afc-ideate

name	afc:ideate
description	Explore and structure a product idea — brainstorm, ideate, create product brief
argument-hint	[rough idea or problem statement]
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Glob","Grep","WebSearch","WebFetch"]
model	sonnet

/afc:ideate — Explore and Structure a Product Idea

Transforms a rough idea, problem statement, or inspiration into a structured product brief (ideate.md). This is a pre-spec exploration tool — use it when you don't yet know exactly what to build. The output feeds directly into /afc:spec as input.

Relationship to Other Commands

afc:ideate (what to build?) → afc:spec (how to specify it) → afc:plan → afc:implement → ...

• ideate = "I have an idea but haven't decided the scope, audience, or approach yet"
• spec = "I know what to build and need a formal specification"
• ideate is never part of the auto pipeline — it's a standalone exploration tool

Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS — (required) One of:
  • Rough idea: "real-time collaborative whiteboard"
  • Problem statement: "users keep losing unsaved work when the browser crashes"
  • Reference URL: "https://example.com/competitor-product" (fetched and analyzed)
  • File path: "./meeting-notes.md" (read and extracted)

Execution Steps

1. Parse Input

Determine the input type and extract raw content:

1. If $ARGUMENTS starts with http:// or https://:

   • Fetch content via WebFetch
   • Extract: product name, key features, target audience, value proposition
   • Frame as: "Build something similar/better that addresses {gap}"

2. If $ARGUMENTS is a file path (contains / or ends with .md/.txt):

   • Read the file content
   • Extract: action items, feature requests, pain points, user feedback
   • Frame as: structured requirements from raw notes

3. Otherwise: treat as a natural language idea/problem statement

2. Market & Context Research

Perform lightweight research to ground the idea in reality:

1. Competitive landscape (WebSearch):

   • Search: "{core concept}" tool OR app OR service {current year}
   • Identify 3-5 existing solutions
   • Note: what they do well, what gaps exist

2. Technology feasibility (WebSearch, optional):

   • If the idea involves unfamiliar tech: search for current state and constraints
   • Tag findings with [RESEARCHED]

3. Target user validation:

   • Who would use this? Why? What's their current workaround?

3. Explore Existing Codebase (if applicable)

If running inside a project with source code:

1. Check if any related functionality already exists (Glob/Grep)
2. If found: note as "Existing foundation" — ideate around extending, not rebuilding
3. If no codebase or greenfield: skip this step

4. Write Product Brief

Create .claude/afc/ideate.md (overwrite if exists after confirmation) using the template in ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/brief-template.md. Read it first, then generate the brief using that structure.

5. Interactive Refinement

After writing the initial brief, present key decisions to the user:

1. Scope check: "The MVP has {N} features. Does this feel right, or should we cut/add?"
2. Persona validation: "Is {persona} the right primary user?"
3. Open questions: present the top 2 unresolved questions via AskUserQuestion

Apply user feedback directly into ideate.md.

6. Final Output

Ideation complete
├─ .claude/afc/ideate.md
├─ Personas: {count}
├─ MVP features: {count}
├─ Competitors analyzed: {count}
├─ Open questions: {count}
├─ Research sources: {count}
└─ Next step: /afc:spec "{suggested feature description}"

Notes

• This is exploration, not specification. Do not write acceptance criteria, system requirements, or FR/NFR numbers — that belongs in /afc:spec.
• ideate.md lives at .claude/afc/ideate.md (project-level, not feature-level) because ideation may span multiple features.
• Not part of the auto pipeline. ideate is manually invoked when a developer needs to think through an idea before committing to a spec.
• One ideate.md per project — overwrite on re-run (with confirmation). If you need to preserve a previous ideation, rename it first.
• Competitive analysis is lightweight — 3-5 competitors max. Deep market research is not the goal; grounding the idea in reality is.
• Mermaid diagrams are optional — only include if the user flow benefits from visualization. Do not force diagrams for simple concepts.