codex-first-customer-finder-skill

# Codex First Customer Finder Skill > Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — Codex Skills collection. A Codex skill that analyzes startup URLs or product ideas to find qualified potential first customers using recent public pain, demand, and timing signals. It creates evidence-backed prospect shortlists with source links, fit scores, and personalized outreach openers without automatically sending any messages. ## What It Does - Analyzes startup URLs, repositories, or product descriptions to define ideal customer profiles - Searches public sources for explicit demand, pain, workaround, switching, and timing signals - Qualifies prospects with evidence-based scores linking to original public sources - Drafts respectful, source-based outreach openers (manual sending only) - Generates responsive standalone HTML reports with prospect rankings - Avoids private contact enrichment and sensitive personal data collection ## Installation The skill installs into `~/.codex/skills/first-customer-finder`: ```bash # Quick installation via npx npx --yes codex-first-customer-finder-skill@latest ``` After installation, restart your Codex agent to load the skill. ### Manual Installation ```bash git clone https://github.com/Kappaemme-git/codex-first-customer-finder-skill.git mkdir -p ~/.codex/skills cp -R codex-first-customer-finder-skill/first-customer-finder ~/.codex/skills/first-customer-finder ``` ## Usage Patterns ### Basic Customer Discovery Find potential first customers for a startup: ```text Use $first-customer-finder to find ten evidence-backed potential first customers for https://example.com and create the final HTML report. ``` ### Design Partners Mode Prioritize prospects likely to provide product feedback: ```text Use $first-customer-finder in design-partners mode for this startup: https://example.com. Prioritize people publicly describing the problem and likely to give product feedback. ``` ### B2B Research Find business prospects with public triggers: ```text Use $first-customer-finder in b2b mode for https://example.com. Find public business triggers, qualify the relevant companies, and draft one opener per prospect without sending anything. ``` ### Community Signal Discovery Focus on explicit requests and public discussions: ```text Use $first-customer-finder in community mode for [product description]. Find people actively discussing this problem in public forums and communities. ``` ### Quick Research Generate a shortlist of high-confidence prospects: ```text Use $first-customer-finder in quick mode for https://example.com to find five strong prospects with the best timing signals. ``` ### Deep Analysis Comprehensive research with pattern analysis: ```text Use $first-customer-finder in deep mode for https://example.com. Find up to twenty prospects and analyze repeated pain patterns across signals. ``` ## Modes | Mode | Description | Prospect Count | |------|-------------|----------------| | `quick` | High-confidence prospects only | Up to 5 | | `standard` | Balanced research across source types | Up to 10 | | `deep` | Comprehensive with pattern analysis | Up to 20 | | `design-partners` | Feedback-oriented early adopters | Up to 10 | | `b2b` | Companies with business triggers | Up to 10 | | `community` | Public discussion signals | Up to 10 | ## Report Output The generated HTML report includes: 1. **Early-customer verdict** - Overall market signal assessment 2. **Primary ICP and disqualifiers** - Ideal customer profile definition 3. **Highest-confidence prospect** - Top-ranked opportunity with evidence 4. **Evidence-backed prospect shortlist** - Complete list with source links 5. **Fit and timing scores** - Quantified prospect qualification 6. **Source links and signal dates** - Original public signal references 7. **Personalized outreach openers** - Draft messages (manual sending) 8. **Repeated pain patterns** - Common themes across signals 9. **Seven-day manual outreach plan** - Suggested sequencing 10. **Research limitations** - Methodology transparency ## Configuration The skill uses environment variables for API access (if needed for data sources): ```bash # Example environment configuration (adjust based on actual implementation) export CODEX_SKILL_DATA_SOURCES="public" export CODEX_SKILL_MAX_PROSPECTS=10 export CODEX_SKILL_OUTPUT_DIR="./customer-reports" ``` ## Invocation Examples ### From Product Description ```text Use $first-customer-finder for a developer tool that helps teams migrate from MongoDB to PostgreSQL. Focus on recent migration pain signals and active database switchers. ``` ### From Repository ```text Use $first-customer-finder to analyze https://github.com/username/project and find ten potential first customers based on the README and documentation. ``` ### With Specific Criteria ```text Use $first-customer-finder in standard mode for https://example.com. Focus on prospects who have publicly mentioned the problem in the last 30 days and show urgency signals. ``` ## Understanding Prospect Scores - **Fit Score**: How well the prospect matches the ICP (based on role, context, problem description) - **Timing Score**: Recency and urgency of the public signal - **Evidence Quality**: Clarity and specificity of the pain point or demand signal High scores (8-10) indicate strong alignment between the prospect's public signal and your product's value proposition. ## Best Practices ### 1. Start with the Startup Context Provide as much context as possible: ```text Use $first-customer-finder for https://example.com (a scheduling tool for freelance consultants). Look for signals around calendar chaos, double-booking, and manual scheduling pain. ``` ### 2. Review Evidence Links Always verify the source links in the report before reaching out. The skill provides hypotheses, not guarantees. ### 3. Customize Outreach Openers The generated openers are templates. Personalize them further based on: - Additional profile research - Specific signal context - Your brand voice ### 4. Respect Privacy and Intent - Signals are public, but respect boundaries - Only reach out if the signal indicates openness to solutions - Never automate bulk outreach ### 5. Track Follow-up Manually The skill generates a 7-day plan but doesn't send messages. Use your CRM or manual tracking for: - Initial outreach status - Response tracking - Follow-up scheduling ## Troubleshooting ### Skill Not Found If Codex doesn't recognize `$first-customer-finder`: ```bash # Verify installation directory ls ~/.codex/skills/first-customer-finder # Reinstall if missing npx --yes codex-first-customer-finder-skill@latest # Restart Codex agent ``` ### Low-Quality Prospects If prospects seem irrelevant: ```text Use $first-customer-finder for https://example.com. Define the ICP more narrowly: exclude hobbyists, focus on B2B SaaS companies with 10-50 employees experiencing [specific pain point]. ``` ### Insufficient Signal Volume Try different modes or sources: ```text Use $first-customer-finder in deep mode for https://example.com. Expand sources to include Reddit, niche forums, and GitHub discussions beyond Twitter/LinkedIn. ``` ### Report Not Generating Ensure the skill completes research before requesting the report: ```text Use $first-customer-finder for https://example.com in standard mode. After completing prospect research, generate and save the HTML report to ./reports/customers.html ``` ## Integration Workflows ### With CRM Export ```text Use $first-customer-finder for https://example.com. After generating the report, extract prospect data (name, signal, source URL, score) into a CSV for CRM import. ``` ### With Content Calendar ```text Use $first-customer-finder in community mode for https://example.com. Identify the top three pain patterns and suggest five content ideas addressing each pattern for inbound customer acquisition. ``` ### With Product Roadmap ```text Use $first-customer-finder in design-partners mode for https://example.com. Find prospects who mention feature gaps or workarounds that could inform our Q2 roadmap priorities. ``` ## Limitations - **Public signals only**: No private data scraping or contact enrichment - **Hypotheses, not guarantees**: Prospects are qualified leads, not confirmed buyers - **Manual outreach required**: Skill never sends messages automatically - **Source availability**: Results depend on public signal volume and recency - **Language**: Primary support for English-language signals ## Example Complete Workflow ```text 1. Use $first-customer-finder in standard mode for https://myproduct.com (a Git-based documentation tool for engineering teams) 2. After research completes, review the HTML report focusing on: - Top 3 prospects with timing scores above 8 - Common pain patterns in the "Repeated Patterns" section - Source links for signal verification 3. Customize the suggested outreach openers for the top 3 prospects, adding: - Reference to their specific project or company - One relevant product feature addressing their exact pain point - Low-pressure ask (demo vs. feedback vs. conversation) 4. Manually send outreach via LinkedIn/email with 2-day spacing 5. Use the 7-day plan to schedule follow-ups in calendar 6. Track responses and update ICP assumptions based on feedback ``` ## License MIT License - See repository for full details.