| name | think |
| description | Brainstorm, evaluate, or decide during product creation. Pause the pipeline to think through a problem, compare approaches, or explore ideas before committing. Use when: 'think about', 'brainstorm', 'evaluate', 'compare', 'should I', 'help me decide', 'what if', 'not sure about', or any hesitation during /fill. |
| argument-hint | [topic or question] |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Glob","Grep","Bash(myclaude *)","WebSearch","AskUserQuestion"] |
Think — Mid-Process Brainstorming & Decision Support
The pipeline builds. This skill thinks. Use it whenever you need to pause, explore, or decide.
When to use: Between any two pipeline steps. During /fill when you're unsure about a section. Before /create when choosing a product type. Before /publish when evaluating readiness.
When NOT to use: For mechanical tasks (/validate, /package). Those have deterministic flows — thinking slows them down.
Activation Protocol
- Shared preamble: Load
references/quality/activation-preamble.md — context assembly, persona adaptation, deterministic routing rules.
- Read
creator.yaml → adapt to profile.type and technical_level
- If a product is active (workspace/{slug}/ exists), read
.meta.yaml → understand current context
- Parse
$ARGUMENTS or conversation context to identify the thinking need
- Route to the appropriate thinking mode
- Load voice identity: Load
references/quality/engine-voice-core.md. Every user-facing line in this skill honors the ✦ signature, three tones, and six anti-patterns.
5b. Load UX vocabulary: Load references/ux-vocabulary.md — translate all internal terms before creator-facing output.
5c. Load proactives: Load references/engine-proactive.md — wire #17 (lost creator detection: if the creator has been in /think for 3+ questions without resolution, suggest concrete next step or /scout).
Thinking Modes
MODE 1: Brainstorm (divergent)
Trigger: "brainstorm", "ideas for", "what could", "possibilities"
Generate 5-7 distinct approaches to the creator's question. For each:
- Name it in 3 words
- One sentence description
- Strength (why this works)
- Risk (why it might not)
End with: "Which resonates? Or want me to combine elements from multiple?"
MODE 2: Evaluate (convergent)
Trigger: "evaluate", "compare", "which is better", "pros and cons"
Structure the evaluation as a decision matrix:
EVALUATING: {what's being compared}
| Criterion | Option A | Option B | Option C |
|-----------|----------|----------|----------|
| {criterion_1} | {score/assessment} | ... | ... |
| {criterion_2} | ... | ... | ... |
RECOMMENDATION: {option} because {one-sentence reasoning}
RISK: {what could go wrong with the recommendation}
MODE 3: Decide (commit)
Trigger: "should I", "help me decide", "which type", "what approach"
Walk through a 3-step decision:
- What are you optimizing for? (speed, quality, simplicity, market fit)
- What are the constraints? (time, skill level, dependencies)
- Given 1+2, the best path is: {recommendation with clear reasoning}
Then: "Ready to act on this? Here's the command: {next_command}"
MODE 4: Explore (research)
Trigger: "what if", "how does", "is there a way to", "explore"
Investigate the question using available context:
- Search workspace/ for related patterns
- Check product-dna/ for type-specific guidance
- Search marketplace via
myclaude search --json 2>/dev/null if relevant (silent-skip on failure per references/cli-contract.md)
- Read references/ for best practices
Synthesize findings, then suggest actionable next steps.
MODE 5: Unstuck (unblock)
Trigger: "I'm stuck", "not sure", "confused", "don't know how"
Diagnose the block:
- Read current product state from .meta.yaml
- Identify where in the pipeline the creator is stuck
- Ask ONE clarifying question to narrow the block
- Offer 2-3 concrete paths forward, each as a command or action
Context-Aware Behavior
If invoked DURING /fill (detected by conversation context):
- Don't break the section walker flow
- Frame thinking as "let's pause on this section"
- After thinking resolves, seamlessly resume: "Ready to continue with {next_section}?"
If invoked BETWEEN commands:
- Full thinking mode, no time pressure
- Can explore multiple angles
If invoked with a product slug:
- Load that product's full context before thinking
- Frame recommendations in terms of that specific product
Marketplace Intelligence
CLI contract: Load references/cli-contract.md for unified error handling. Both commands are silent-skip severity — thinking proceeds without marketplace data if CLI is unavailable.
If the thinking question is about product strategy ("should I build X?", "is there demand for Y?"):
myclaude search "{relevant_query}" --json 2>/dev/null
myclaude trending --json 2>/dev/null
Surface: how many similar products exist, their download counts, pricing, and gaps.
"There are {N} products in this space. The top one has {downloads} downloads. Your differentiation could be: {suggestion based on gap analysis}."
Anti-Patterns
- Analysis paralysis — If the creator has been thinking for 3+ rounds without deciding, gently push: "You have enough information to start. The best way to test an idea is to build v1. You can always iterate."
- Thinking when doing is needed — If the question has an obvious answer ("should I add a README?"), skip thinking mode and just do it.
- Scope expansion — Thinking can expand scope. Always anchor back: "This is interesting, but for YOUR current product ({slug}), the relevant part is: {focused takeaway}."
- Replacing /validate — Thinking is subjective exploration. Quality checks are objective. Don't let /think substitute for /validate.
- Endless brainstorm — Cap brainstorm rounds at 3. After 3: "We've explored enough. Pick one and let's build."
Quality Gate
Compact Instructions
When summarizing this conversation, always preserve:
- The specific question or decision the creator was thinking about
- Key options evaluated and the reasoning for/against each
- The final recommendation or decision made
- Any marketplace data surfaced during exploration
- The command or action suggested as next step
