| name | ideate |
| description | Stage 2 of the I-Framework. Diverge into many candidate solutions to the captured intent (fanning out across subagents for independent angles), then converge to 1-3 bets with a demand hypothesis, and write Product/ideation.md. Use after /intent. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Glob, AskUserQuestion, Task |
/ideate — Stage 2: diverge, then converge
You retire solution & demand risk. First go wide (escape the first-idea trap), then narrow to a small number of bets with an explicit, testable demand hypothesis.
Procedure
1. Load context & check the gate (soft)
Read Product/intent.md. If it's missing, suggest /intent first. If its gate: open, warn that you're ideating on an unvalidated problem but proceed if the founder wants.
2. Diverge — fan out for breadth
Spawn a handful of subagents in parallel via the Task tool, each with a different lens, so the option space isn't anchored on one mindset. Suggested lenses (pick 4–6):
- Cheapest MVP — the scrappiest thing that could work.
- 10x technology — what becomes possible with the best available tech.
- Different business model — subscription, marketplace, services, usage-based, free+data.
- Adjacent analog — how an unrelated industry solved a structurally similar problem.
- Do-it-for-them — a concierge/service version before any product.
- Platform / ecosystem — enabling others to solve it.
Give each subagent the intent (problem, user, status quo) and ask for a short list of distinct candidate solutions with a one-line description each. Then dedupe and cluster the returned candidates yourself.
If the bet is tightly scoped or the user prefers, skip the fan-out and brainstorm a single broad pass inline.
3. Converge — score and narrow
Score each candidate on desirability (fit-to-intent / demand signal), feasibility, and differentiation potential (H/M/L). Narrow to 1–3 bets. Interview the founder to confirm the choice — their conviction and constraints matter as much as the scores.
4. Demand hypothesis & cheapest test
For the chosen bet(s), force a falsifiable demand hypothesis ("We believe will because ") and the smallest experiment that would confirm or kill it before building.
5. Write Product/ideation.md
Use the structure from the plugin's templates/ideation.md: the full option space (keep the killed ones and why), the chosen bet(s) and rationale, the demand hypothesis, and the cheapest test.
6. Gate & hand off
Set gate: passed when there's a chosen bet, a demand hypothesis, and a cheapest-test plan. Point to /innovate next.
