| name | market-scan |
| description | Fresh public market and community signal scan for product discovery, validation, ICP, competitor, launch, and roadmap decisions. Use Last30Days when available. |
| argument-hint | idea, problem, segment, competitor, audience, or launch question |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"category":"research","tags":["market","discovery","validation","last30days","social-signals"],"effort":"high","side_effect":"external-read-docs-write","explicit_invocation":false} |
Market Scan
Use this skill when PFO needs current public market, competitor, user, or community signals before a product or strategy decision.
Preferred research engine: last30days from mvanhorn/last30days-skill.
Inputs
- Topic, idea, problem, segment, competitor, or launch question
- Target market or geography when relevant
- Product stage: discovery, blueprint, strategy, launch, or iteration
- Existing PFO artifacts if present:
DISCOVERY.md, IDEA_SCORECARD.md, VALIDATION_PLAN.md, MARKET_BRIEF.md, ICP.md, GO_TO_MARKET.md, FEEDBACK_LOG.md
Process
- Read existing PFO artifacts before researching.
- Convert the user request into a public-safe research topic. Remove secrets, private customer data, internal metrics, and proprietary snippets.
- If
last30days is installed, invoke it for the topic and use its synthesized evidence.
- If
last30days is unavailable, mark the scan BLOCKED_EXTERNAL_TOOL and list the exact research topic to rerun after installation. Do not fake social or market evidence.
- Normalize findings into PFO artifacts. Do not paste raw Last30Days output wholesale.
- Update decision impact:
IDEA_SCORECARD.md: evidence, weaknesses, KILL/TEST/BUILD impact.
VALIDATION_PLAN.md: Last 30 Days signal, source, engagement, confidence, next experiment.
MARKET_BRIEF.md: recent community signals, adversarial discovery, top complaints, alternatives, evidence links.
FEEDBACK_LOG.md: public feedback patterns when they influence iteration.
CONTENT_BACKLOG.md: public content candidates only when evidence is approved for reuse.
Output Shape
Return:
TOPIC:
FRESH SIGNALS:
TOP COMPLAINTS:
ALTERNATIVES:
ADVERSARIAL DISCOVERY:
CONFIDENCE:
PFO ARTIFACT IMPACT:
NEXT VALIDATION STEP:
When writing docs, append dated evidence instead of replacing prior user-authored research unless the user explicitly asks to rewrite.
Self-validation
Before final output, verify:
- Route, side-effect, and confirmation requirements match metadata.
- Required artifacts or read-only result are explicit.
- Verification, blockers, and next route are stated.
Rules
- Public sources only.
- Do not send secrets, private customer data, unreleased product details, or proprietary code to external research tools.
- Cite source links when available.
- Separate verified evidence from assumptions.
- Surface competitor advantages and uncomfortable negative signals instead of only supportive evidence.
- Recent social engagement is a signal, not proof. Convert it into validation experiments before broad build scope.