| name | aso-naming |
| description | Turn a product concept into ranked Title + Subtitle candidates using the Brand+Keyword formula, 4 angles, safety/collision checks, and a 12-point rubric. Use before launch, before a rename, or for naming a sister-SKU.
|
| user-invocable | true |
| argument-hint | [concept or flags: --validate <name> | --rename <current-name> | --from-proposal | --from-brief] |
| allowed-tools | Agent AskUserQuestion Read Write Edit Glob Grep Bash WebFetch |
/aso-naming
Standalone naming pipeline. Produces a ranked shortlist of Title + Subtitle
candidates following the framework at
specs/aso-pipeline/strategic-product-naming.md.
Use when:
- Launching a new product and a name has not been locked in
- Validating a working name before committing (App Store submission, trademark
filing, domain purchase)
- Renaming an existing app (carries migration cost — surface it honestly)
- Naming a sister-SKU in a portfolio play (per
specs/aso-pipeline/smart-aso-techniques.md §1.5)
This skill is also invoked from:
/aso-pipeline build (after the app brief is constructed)/product-explore (offered at the end of the proposal pipeline)
Mode Detection
Parse $ARGUMENTS:
| Argument pattern | Mode | Behavior |
|---|
| (none) or free text | explore | Generate a shortlist from scratch |
--validate <name> | validate | Score a specific candidate against the rubric, suggest alternates if it fails |
--rename <current-name> | rename | Lead with migration cost, then propose alternatives |
--from-proposal | explore | Read docs/proposal.md to seed concept / target user / category |
--from-brief | explore | Read aso/config/app_brief.yaml to seed inputs |
Phase 0: Preflight
Light preflight — this skill is intentionally low-dependency.
-
Verify the framework spec is present at
specs/aso-pipeline/strategic-product-naming.md. If absent, report:
Missing spec: specs/aso-pipeline/strategic-product-naming.md.
This skill depends on the strategic naming framework. Restore the file from
the nextc-claude repo and re-run.
STOP. Do not spawn the agent.
-
Optional context (informational only — never failure conditions):
docs/proposal.md — seeds concept and target useraso/config/app_brief.yaml — seeds platforms, locales, competitorsaso/handoffs/keywords_to_metadata.md — seeds measured keyword demand
-
Report preflight state to the user:
Preflight passed.
Spec: specs/aso-pipeline/strategic-product-naming.md ✓
Proposal: docs/proposal.md [found/not found]
App brief: aso/config/app_brief.yaml [found/not found]
Keyword handoff: [found/not found]
Mode: [explore/validate/rename]
Output Destination
Default output path:
| Invocation context | Path |
|---|
Standalone /aso-naming | aso/outputs/naming-worksheet.md |
Inside /product-explore | docs/explore/naming.md |
Inside /aso-pipeline build | aso/outputs/naming-worksheet.md, also pre-fills aso/config/app_brief.yaml.title_options |
The spawning context passes the chosen path into the agent's spawn prompt.
Cost & Time Estimate
| Mode | Tokens | Time |
|---|
explore | ~25K | ~5 min |
validate | ~12K | ~3 min |
rename | ~30K | ~6 min |
Show the estimate before spawning.
Spawn the Agent
Agent(
subagent_type: "nextc-aso:aso-naming",
model: "sonnet",
prompt: """
Mode: [explore/validate/rename]
Working directory: [cwd]
Output path: [aso/outputs/naming-worksheet.md | docs/explore/naming.md | custom]
[If --validate:]
Candidate name to validate: [name]
[If --rename:]
Current app name: [name]
Reason for rename (if user provided): [reason]
[If --from-proposal or proposal exists:]
Proposal context available: docs/proposal.md (read it for concept, target user, category)
[If --from-brief or brief exists:]
App brief available: aso/config/app_brief.yaml (read it for platforms, locales, competitors)
[If keywords handoff exists:]
Keyword handoff available: aso/handoffs/keywords_to_metadata.md (use for measured demand)
Framework spec (mandatory read): specs/aso-pipeline/strategic-product-naming.md
"""
)
After the Agent Returns
- Display the consultant SUMMARY from the agent's return block to the user.
- Show the path to the worksheet output.
- If the agent's quality gate is
WARN or FAILED, surface the reason
prominently — never bury it.
- Offer next steps based on context:
- Standalone: "Run the validation checklist in
aso/outputs/naming-worksheet.md (3–5 manual searches + WoM test). Come back
with results and I'll lock in metadata via /aso-pipeline run."
- From
/aso-pipeline build: "Brief updated with title candidates. Run
/aso-pipeline run to continue with full optimization."
- From
/product-explore: "Proposal updated with naming recommendation.
Next step is /aso-pipeline build or /flutter-kickoff depending on where
you are."
Mode-Specific Notes
explore (default)
Most common path. Spawns the agent with mode=explore. The agent runs all 10
process steps (see nextc-aso/agents/aso-naming.md).
If --from-proposal is set or docs/proposal.md exists, the agent reads the
proposal first and reuses concept + target user + category. The user is asked
only for missing fields.
validate
User has a working name and wants it scored — do not generate a new shortlist
unless the candidate fails the quality gate. The agent scores against the
12-point rubric, runs the collision and WoM checks, and either:
- Approves: "Strong on 11/12. The one weak point is X — here's how to mitigate."
- Fails: "Weak on criterion Y (score 2). The candidate has [collision risk |
WoM risk | famous-brand echo]. Here are 2 alternates that score 4+ on the
same angle."
rename
Highest-cost mode. Lead with the migration cost analysis (lost rankings, lost
word-of-mouth memory, paid-reacquisition cost), THEN explore alternatives. If the
user's stated reason for renaming is not "we hit a collision" or "we got a
trademark cease-and-desist," challenge whether the rename is worth it before
generating candidates.
Error Recovery
| Failure | Recovery |
|---|
| Spec file missing | Stop in preflight (see Phase 0) |
Agent returns QUALITY_GATE: FAILED | Display reason, offer: revise concept and re-run, OR run /aso-pipeline keywords first to get measured demand data |
| WebFetch collision check blocked | Agent produces manual collision queries — user runs them and reports back |
| User dislikes all candidates | Re-spawn agent with refined inputs (different stage, different keyword angle, different target audience) |
