| name | soleri-brainstorming |
| tier | default |
| description | Triggers: "I want to build something", "let's think about", "what if we", "creative exploration", "ideate". Open-ended creative exploration when requirements are not yet clear. |
Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs
Turn ideas into fully formed designs through collaborative dialogue. Understand project context, ask questions one at a time, present a design, get approval.
Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any project, or take any implementation action until you have presented a design and the user has approved it. This applies to EVERY project regardless of perceived simplicity.
Checklist
Complete in order:
- Classify intent —
YOUR_AGENT_core op:route_intent
- Search vault for prior art —
YOUR_AGENT_core op:search_intelligent
- Search web for existing solutions — don't build what already exists
- Explore project context — check files, docs, recent commits
- Ask clarifying questions — one at a time, purpose/constraints/success criteria
- Propose 2-3 approaches — with trade-offs and your recommendation
- Present design — in sections scaled to complexity, get approval after each
- Capture design decision — persist to vault
- Write design doc — save to
docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md and commit
- Transition — invoke writing-plans skill (the ONLY next skill)
Search Before Designing
Vault First
YOUR_AGENT_core op:search_intelligent
params: { query: "<the feature or idea>" }
Also check: op:vault_tags, op:vault_domains, op:brain_strengths, op:memory_cross_project_search with crossProject: true.
Web Search Second
If vault has no prior art, search web for existing libraries, reference implementations, best practices, known pitfalls.
Present findings: "Before we design this, here's what I found..."
The Process
- Understanding: Check project state, ask one question per message, prefer multiple choice
- Exploring: Propose 2-3 approaches, lead with recommendation, reference vault patterns and web findings
- Presenting: Scale each section to complexity, ask after each section, cover architecture/components/data flow/error handling/testing
After the Design
Capture the decision:
YOUR_AGENT_core op:capture_knowledge
params: {
title: "<feature> — design decision",
description: "<chosen approach, rationale, rejected alternatives>",
type: "principle",
domain: "<domain>",
tags: ["design-decision"]
}
Write validated design to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md and commit. Then invoke writing-plans.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping vault search and reinventing solved problems
- Jumping to implementation without design approval
- Asking multiple questions per message (overwhelming)
- Treating "simple" projects as too simple to need a design
Quick Reference
| Op | When to Use |
|---|
route_intent | Classify work type |
search_intelligent | Search vault for prior art |
vault_tags / vault_domains | Browse knowledge landscape |
brain_strengths | Check proven patterns |
memory_cross_project_search | Check other projects |
capture_knowledge | Persist design decision |