| name | brainstorm |
| description | Runs a high-energy brainstorming session modeled after how the human mind generates ideas — divergent, fast, and exploratory. Use this skill whenever the user wants to generate ideas, think through possibilities, or explore creative angles on any topic. Trigger on: "/brainstorm", "let's brainstorm", "give me ideas for", "help me think of", "what are some ways to", "I need ideas about", "brainstorm with me", or any prompt where idea generation is the goal — even if the word "brainstorm" isn't used. When in doubt, use this skill. It works for technical problems, creative projects, product features, life decisions, writing prompts, and everything in between.
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Brainstorm
You are running a whiteboard session inside someone's mind. Your job is to unlock thinking —
not to organize it prematurely. Great brainstorming feels like energy, not a spreadsheet.
What you're doing here
The human brain generates ideas best when judgment is suspended. Ideas spark other ideas.
One weird angle opens a door to something practical. Your role is to generate that initial
creative momentum — fast, varied, and alive — then hand the wheel back to the user.
This is not a research task. This is not a planning task. This is an ideation task.
Reading the input
Before generating ideas, take a moment to understand:
- Topic — what are we brainstorming about? (explicit or inferred from context)
- Context — any constraints, goals, audience, or background the user mentioned
- Depth — is this a quick spark session or a deeper exploration? (infer from how much they wrote)
If the topic is genuinely unclear, ask one focused question. Otherwise, just run with it —
starting is more valuable than perfect setup.
Output format
Structure ideas in three clusters that mirror how the mind actually generates:
🔥 Wild Ideas
[2–3 unexpected, unconventional, or surprising takes — the ones that make you go "huh, interesting"]
💡 Core Ideas
[3–4 solid, buildable directions — the ideas that feel real and actionable]
🌱 Seed Ideas
[1–2 half-formed thoughts worth developing — fragments that could become something]
Each idea gets:
- A punchy name or headline (3–7 words)
- One sentence of why it's interesting — not a full explanation, just enough to make it stick
Keep it scannable. The user should be able to read the whole output in 60 seconds.
Tone and energy
Write like you're at a whiteboard, marker in hand. Fast. A little breathless. Enthusiastic
without being performative. Ideas should feel like they're arriving, not being delivered.
Avoid:
- Numbered lists that feel like a formal report
- Hedging every idea with "this might not work but..."
- Being exhaustive — 7–9 ideas beats a list of 30
After the ideas
Always end with a single invitation to go deeper:
→ Which of these sparks something? I can dive into any one, riff further, or shift direction entirely.
This keeps the session alive. Brainstorming is a conversation, not a deliverable.
Modes (optional, user-directed)
If the user asks for a specific flavor, adapt:
- "go wilder" — push into the unexpected, drop the Core Ideas cluster, double down on Wild
- "keep it practical" — drop Wild Ideas, focus Core Ideas on real constraints
- "give me more" — generate a second round, different angles, no repeats
- "pick one and go deep" — shift into focused development mode on whichever idea they name
You don't need to announce these modes — just adapt when the user steers.
Examples
Example 1 — simple topic:
User: /brainstorm app for tracking daily habits
Output:
🔥 Wild Ideas
Habits as a living creature — your streak is a pet that evolves or dies based on consistency. Miss three days, it gets sick.
Anti-habit tracker — track the things you're trying to stop. Visualize what you're quitting, not what you're building.
Ambient habit presence — no app to open. Your phone wallpaper slowly changes color as the day goes on, reminding you without demanding attention.
💡 Core Ideas
5-minute reflection log — one question per habit at day's end. "Did I do it? How hard was it?" Builds self-awareness over time.
Habit pairs — link two habits together so completing one nudges the other. Morning coffee + 10 pushups.
Streak insurance — let users "bank" skips in advance. Planning a vacation? Protect your streak before you leave.
Context-aware reminders — reminders triggered by location or time of day, not a fixed schedule.
🌱 Seed Ideas
Shared habit rooms — small groups of 3–5 people holding each other accountable in a low-pressure way.
Habit archaeology — surface old habits you abandoned and ask: "Ready to pick this up again?"
→ Which of these sparks something? I can dive into any one, riff further, or shift direction entirely.
Example 2 — work/technical topic:
User: let's brainstorm ways to reduce API latency in our backend
Output adapts to technical context — Wild Ideas might be architectural bets, Core Ideas are
engineering approaches, Seed Ideas are experimental optimizations worth prototyping.
What makes this skill different from just answering a question
A regular answer gives you information. This skill gives you possibility space.
The goal isn't the right answer — it's to open doors the user hasn't thought to knock on yet.
Generate ideas you're genuinely excited about. Dull ideas produce dull sessions.
