app-namer

# App Namer Skill Takes an app idea or one-liner and produces a ranked shortlist of 5-8 **validated** name candidates — not random brainstorming. Each candidate is generated from a naming archetype, paired with a subtitle, checked against App Store display rules, and run through an availability gauntlet (App Store Connect name, trademark, domain, handle) before it's recommended. The output is a name you can reserve in App Store Connect today, with the keyword work already aligned to feed the `app-store/keyword-optimizer` skill. ## When This Skill Activates Use this skill when the user: - Has an app idea but no name ("what should I call it?") - Wants name ideas or a naming brainstorm for a specific app - Needs to know if a name is available / safe to use - Is about to create the app record in App Store Connect and needs to reserve a name - Wants to rename an existing app and needs ownable, ASO-smart options - Picked an idea from `idea-generator` and needs the name before writing the PRD **No app idea yet?** Run `product/idea-generator` first, then come back with the chosen idea. **Already have a locked name and just want ASO?** Skip this skill — go to `app-store/keyword-optimizer`. ## Reference Files Before generating names, load both reference files: | File | Purpose | |------|---------| | **naming-strategies.md** | The 3 archetypes, naming techniques, App Store display mechanics (30-char limit, home-screen truncation, name/subtitle interplay), good/bad examples | | **validation-checklist.md** | The knockout gauntlet — App Store Connect name availability, trademark sanity check, domain/.app, social handles, linguistic safety | ## What This Skill Does ``` Idea/positioning ↓ elicit Naming brief (what it does, who it's for, personality, scope ceiling) ↓ generate across archetypes 20-40 raw candidates (branded / descriptive / hybrid) ↓ filter (pronounce, spell, truncate, confusability) 8-12 survivors ↓ pair with subtitle + score Ranked candidates with name + subtitle + display preview ↓ validate (ASC name / trademark / domain / handle) 5-8 validated candidates ↓ Recommendation + "reserve now" action ``` ## The Naming Process ### Step 1: Build the Naming Brief If the user hasn't given enough context, gather it with AskUserQuestion. You need: | Field | Why it matters | |-------|----------------| | **One-liner** | What the app does in one sentence — drives descriptive/hybrid candidates | | **Target user** | Tone calibration (pro tool vs. playful consumer app) | | **Personality** | Serious, playful, minimal, premium, technical? Sets the archetype mix | | **Category** | App Store category — affects trademark class and competitor naming norms | | **Scope ceiling** | Will it stay single-purpose or grow? A too-descriptive name boxes you in | | **Existing brand** | Company/developer name, existing app family to stay consistent with | If the user gives a one-liner and nothing else, infer sensible defaults, **state your assumptions**, and proceed — don't block on a full questionnaire. ### Step 2: Generate Across Archetypes Generate 20-40 raw candidates spread across the three archetypes (see **naming-strategies.md** for each technique and examples): 1. **Branded / invented** — coined, ownable, zero literal meaning (Spotify, Halide, Bevel, Bear) 2. **Descriptive** — says what it does, carries a keyword (Sleep Cycle, PDF Expert, Pocket Casts) 3. **Hybrid / suggestive** — a real or twisted word that evokes the benefit (Streaks, Overcast, Carrot Weather, Drafts) Aim for roughly **40% hybrid, 30% branded, 30% descriptive** for a typical indie app — hybrid names tend to win because they're ownable *and* memorable, with the descriptive keyword pushed into the subtitle. Use the techniques in **naming-strategies.md**: real words, compounds, portmanteaus, prefix/suffix, dropped vowels, foreign words, metaphors. ### Step 3: Filter Hard and Fast Kill any candidate that fails a basic filter before spending effort scoring it: - ❌ Can't be pronounced correctly on first read - ❌ Can't be spelled correctly after hearing it once (the "radio test") - ❌ (iOS) Doesn't read cleanly when truncated to ~12 characters on the Home Screen — relaxes for Mac apps (see naming-strategies.md) - ❌ Confusable with a major existing app (Notes, Notion, Things, etc.) - ❌ Purely generic/descriptive with no distinctiveness (un-trademarkable) - ❌ Produces an ugly bundle ID or has awkward casing Target 8-12 survivors going into scoring. ### Step 4: Pair With a Subtitle For each survivor, write the `Name — Subtitle` pairing the way it appears on the App Store. This is where the ASO strategy lives: ``` [Brand Name] — [Descriptive keyword phrase] Halide — Pro Camera Streaks — Habit Tracker Bear — Markdown Notes ``` The **name** carries the brand; the **subtitle** carries the searchable keywords. This means a branded/hybrid name doesn't need to be descriptive — the subtitle does that job. Both are 30-char fields and both are indexed. (See `app-store/keyword-optimizer` for full keyword allocation.) ### Step 5: Score Each Candidate Score each candidate 1-10 on six dimensions: | Dimension | WEAK (1-3) | STRONG (4-7) | EXCELLENT (8-10) | |-----------|------------|--------------|------------------| | **Memorability** | Forgettable, generic | Distinctive | Sticky, instantly recalled | | **Clarity/Fit** | Misleading or opaque | Evokes the benefit (with subtitle) | Name+subtitle = instant understanding | | **Availability** | Name & domain taken, TM conflict | Domain workaround, name free | Name + .com/.app + clean TM headroom | | **ASO Value** | Dead keyword-wise | Subtitle carries keywords | Brandable + subtitle owns a keyword | | **Pronounce/Spell** | Fails radio test | Minor ambiguity | Say it once, spell it right, Siri-safe | | **Scalability** | Boxed into v1 scope | Some room | Grows with the product | **Overall = weighted average**, with **Availability and Memorability weighted 1.5×** (an unavailable name scores zero regardless of how clever it is). ### Step 6: Validate the Top Candidates Run the top 5-8 through the gauntlet in **validation-checklist.md**. For each, record status as `available` / `taken` / `conflict` / `unchecked`: 1. **App Store name** — exact-name search on the App Store; reserve in App Store Connect if clear 2. **Trademark knockout** — USPTO/EUIPO + web search in the software class (not legal clearance) 3. **Domain** — `.com`, then `.app`, then `get-/try-/use-` prefixes 4. **Social handle** — consistent handle across X / Instagram (nice-to-have) 5. **Linguistic safety** — no bad meanings in top ASO markets, Siri-pronounceable Use WebSearch/WebFetch to check what's checkable (existing App Store apps, trademark databases, domain registrars). For anything you can't verify, mark it `unchecked` and tell the user exactly how to check — **never report a name as available if you didn't verify it.** ### Step 7: Recommend and Reserve Present the ranked shortlist, then make a single clear recommendation. End with the action: **reserve the winning name in App Store Connect now** — App Store names are unique and first-come, so a name that's available today can be gone tomorrow. ## Output Structure ```json { "naming_brief": { "one_liner": "On-device app that turns leftover ingredients into recipe suggestions", "target_user": "Home cooks who want to reduce food waste", "personality": "warm, simple, a little playful", "category": "Food & Drink", "scope_ceiling": "could expand to meal planning and grocery lists", "assumptions": ["No existing brand to match", "iOS-first, US market primary"] }, "shortlist": [ { "rank": 1, "name": "Larder", "archetype": "hybrid", "name_subtitle": "Larder — Recipes From Leftovers", "char_counts": { "name": 6, "subtitle": 30 }, "home_screen_preview": "Larder", "rationale": "Evokes the source (what's in your larder) without being literal about recipes; warm, short, and far more ownable than the generic 'Pantry'; subtitle carries the 'recipes' + 'leftovers' keywords.", "scores": { "memorability": 8, "clarity_fit": 8, "availability": 9, "aso_value": 8, "pronounce_spell": 9, "scalability": 9 }, "overall_score": 8.4, "validation": { "app_store_name": "no live 'Larder' recipe app found — verify in ASC New App and reserve", "trademark": "unchecked — run USPTO TESS for 'Larder' in Class 9/42 before committing", "domain": "larder.com taken; larder.app available — recommended buy", "handle": "@larder taken; @larderapp available", "linguistic": "clean in EN/ES/DE/JA; Siri-safe" }, "risks": "Slightly less self-explanatory than 'Pantry' on its own — the subtitle does the clarifying. Confirm the trademark knockout before reserving." } ], "filtered_out": [ { "name": "Pantry", "reason": "Too generic to own — App Store name and pantry.com almost certainly taken, un-trademarkable" }, { "name": "LeftoverChef", "reason": "Two-word compound truncates badly on Home Screen; 'Chef' is crowded and trademark-risky" }, { "name": "Fridgify", "reason": "Cute but fails the radio test — users will spell it 'Fridgefy'/'Fridgi'" } ], "recommendation": "Lead with Rank 1 if a clean App Store variant clears reservation; otherwise Rank 2. Reserve the winner in App Store Connect immediately, then run app-store/keyword-optimizer to lock the subtitle and keyword field.", "next_step": "Reserve the name in App Store Connect → run keyword-optimizer for subtitle + 100-char keywords → feed the name into prd-generator" } ``` ## End-to-End Example **Brief:** "A minimalist iOS app that tracks daily water intake with a single tap. For health-conscious people who find existing trackers cluttered. Personality: clean, calm, premium. Stays single-purpose." **Generate (sample of ~30):** - *Branded:* Drift, Sip, Wello, Aqo, Nim - *Descriptive:* Water Daily, Hydrate, Daily Water, Intake - *Hybrid:* Gulp, Tide, Droplet, Wave, Brim, Flow **Filter:** Drop "Intake" (generic, taken), "Hydrate" (crowded, hard to own), "Aqo" (fails spell test). **Pair + score top survivors:** | Name | Pairing | Memorable | Avail. | ASO | Overall | |------|---------|-----------|--------|-----|---------| | Brim | Brim — Water Tracker | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7.6 | | Sip | Sip — Daily Water | 9 | 5 | 7 | 7.2 | | Droplet | Droplet — Hydration | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7.0 | **Validate (top 3):** "Sip" — App Store name almost certainly taken (very common), sip.com taken. "Brim" — exact App Store name worth checking, brim.app likely available, no obvious TM conflict in Class 9. "Droplet" — used by DigitalOcean (TM risk in software). **Recommendation:** "Go with **Brim — Water Tracker**. It's short (stands alone on the Home Screen), calm and ownable, almost certainly clears the App Store name, and `brim.app` is available. Avoid Droplet (DigitalOcean trademark in software). Reserve 'Brim' in App Store Connect now, then run keyword-optimizer to fill the subtitle and keyword field around 'water, hydration, drink, reminder.'" ## Integration With Other Skills ``` product/idea-generator → pick an idea ↓ product/app-namer (THIS SKILL) → name it + reserve it ↓ app-store/keyword-optimizer → lock subtitle + 100-char keywords around the name ↓ product/prd-generator → [App Name] is now filled in ↓ generators/app-icon-generator → icon that matches the name's personality ``` The name you pick here is the highest-weighted ASO field and a permanent brand decision — it flows into the keyword strategy, the PRD, the icon, and the bundle ID. Get it right before you build. ## When NOT to Use This Skill - **No idea yet** — run `idea-generator` first - **Name is already locked** — go to `keyword-optimizer` for ASO - **You need the legal clearance** — this skill does a *knockout* search, not trademark clearance; consult an attorney before filing - **Renaming a high-traffic live app** — renaming resets branded search equity; see `keyword-optimizer/existing-app-strategy.md` before changing a name that's working ## Deliverables At the end of this skill you should have: - [ ] Naming brief captured (one-liner, user, personality, category, scope, assumptions) - [ ] Candidates generated across all three archetypes - [ ] Filtered down with reasons (pronounce/spell/truncate/confusability) - [ ] Each finalist paired as `Name — Subtitle` with char counts ≤ 30 - [ ] Home-screen truncation preview for each - [ ] Scored on all six dimensions, ranked by weighted overall - [ ] Top candidates run through the validation gauntlet with status flags - [ ] One clear recommendation + the "reserve in App Store Connect now" action - [ ] `next_step` pointing to keyword-optimizer and prd-generator ## Output File Location Save results to `app-name-shortlist.json` (project root), using the Output Structure above. --- **Generate wide, filter hard, validate before you fall in love.** The best app name is short, ownable, spellable, available today, and lets the subtitle do the keyword work.