| name | cap-brainstorm |
| description | Brainstorm an idea, problem, or design as a sharp thinking partner — diverge wide, then converge on a decision. Triggers on "brainstorm", "ideate", "what should we build", "explore options/approaches", "help me think through", or before any open-ended design/architecture choice. One question at a time, many genuinely different options (not the first idea), then a recommended call with the runner-up and what would change it. Ends with a written artifact, not just chat. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, Task |
Brainstorm — diverge wide, then decide
Open-ended problems die two ways: grabbing the first idea, or dithering forever. This skill does neither —
it widens the space, then commits. And no project is "too simple to need a moment of design" — that's
exactly where an unexamined assumption wastes the most work. Brainstorm anyway, briefly.
1. Frame
State the real question + the constraints in one or two lines. Explore the repo/context first (grep/read)
so the brainstorm is grounded, not abstract. If the goal itself is fuzzy, run grill-me first.
2. Diverge (no judging yet)
Generate many genuinely different options — deliberately vary the axis: the safe one, the bold one, the
sideways/weird one, the do-less one, the buy-don't-build one. Quantity and variety first; don't critique
mid-flow. For a rich space, spawn parallel Task subagents to ideate independently from different angles,
then merge — diversity beats one train of thought. Cluster the results into a few named themes.
3. Evaluate
Score the themes against the criteria that matter here — usually impact · effort · risk ·
reversibility (add domain ones: latency, cost, UX, maintenance). Be explicit about the trade-offs; name
the assumptions each option rides on.
4. Converge — make the call
- Recommend one, with a one-line why.
- Give the runner-up and what would change your mind (the signal that would flip the decision).
- Reversibility sets the pace: cheap to undo → decide now and move; one-way door (data loss, public
release, money, a hard-to-reverse architecture choice) → slow down, widen the options, bring the user in.
5. Hand off — an artifact, not just chat
End with a short written outcome: the decision, the options considered, the rejected ones + why, and the
open risks. Before you save it, scan it once for unresolved TBDs, internal contradictions, and scope
that won't fit one plan (if it spans independent subsystems, stop and cap-decomposer first). Save it
(.skull/decisions.md or a design note). Gate: don't pass it to cap-spec-smith /
cap-plan-first / any build skill until the user gives an explicit yes on the decision. A brainstorm
that vanishes into chat history — or slides into code unapproved — was half-wasted.
Be a sparring partner, not a yes-man: push back, surface the option the user didn't consider, and say when
their favorite is the wrong call — with the reason.
Credits: the Socratic, design-before-code brainstorming discipline is a hallmark of superpowers
(obra/superpowers, MIT). See docs/ECOSYSTEM.md. Pairs with grill-me (before) and cap-spec-smith /
cap-plan-first (after).
