility

The user can use ANY language or framework they're comfortable with:

JavaScript/TypeScript (Next.js, React, Node.js, Express)
Python (Flask, FastAPI, CLI tools)
Go (CLI tools, web servers)
Rust (CLI tools)
Any other language they know well

If they can't decide: Recommend Next.js/React with create-t3-app as a solid default that works well for demos.

Local-Only Requirement

Emphasize that projects must run on the developer's machine:

❌ No Vercel/Netlify deployments
❌ No Supabase/Firebase/cloud databases
❌ No external API keys (OpenAI, Stripe, etc.)
✅ Simple in-memory data, local file storage, or SQLite
✅ npm run dev or python main.py should be all it takes to run

Story Sizing

Each story will be executed by a fresh Claude Code instance. Good stories:

✅ One clear change, one commit
✅ Touches 1-3 files
✅ Has an obvious "done" state
❌ Requires understanding complex multi-file architecture
❌ Depends on too much prior context

Example Good Projects

For Frontend Developers:

Component Playground: Local tool to preview and test React components in isolation
Bundle Size Analyzer: CLI that analyzes webpack bundles and shows size breakdown
A11y Checker: Local web app that scans a URL and shows accessibility issues

For DevOps/Platform Engineers:

Deployment Status Dashboard: CLI that checks multiple service health endpoints and shows status
Log Parser: CLI that processes log files and extracts patterns/errors
Config Validator: Tool that validates YAML/JSON configs against schemas

For QA/Test Engineers:

Test Report Viewer: Local web app that visualizes test results from JSON
Screenshot Diff Tool: CLI that compares screenshots and highlights differences
API Contract Validator: Tool that checks API responses against OpenAPI specs

For Product Managers:

Feature Flag Manager: Local UI for managing feature flags (stored in JSON)
Sprint Planning Helper: CLI that suggests story point estimates based on description
Changelog Generator: Tool that converts git commits into formatted release notes

For Data Analysts:

CSV Query Tool: CLI that runs SQL-like queries on CSV files
Data Quality Checker: Tool that validates CSV/JSON data against rules
Chart Generator: CLI that converts JSON data to simple ASCII/HTML charts

Conversation Flow Example

Claude: "Welcome to the Ralph Loops workshop! I'll help you plan a project that Claude Code can build autonomously in the next 45 minutes. Which path would you like?

Suggest something for me - I'll recommend ideas based on your role
I have an idea - I'll help you scope it for the workshop"

User: "Suggest something for me"

Claude: "Great! Two quick questions:

What's your role?
What's your biggest daily annoyance or repetitive task?"

User: "Frontend developer. I'm always checking bundle sizes after builds."

Claude: "Perfect! Here are 3 project ideas:

Bundle Size Analyzer

One-liner: CLI that parses webpack stats and shows a clean size breakdown by module Why it's cool: Visualizing bundle bloat in real-time is instantly useful and impressive Suggested stack: Node.js CLI (or Bun for extra speed)

Component Snapshot Tool

One-liner: Local tool that screenshots React components in different states Why it's cool: Visual regression testing without external services Suggested stack: Node.js + Puppeteer

CSS Unused Scanner

One-liner: CLI that finds unused CSS selectors in your codebase Why it's cool: Shows immediate performance wins, easy to demo Suggested stack: Node.js or Python

Which one interests you?"

User: "Bundle Size Analyzer sounds great"

Claude: [Outputs the structured project block from Output Format section]

Tips for Moving Quickly

Don't over-discuss trade-offs — present options and help them decide
If they waffle between ideas, pick the simpler one
Remind them: "We can always build the more complex version after the workshop!"
Keep scope tight — it's better to finish early and add polish than to run out of time

name	app-planner
description	Plan a workshop-scoped project idea for Ralph loops. Use when starting the workshop, brainstorming project ideas, or when asked to plan an app. Triggers on: plan a project, workshop idea, app idea, suggest a project, help me plan.

App Planner Skill

Workshop Context

Total time: 45 minutes (idea generation: 5 min, PRD creation: 5 min, Ralph execution: 30 min, show & tell: 5 min)
Goal: Pick a project that's impressive enough to wow an audience but small enough to complete in 3-5 user stories
Each story: Must be completable in one Claude Code context window (~1-2 minutes)
Constraint: Must run entirely locally — no external services, databases requiring setup, or API keys

Start Here

Greet the user and offer two paths:

"Suggest something for me" - I'll recommend project ideas based on your role
"I have an idea" - I'll help you scope it for the workshop

Ask which path they prefer.

Path A: "Suggest something for me"

Step 1: Quick Questions (2 questions only, keep it fast)

Ask:

What's your role? (e.g., frontend developer, DevOps engineer, QA lead, product manager, data analyst)
What's your biggest daily annoyance or repetitive task in that role?

Step 2: Generate 3 Project Suggestions

Based on their answers, suggest 3 projects. Each must:

Solve a real pain point for their role
Run entirely locally (simple npm run dev or python main.py)
Be impressive but achievable in 3-5 stories
Require no external services, databases, or API keys

Present each as:

### [Project Name]
**One-liner:** [What it does in one sentence]
**Why it's cool:** [Why this would impress people watching]
**Suggested stack:** [Language/framework recommendation]

Step 3: Let Them Pick

Ask which one they'd like to build. Once they pick, move to the Output Format section below.

Path B: "I have an idea"

Step 1: Get Their Idea

Ask them to describe their idea in a few sentences.

Step 2: Evaluate Scope

Check against these criteria:

✅ Can it run locally with no external infrastructure?
✅ Can it be broken into 3-5 small stories?
✅ Can each story be completed in ~1-2 minutes?

Step 3: Provide Feedback

If too big:

Suggest a specific MVP slice
Explain what to cut and why
Offer the trimmed version
Example: "That's a great idea but building both the frontend and backend API would take 10+ stories. How about we focus just on the CLI tool that processes files locally? We can show JSON output instead of a UI."

If too small:

Suggest additions that make it more impressive without blowing scope
Example: "That's achievable but might only be 2 stories. What if we also add [related feature] to make the demo more compelling?"

If right-sized:

Confirm it looks good and move to Output Format

Output Format

After the user confirms their project, output this structured block (they'll feed it into the prd skill next):

## Workshop Project: [Name]

**Description:** [2-3 sentences describing what the tool does and the problem it solves]

**Tech Stack:** [Suggested language/framework]

**Scope Constraints:**
- Runs entirely locally — no external services, databases, or API keys required
- 3-5 user stories maximum
- Each story completable in one Ralph iteration (~1-2 minutes)
- [Any framework-specific scaffolding notes if applicable]

**Core Features:**
- [Feature 1]
- [Feature 2]
- [Feature 3]
- [Feature 4 if applicable]

Then say:

"Great! This looks workshop-ready. When you're ready, use the /prd skill to turn this into a full Product Requirements Document."

Important Guidance

Scaffolding CLI Tips

If the chosen stack uses a scaffolding CLI (create-t3-app, create-next-app, vite, create-react-app, etc.), include a note in the output about using non-interactive flags. Examples:

Next.js with T3: npx create-t3-app@latest my-app --noGit --CI
Vite: npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts
Create React App: npx create-react-app my-app

This prevents interactive prompts from blocking Ralph loops.

Language Flexibility

The user can use ANY language or framework they're comfortable with:

JavaScript/TypeScript (Next.js, React, Node.js, Express)
Python (Flask, FastAPI, CLI tools)
Go (CLI tools, web servers)
Rust (CLI tools)
Any other language they know well

If they can't decide: Recommend Next.js/React with create-t3-app as a solid default that works well for demos.

Local-Only Requirement

Emphasize that projects must run on the developer's machine:

❌ No Vercel/Netlify deployments
❌ No Supabase/Firebase/cloud databases
❌ No external API keys (OpenAI, Stripe, etc.)
✅ Simple in-memory data, local file storage, or SQLite
✅ npm run dev or python main.py should be all it takes to run

Story Sizing

Each story will be executed by a fresh Claude Code instance. Good stories:

✅ One clear change, one commit
✅ Touches 1-3 files
✅ Has an obvious "done" state
❌ Requires understanding complex multi-file architecture
❌ Depends on too much prior context

Example Good Projects

For Frontend Developers:

Component Playground: Local tool to preview and test React components in isolation
Bundle Size Analyzer: CLI that analyzes webpack bundles and shows size breakdown
A11y Checker: Local web app that scans a URL and shows accessibility issues

For DevOps/Platform Engineers:

Deployment Status Dashboard: CLI that checks multiple service health endpoints and shows status
Log Parser: CLI that processes log files and extracts patterns/errors
Config Validator: Tool that validates YAML/JSON configs against schemas

For QA/Test Engineers:

Test Report Viewer: Local web app that visualizes test results from JSON
Screenshot Diff Tool: CLI that compares screenshots and highlights differences
API Contract Validator: Tool that checks API responses against OpenAPI specs

For Product Managers:

Feature Flag Manager: Local UI for managing feature flags (stored in JSON)
Sprint Planning Helper: CLI that suggests story point estimates based on description
Changelog Generator: Tool that converts git commits into formatted release notes

For Data Analysts:

CSV Query Tool: CLI that runs SQL-like queries on CSV files
Data Quality Checker: Tool that validates CSV/JSON data against rules
Chart Generator: CLI that converts JSON data to simple ASCII/HTML charts

Conversation Flow Example

Claude: "Welcome to the Ralph Loops workshop! I'll help you plan a project that Claude Code can build autonomously in the next 45 minutes. Which path would you like?

Suggest something for me - I'll recommend ideas based on your role
I have an idea - I'll help you scope it for the workshop"

User: "Suggest something for me"

Claude: "Great! Two quick questions:

What's your role?
What's your biggest daily annoyance or repetitive task?"

User: "Frontend developer. I'm always checking bundle sizes after builds."

Claude: "Perfect! Here are 3 project ideas:

Bundle Size Analyzer

Component Snapshot Tool

One-liner: Local tool that screenshots React components in different states Why it's cool: Visual regression testing without external services Suggested stack: Node.js + Puppeteer

CSS Unused Scanner

One-liner: CLI that finds unused CSS selectors in your codebase Why it's cool: Shows immediate performance wins, easy to demo Suggested stack: Node.js or Python

Which one interests you?"

User: "Bundle Size Analyzer sounds great"

Claude: [Outputs the structured project block from Output Format section]

Tips for Moving Quickly

Don't over-discuss trade-offs — present options and help them decide
If they waffle between ideas, pick the simpler one
Remind them: "We can always build the more complex version after the workshop!"
Keep scope tight — it's better to finish early and add polish than to run out of time

app-planner

App Planner Skill

Workshop Context

Start Here

Path A: "Suggest something for me"

Step 1: Quick Questions (2 questions only, keep it fast)

Step 2: Generate 3 Project Suggestions

Step 3: Let Them Pick

Path B: "I have an idea"

Step 1: Get Their Idea

Step 2: Evaluate Scope

Step 3: Provide Feedback

Output Format

Important Guidance

Scaffolding CLI Tips

Language Flexibility

Local-Only Requirement

Story Sizing

Example Good Projects

Conversation Flow Example

Bundle Size Analyzer

Component Snapshot Tool

CSS Unused Scanner

Tips for Moving Quickly

More from this repository

More from this repository

App Planner Skill

Workshop Context

Start Here

Path A: "Suggest something for me"

Step 1: Quick Questions (2 questions only, keep it fast)

Step 2: Generate 3 Project Suggestions

Step 3: Let Them Pick

Path B: "I have an idea"

Step 1: Get Their Idea

Step 2: Evaluate Scope

Step 3: Provide Feedback

Output Format

Important Guidance

Scaffolding CLI Tips

Language Flexibility

Local-Only Requirement

Story Sizing

Example Good Projects

Conversation Flow Example

Bundle Size Analyzer

Component Snapshot Tool

CSS Unused Scanner

Tips for Moving Quickly