| name | skill-ideation |
| description | Generate agent skill ideas through problem-driven brainstorming. Situation-specific, narrow-but-universal. Triggers when user wants skill ideas or needs to expand their skill collection. |
Skill Ideation
Purpose
Generate skill ideas that solve real problems — not generic topics like "Time Management" or "Communication."
When to Activate
- "Give me skill ideas"
- "What skills should I build?"
- "Brainstorm skills about [topic]"
- "I want to create a skill for [situation]"
- User notices a gap that could be a skill
The Problem with Generic Skills
| ❌ Bad Skill Idea | Why It Fails |
|---|
| Time Management | Too broad, Google handles it |
| Communication | Means everything, helps nothing |
| Productivity | Category, not skill |
| Leadership | 10,000 books already exist |
| ✅ Good Skill Idea | Why It Works |
|---|
| deadline-panic-recovery | Specific moment, actionable |
| saying-no-to-boss | Clear situation, real tension |
| first-week-at-job | Universal experience, time-bound |
| explaining-tech-to-parents | Specific audience, common need |
Generation Framework
Start with Problems, Not Categories
Don't ask: "What category should I make a skill for?"
Ask: "What do people consistently struggle with?"
5 Generation Methods
1. From Failure
What do people consistently screw up?
- first-apology-attempt
- feedback-delivery-fail
- meeting-that-should-be-email
2. From Moments
What 10-minute window needs help?
- waiting-for-interview
- receiving-bad-news
- 3am-anxiety-thoughts
3. From "Nobody Taught Me"
What did school skip?
- how-to-negotiate-rent
- reading-a-room
- when-to-quit
4. From Verbs (Not Nouns)
- Not "communication" → "saying no"
- Not "relationships" → "after the argument"
- Not "career" → "asking for a raise"
5. From Contrarian
What sounds wrong but is right?
- laziness-as-wisdom
- quitting-as-skill
- doing-nothing
Quality Filters
Before proposing any idea, check:
| Test | Question |
|---|
| Who | Specific person who needs this? |
| When | Clear trigger moment? |
| Gap | Google doesn't answer well? |
| Teachable | Can be conveyed in text? |
| Timeless | Still useful next year? |
| Narrow-Universal | Specific but common? |
Category Seed Bank
Use these as starting points, then go specific:
Life Moments
- Micro-Moments (3am thoughts, waiting room anxiety)
- Identity Transitions (first manager, new parent, retirement)
- Life Logistics (moving, negotiating, adulting)
Emotions & Psychology
- Personality Patterns (perfectionist, people-pleaser, overthinker)
- Body Wisdom (gut feelings, stress signals, energy patterns)
- Money Psychology (scarcity mindset, enough number, guilt)
Relationships
- Conflict & Repair (apologies, difficult conversations, boundaries)
- Power Dynamics (managing up, office politics, saying no)
- Dating & Connection (first dates, long-term maintenance, breakups)
Work & Career
- Job Search (interviews, negotiation, first week)
- Professional Skills (presentations, feedback, meetings)
- Freelancing & Side Hustles (pricing, clients, scope creep)
Creativity & Expression
- Creative Blocks (blank page, perfectionism, sharing work)
- Writing (emails, documentation, public content)
- Learning (skill acquisition, deliberate practice, plateaus)
Tech & Modern Life
- AI Interaction (prompting, verification, ethical use)
- Digital Wellness (screen time, notifications, boundaries)
- Remote Work (async communication, video fatigue, isolation)
Health & Wellbeing
- Mental Health (anxiety, depression, therapy prep)
- Physical (sleep, movement, nutrition basics)
- Mind-Body (stress signals, burnout recovery, energy)
Special Seasons
- Major Transitions (new job, marriage, divorce, loss)
- Age-Specific (quarter-life crisis, midlife, retirement)
- Cultural (expat life, coming out, immigrant experience)
Output Format
When generating ideas, use:
| Idea | One-Liner | Type |
|---|
| idea-name | What it solves | 📚/🛠️/🧠/💡 |
Types:
- 📚 Understanding — Explains why
- 🛠️ Practice — Provides templates/methods
- 🧠 Mindset — Reframes thinking
- 💡 Permission — Validates an unpopular choice
User Direction Following
Core principle: User gives a seed, agent diverges.
When user says "brainstorm about swimming":
❌ Don't: "Swimming isn't in my categories"
✅ Do: Explore directions:
- Swimming fear (psychological barrier)
- Pool etiquette (unwritten rules)
- Teaching kids to swim (parenting angle)
- Swimming meditation (mindfulness angle)
- Open water anxiety (specific fear)
- Swimming culture by country (cultural angle)
Follow their direction. Expand, don't limit.
Anti-Patterns
| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do Instead |
|---|
| Propose generic topics | Find the specific moment |
| List categories | List situations |
| Use nouns | Use verbs |
| Ignore user direction | Follow and expand |
| Propose things Google handles | Find the gaps |
Example Session
User: "Give me skill ideas about anxiety"
Response:
| Idea | One-Liner | Type |
|---|
| 3am-thought-spiral | What to do when your brain won't stop at night | 🛠️ Practice |
| anxiety-before-call | The 5 minutes before an important phone call | 🛠️ Practice |
| anxiety-vs-intuition | Is this fear or wisdom? How to tell | 🧠 Mindset |
| first-panic-attack | What's happening and what to do | 📚 Understanding |
| anxiety-at-parties | Surviving social events when you'd rather hide | 🛠️ Practice |
| productive-anxiety | Using anxiety as fuel without burning out | 🧠 Mindset |
| explaining-anxiety | How to tell someone who doesn't get it | 🛠️ Practice |
| anxiety-medication-decision | When to consider it, how to think about it | 💡 Permission |
Note: Not "anxiety management" (too broad) but specific situations where anxiety appears.
Response Principles
- Specific > Generic — "saying no to your boss" beats "assertiveness"
- Moment > Topic — "the morning after a fight" beats "relationships"
- Follow user direction — Expand what they asked, don't redirect
- Action > Theory — Skills should be usable, not just interesting
- Gaps > Coverage — Find what doesn't exist, not what's popular
