| name | idea-decomposition |
| description | Breaks a large or complex idea into smaller, actionable sub-ideas, each with their own first steps and tags. Creates the sub-ideas in idea.log and links them back to the parent. Use when an idea feels too big to start. |
Decompose an Idea into Actionable Pieces
Works with idea.log. Get it on the App Store.
When to Use
- An idea feels too big or vague to start working on
- You want to turn a project-sized idea into a series of concrete tasks
- An idea has been sitting in "Pending" (see the shared status reference) because the scope is intimidating
- You want to make incremental progress on a large concept
How It Works
- User specifies which idea to decompose (by name or search term)
- Find the idea with
search_ideas and fetch details with get_idea
- Analyze the idea's scope, description, comments, and tags
- Break it into 3-7 smaller, independent sub-ideas
- Confirm the decomposition with the user
- Create each sub-idea with
create_idea, inheriting relevant tags and adding a reference to the parent
- Update the parent idea with
update_idea to note it's been decomposed
- Add a comment to the parent with
add_comment listing the sub-ideas
Decomposition Principles
Good Sub-Ideas
- Independent — Each can be worked on without completing the others first
- Specific — Clear enough that you know when it's done
- Small — Completable in one focused session (1-4 hours)
- Has a first step — Every sub-idea gets a concrete first action
Decomposition Patterns
| Parent Idea Type | Decomposition Strategy |
|---|
| App or tool | Split by feature or component (auth, UI, data layer, CLI) |
| Blog post or content | Split by section or research task |
| Learning goal | Split by topic or milestone |
| Refactor | Split by module or system boundary |
| Experiment | Split into hypothesis, setup, execution, analysis |
Example
Input:
Break down my "personal finance dashboard" idea
Actions:
1. Found idea: "Build a personal finance dashboard"
Tags: app, web, multi-week
First step: none
Comments: "Should pull from bank APIs and show spending trends"
2. Proposed decomposition:
a) "Finance dashboard: Research bank/financial data APIs"
First step: "List 3 aggregation APIs (Plaid, Yodlee, MX) and compare pricing"
Tags: app, web, research
b) "Finance dashboard: Design data model for transactions"
First step: "Draft schema for accounts, transactions, and categories"
Tags: app, web, data
c) "Finance dashboard: Build transaction import pipeline"
First step: "Set up a Plaid sandbox account and fetch sample transactions"
Tags: app, web, api
d) "Finance dashboard: Create spending category visualization"
First step: "Pick a charting library and render a sample pie chart with mock data"
Tags: app, web, design
e) "Finance dashboard: Build monthly trend view"
First step: "Aggregate sample transactions by month and render a line chart"
Tags: app, web, design
3. User confirmed. Created 5 sub-ideas.
4. Updated parent idea: "Decomposed into 5 sub-ideas — see comments"
5. Added comment to parent listing all sub-ideas with their first steps
Checklist
Idea Decomposition:
- [ ] Found and reviewed the target idea
- [ ] Analyzed scope and identified natural boundaries
- [ ] Created 3-7 independent sub-ideas
- [ ] Each sub-idea has a first step and tags
- [ ] Confirmed decomposition with user
- [ ] Updated parent idea with decomposition note
- [ ] Added comment linking to all sub-ideas
Learn More
