| name | gift-finder |
| description | Find a genuinely good gift for a specific person and occasion within a budget — thoughtful and non-obvious, not a generic 'top 10 gifts' list. Use when asked for gift ideas, what should I get [person], help me find a present, or I have no idea what to buy. Produces a short set of tailored ideas across price points, why each fits this person, where to get it and rough price, a safe backup, and an honest flag when you need one more detail to nail it. |
Gift Finder
The reason gift-guides are useless is they don't know the person. This starts from who they actually are — their interests, the inside jokes, the thing they keep meaning to buy themselves — and works to ideas that feel chosen, not grabbed. A few strong options across price points, each with a reason it fits, plus a reliable backup so you're never empty-handed.
What This Skill Produces
- 3–5 tailored ideas across a couple of price points, each clearly matched to this person
- The "why it fits" — the specific reason this suits them, not gift-ability in general
- Where & roughly how much — types of shops/sites and a price ballpark (not fake exact prices)
- A safe backup — the reliable choice if the personal ones miss
- The one question that would sharpen it, if the brief is thin
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Who — relationship, age-ish, and what they're into (hobbies, tastes, what they talk about)
- The occasion & budget — birthday / holiday / thank-you / just because, and the spend range
- The relationship line — how personal is appropriate (a coworker vs. a partner)
- What's been given/what they have — to avoid repeats and things they already own
Framework: Chosen, Not Grabbed
- Start from the person. Ideas flow from a real detail about them — the tell of a thoughtful gift.
- Range the price. A safe mid option, a splurge, and a small-but-lovely — so budget flexes.
- Experiences and consumables count — a class, a great bottle, a booking; not everything must be an object.
- Match intimacy to the relationship. Personal for a partner; safe-but-warm for a colleague.
- Honesty over exact prices. Give ballparks and where to look; don't invent a precise price or stock status.
Output Format
Gift for [person] · [occasion] · budget [range]
Idea 1 — [item/experience] · ~[price], [where]
Why it fits: [specific to them].
Idea 2 … · Idea 3 …
Safe backup: [reliable choice] — why it always lands.
To nail it, tell me: [the one detail that would sharpen these].
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- A generic "top gifts" list that ignores who the person is.
- Inventing exact prices or "in stock now" claims — use ranges and where-to-look.
- Overshooting intimacy — a deeply personal gift for a casual colleague.
- Only objects when an experience or consumable would fit better.
- Repeating something they were said to already have.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Gift ideas for my dad who's into cycling and terrible to buy for, ~$60."
- "What should I get my partner for our anniversary?"
- "Need a thank-you present for a neighbour who watched our dog."
- "Secret Santa at work, $25 limit, don't know them well."
- "I have no idea what to buy my teenage niece."
