| name | brainstorm |
| description | Structured ideation and trade-off analysis for design and architecture decisions. Triggers: "brainstorm ideas", "explore this problem", "think through trade-offs", "challenge assumptions", "discuss architecture". |
| version | 3 |
| tier | protocol |
Structured ideation and trade-off analysis for design and architecture decisions.
Brainstorming Protocol (The Socratic Engine)
Execute §CMD_EXECUTE_SKILL_PHASES.
Session Parameters
{
"taskType": "BRAINSTORM",
"phases": [
{"label": "0", "name": "Setup",
"steps": ["§CMD_REPORT_INTENT", "§CMD_PARSE_PARAMETERS", "§CMD_SELECT_MODE", "§CMD_INGEST_CONTEXT_BEFORE_WORK"],
"commands": [],
"proof": ["mode", "sessionDir", "parametersParsed"],
"gate": false},
{"label": "1", "name": "Dialogue Loop",
"steps": ["§CMD_REPORT_INTENT", "§CMD_INTERROGATE"],
"commands": ["§CMD_ASK_ROUND", "§CMD_LOG_INTERACTION", "§CMD_APPEND_LOG"],
"proof": ["depthChosen", "roundsCompleted", "logEntries"]},
{"label": "2", "name": "Synthesis",
"steps": ["§CMD_REPORT_INTENT", "§CMD_RUN_SYNTHESIS_PIPELINE"], "commands": [], "proof": [], "gate": false},
{"label": "2.1", "name": "Checklists",
"steps": ["§CMD_VALIDATE_ARTIFACTS", "§CMD_RESOLVE_BARE_TAGS", "§CMD_PROCESS_CHECKLISTS"], "commands": [], "proof": [], "gate": false},
{"label": "2.2", "name": "Debrief",
"steps": ["§CMD_GENERATE_DEBRIEF"], "commands": [], "proof": ["debriefFile", "debriefTags"], "gate": false},
{"label": "2.3", "name": "Pipeline",
"steps": ["§CMD_MANAGE_DIRECTIVES", "§CMD_PROCESS_DELEGATIONS", "§CMD_DISPATCH_APPROVAL", "§CMD_CAPTURE_SIDE_DISCOVERIES", "§CMD_RESOLVE_CROSS_SESSION_TAGS", "§CMD_MANAGE_BACKLINKS", "§CMD_MANAGE_ALERTS", "§CMD_REPORT_LEFTOVER_WORK"], "commands": [], "proof": [], "gate": false},
{"label": "2.4", "name": "Close",
"steps": ["§CMD_REPORT_ARTIFACTS", "§CMD_REPORT_SUMMARY", "§CMD_SURFACE_OPPORTUNITIES", "§CMD_OFFER_COUNCIL_REVIEW", "§CMD_OFFER_GRAPH_VIZ", "§CMD_CLOSE_SESSION", "§CMD_PRESENT_NEXT_STEPS"], "commands": [], "proof": ["reviewOffered", "decision", "graphOffered"], "gate": false}
],
"nextSkills": ["/implement", "/analyze", "/document", "/fix", "/chores"],
"directives": [],
"logTemplate": "assets/TEMPLATE_BRAINSTORM_LOG.md",
"debriefTemplate": "assets/TEMPLATE_BRAINSTORM.md",
"requestTemplate": "assets/TEMPLATE_BRAINSTORM_REQUEST.md",
"responseTemplate": "assets/TEMPLATE_BRAINSTORM_RESPONSE.md",
"modes": {
"explore": {"label": "Explore", "description": "Wide ideation, divergent, creative", "file": "modes/explore.md"},
"focused": {"label": "Focused", "description": "Decision-oriented, trade-off analysis", "file": "modes/focused.md"},
"adversarial": {"label": "Adversarial", "description": "Stress-test assumptions, devil's advocate", "file": "modes/adversarial.md"},
"custom": {"label": "Custom", "description": "User provides framing, agent blends modes", "file": "modes/custom.md"}
}
}
0. Setup
§CMD_REPORT_INTENT:
0: Brainstorming ___ topic. Trigger: ___.
Focus: ___.
Not: ___.
§CMD_EXECUTE_PHASE_STEPS(0.*)
- Scope: Understand the [Topic] and [Goal].
Mode Selection (§CMD_SELECT_MODE):
On selection: Read the corresponding modes/{mode}.md file. It defines Role, Goal, Mindset, and Dialogue Topics.
On "Custom": Read ALL 3 named mode files first (modes/explore.md, modes/focused.md, modes/adversarial.md), then accept user's framing. Parse into role/goal/mindset.
Record: Store the selected mode. It configures:
- Phase 0 role (from mode file)
- Phase 1 dialogue topics (from mode file)
1. Dialogue Loop (Socratic Exploration)
Engage in Socratic inquiry to uncover constraints and opportunities.
§CMD_REPORT_INTENT:
1: Exploring ___ problem space through Socratic dialogue.
Focus: ___.
Not: ___.
§CMD_EXECUTE_PHASE_STEPS(1.*)
Socratic Response Style
Each round follows this pattern:
- Validate: "I see why you want X..."
- Challenge: "...but have you considered the latency cost?"
- Propose: "What if we did Z instead?"
- Explore: "How would that handle edge case Q?"
Dialogue Topics (Brainstorm)
Examples of themes to explore. Adapt to the task -- skip irrelevant ones, invent new ones as needed.
Standard topics (typically covered once):
- Problem framing -- is the problem well-defined, are we solving the right thing
- Constraints & non-negotiables -- hard requirements, budget, timeline, compliance
- Stakeholders & perspectives -- who is affected, whose input matters, conflicting needs
- Prior attempts -- what has been tried, what worked/failed, lessons learned
- Wild ideas & provocations -- 10x solutions, unreasonable approaches, creative leaps
- Feasibility -- technical viability, resource requirements, complexity assessment
- Priorities & trade-offs -- what to optimize for, what to sacrifice, ranking criteria
- Adjacent domains -- inspiration from other fields, analogous problems, transferable patterns
- Risks of inaction -- what happens if we do nothing, cost of delay
- Evaluation criteria -- how to judge solutions, metrics for success
Repeatable topics (can be selected any number of times):
- Followup -- Clarify or revisit answers from previous rounds
- Devil's advocate -- Challenge assumptions and decisions made so far
- What-if scenarios -- Explore hypotheticals, edge cases, and alternative futures
- Deep dive -- Drill into a specific topic from a previous round in much more detail
2. Synthesis
When the dialogue has explored the space sufficiently.
§CMD_REPORT_INTENT:
2: Synthesizing. ___ rounds of dialogue completed.
Focus: ___.
Not: ___.
§CMD_EXECUTE_PHASE_STEPS(2.0.*)
Debrief notes (for BRAINSTORM.md):
- Reflect: Look back at the full session -- identify key takeaways.
- Synthesize: Don't just summarize. Connect the dots between dialogue rounds.
- Next Steps: Propose the move to
IMPLEMENTATION or ANALYSIS -- guide the user.
Walk-through config:
§CMD_WALK_THROUGH_RESULTS Configuration:
mode: "results"
gateQuestion: "Brainstorm complete. Walk through ideas?"
debriefFile: "BRAINSTORM.md"
Before closing, offer a /council panel review on the brainstorm <BRAINSTORM.md> via §CMD_OFFER_COUNCIL_REVIEW (offer, not force) -- diverse expert eyes on the ideas before you act on them. Then offer a /graph flowgraph of the decision tree / option structure of the design via §CMD_OFFER_GRAPH_VIZ (offer, context-gated -- skips linear artifacts).
