brainstorming

name	brainstorming
description	Use when user requests creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Activates BEFORE APEX Analyze phase to refine requirements through structured questioning.

Brainstorming Skill

Design-first approach: no code before design approval.

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Agent Workflow (MANDATORY)

Before ANY brainstorming session, spawn both subagents in parallel (spawn_agent, one dispatch):

1. explore-codebase - Understand project context, patterns, constraints
2. research-expert - Fetch best practices and documentation

After design approval, transition to APEX Analyze phase, passing along the explore-codebase and research-expert findings in the handoff (not just the design doc). APEX Analyze re-runs those same agents by default — carrying forward what was already gathered here avoids re-doing the same research twice.

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Overview

Scenario	Action
New feature	Full brainstorming (6 steps)
Major change	Full brainstorming (6 steps)
Component creation	Full brainstorming (6 steps)
Trivial fix (1-3 lines)	Skip brainstorming, go to APEX
Simple rename/typo	Skip brainstorming, go to APEX

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6-Step Process

Step 1: Explore Project Context

Gather context before asking questions:

• git log --oneline -20 - Recent changes and direction
• Existing code patterns and conventions
• Related documentation and prior decisions
• Tech stack and dependency constraints

Step 2: Ask Clarifying Questions (ONE AT A TIME)

Ask focused questions sequentially. Wait for each answer before the next.

Categories: purpose, constraints, success criteria, users, integrations.

See workflow.md for question categories

Step 3: Diverge, Then Converge to 2-3 Approaches

Generate ≥6-8 distinct approaches via a named technique (SCAMPER / reverse-brainstorming / analogies), judgment suspended — not 3 sizes of the same idea. Only then converge to 2-3 with trade-offs in table format:

Approach	Pros	Cons	Recommendation
Option A	...	...	...
Option B	...	...	...
Option C	...	...	...

Always include a clear recommendation with rationale.

Step 4: Present Design for Approval

Break design into digestible sections:

1. Architecture overview
2. Key components and responsibilities
3. Data flow and state management
4. Edge cases and error handling

Wait for explicit user approval before proceeding.

Step 5: Save Design Document

Save approved design to: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md

Step 6: Transition to APEX

Hand off to APEX Analyze phase with the approved design as input.

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Reference Guide

Topic	Reference	When to Consult
Workflow	workflow.md	Question categories, proposal format, design template
Anti-Patterns	anti-patterns.md	Catching rationalizations to skip brainstorming

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Quick Reference

1. Explore   → git log, codebase, docs (agents in parallel)
2. Question  → ONE AT A TIME, wait for answers
3. Diverge   → 6-8 options (named technique), converge to 2-3 with trade-offs table
4. Design    → Present sections, get approval
5. Save      → docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md
6. Handoff   → APEX Analyze with approved design + prior research (no re-research)

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Critical Rules

1. NEVER write code before design approval - Design first, always
2. Ask questions ONE AT A TIME - Never dump a list of 10 questions
3. Always propose alternatives - Minimum 2 approaches with trade-offs
4. Save the design doc - Creates audit trail and shared reference
5. Get explicit approval - "Looks good" or similar before proceeding