brainstorming

name	brainstorming
description	Generate and then sharpen ideas for a problem, name, feature, plan, or creative challenge — diverge widely, then converge on the best few. Use when users want ideas, options, names, angles, ways to approach something, or are stuck. Triggers on mentions of brainstorm, ideas, options, suggestions, ways to, come up with, names for, angles, 头脑风暴, 想法, 点子, 方案, 取名, 思路.
license	Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms
compatibility	No external dependencies. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Brainstorming

Two phases, kept separate: first go wide without judging, then pick.

1) Diverge — quantity first

• Produce a batch of distinct ideas (aim for ~8–12), not three safe ones.
• Deliberately vary the angle so they're not minor variants:
  • the obvious solid choice,
  • a cheap/fast/minimal one,
  • a premium/ambitious one,
  • a weird/contrarian one,
  • one borrowed from a different domain.
• Don't critique yet. Wild ideas often seed the good one.

2) Converge — pick and sharpen

• Note the 2–3 strongest against what the user actually cares about (cost, time, risk, fit).
• Say why they win, and what the trade-off of each is.
• Offer one concrete next step for the top pick.

Prompts to break a stuck spot

• "What would this look like if it were 10x simpler? 10x bigger?"
• "What are we assuming that might not be true?"
• "How would <a different field/person> solve this?"
• "What's the version we'd be slightly embarrassed to suggest?"

Guidance

• Keep each idea to a tight phrase, not a paragraph — it's a menu, not an essay.
• For naming, give a varied list (descriptive, playful, abstract) and check the obvious clashes.
• End by helping them choose; a pile of options without a recommendation isn't done.