Grounding A Design
andrew-blake/melcloudhome
A skill your agent uses when about to propose, brainstorm, review or revise a design, fix approach or plan for a feature or behaviour change in this repo, including "brief" or "quick" design…
Log a new idea into tracker/ with elaboration — assumptions, design decisions, related work links, approach brainstorm, and simplest implementation.
Install Track Idea
$ npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install cdiggins/plato track-idea --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/track-idea .claude/skills/track-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "track-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-idea into .claude/skills/track-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "track-idea", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-ideaType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install cdiggins/plato track-idea --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/track-idea .agents/skills/track-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "track-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-idea into .agents/skills/track-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "track-idea", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install cdiggins/plato track-idea --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/track-idea .cursor/skills/track-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "track-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-idea into .cursor/skills/track-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "track-idea", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git --path .claude/skills/track-idea--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install cdiggins/plato track-idea --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/track-idea .gemini/skills/track-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "track-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-idea into .gemini/skills/track-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "track-idea", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install cdiggins/plato track-ideaInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/track-idea .github/skills/track-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "track-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-idea into .github/skills/track-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "track-idea", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install cdiggins/plato track-idea --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cdiggins/plato.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/track-idea .opencode/skills/track-idea && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "track-idea" agent skill from https://github.com/cdiggins/plato/tree/main/.claude/skills/track-idea into .opencode/skills/track-idea/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "track-idea", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
track-idea- GitHub stars
- 106
- Token cost
- ~1.3k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 405 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 5
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Log a new idea into tracker/ with elaboration — assumptions, design decisions, related work links, approach brainstorm, and simplest implementation.
- Works in 6 steps: Understand the idea → Find related work (before writing… → Create the issue (script) → …
- The user says /track-idea
- SKILL.md covers Steps and Rules
- Calls python
What it does
Track Idea is an agent skill from cdiggins/plato. Log a new idea into tracker/ with elaboration — assumptions, design decisions, related work links, approach brainstorm, and simplest implementation. Use when the user says /track-idea, "log this idea", "track this idea", "add to backlog", or fires off a "we should someday…" thought worth keeping.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Development, covering Literature review, Architecture decision records and Brainstorming. The repository describes itself as: A simple and efficient cross-platform programming language. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- The user says /track-idea
- Track this idea
- Fires off a we should someday… thought worth keeping
Example prompts
- “log this idea”
- “track this idea”
- “add to backlog”
- “/track-idea”
Requirements
- Python 3
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit f6e02cf. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
python
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Track Idea loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 77 tokens; SKILL.md has 405 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from cdiggins/plato at commit f6e02cf, republished under its MIT licence (© cdiggins). 405 words, ~1,285 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/track-idea/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- track-idea
- description
- Log a new idea into tracker/ with elaboration — assumptions, design decisions, related work links, approach brainstorm, and simplest implementation. Use when the user says /track-idea, "log this idea", "track this idea", "add to backlog", or fires off a "we should someday…" thought worth keeping.
- argument-hint
- <the idea, in a phrase or paragraph>
<!-- GENERATED by the WorkQuarry installer — do not hand-edit. Edit the source in the workquarry submodule and re-run install.py. -->track-idea — capture and elaborate an idea
Turn a raw idea into a well-formed tracker issue. Mechanical parts go through
tools/track.py; thinking parts (elaboration, search, brainstorm) are yours.
Process reference: tracker/readme.md. Areas are configured in tracker/config.json.
Steps
1. Understand the idea
From the argument or recent conversation. If genuinely ambiguous (two different products fit the words), ask one clarifying question; otherwise proceed and state your interpretation in the issue body.
2. Find related work (before writing anything)
Search for prior art and overlaps — link, don't duplicate:
Grepovertracker/issues/andtracker/BACKLOG.md/tracker/DONE.mdfor keywords and synonyms. If an existing issue already covers the idea, say so and offer to enrich that issue instead of creating a new one.Grepover your docs/discussion folders for related plans, assessments, idea banks.- Check
tracker/decisions/for ADRs that constrain the direction. - Relevant source folders if the idea touches known code.
Collect repo-relative paths and issue ids for the
links:field.
3. Create the issue (script)
python tools/track.py new --title "<short imperative title>" --area <one of your configured areas> --type <idea|feature|problem|debt> --links "<comma-separated links>"Leave priority/effort/risk as ? unless the user stated them or the idea is obviously scoped (then pass your estimate). The script allocates the id, writes frontmatter, and regenerates BACKLOG.md (a generated index — never hand-edit it; later changes go through track.py set).
Show full SKILL.md (205 more words)Show less
4. Elaborate — append body to the issue file
Write these sections after the frontmatter. Terse, substantive, no padding. Skip a section only when it would be empty.
## Idea
One-paragraph restatement, including your interpretation of anything ambiguous.
## Assumptions
Bullet list: what must be true for this to be worth doing (user need, technical precondition, dependency on other work).
## Design decisions
Decision points that change the direction — each as "Question — option A vs B, what each implies". These become ADRs if the idea graduates.
## Related
- [id or path] — one line on the relationship (overlaps / depends on / supersedes / informed by).
## Approaches
Short term: 1–3 ways to get value soon.
Long term: where this could go if it works.
Adjacent ideas worth their own issue: bullet list (see step 6).
## Bedrock
The version of this change that leaves the architecture stronger: name the specific seam, invariant, boundary, or file it strengthens, and what future changes it makes cheaper or safer. Then a one-line verdict: **simplest / right / simplest-along-the-grain**. When the verdict is simplest-along-the-grain, state exactly what the simple version must NOT do so the stronger design stays reachable.
## Done means
2–5 verifiable statements of what "done" looks like, written as checkboxes. Optional at capture; required before idea→ready promotion for feature/debt/bug.
- [ ] X passes
- [ ] Y no longer reproduces
- [ ] Z benchmark ≤ N ms
Whoever lands the work ticks these in the commit that satisfies them; when all are ticked the item is closed in the following commit. Progress is read from these boxes — never stored as a percentage.
## Simplest possible implementation
The smallest thing that could possibly work. Then pros/cons in two bullet lists: what you get, what you give up or risk.The Bedrock section may be a single line — "No architectural leverage here — simplest wins." — when that is true. What is NOT allowed: generic design-principle recitation that names no concrete file, seam, or invariant.
Ground every claim in what you actually found in step 2 — no invented file names or capabilities. Where the repo already has a building block, name the file.
5. Report to the user
Give: the new id (linked), one-line summary of the strongest short-term approach, the key design decision they'll need to make, and any overlap warnings. Do not paste the whole issue body back.
6. Offer spin-offs
If elaboration surfaced adjacent ideas worth tracking separately, list them and ask which to file. File approved ones with the same script (capture only — no full elaboration unless asked).
Rules
- One idea per issue. Compound requests: split, confirm the split with the user.
- Never renumber or reuse ids. The script owns allocation.
- If the user gives a bare phrase mid-conversation, capture context from the conversation into the Idea section — the issue must stand alone without this transcript.
© cdiggins, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in .claude/skills/track-idea of cdiggins/plato.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit f6e02cf
Compare with similar skills
Track Idea next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track Idea this skillcdiggins/plato | 106 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Grounding A Designandrew-blake/melcloudhome | 142 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Brainstormingfeiskyer/claude-code-settings | 1.7k | — | ~985 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Comet Designrpamis/comet | 3.2k | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Macro Idea Generationagentii-ai/agentii-investment-intelligence | 207 | — | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Scientific BrainstormingOleafly/Oleafly | 206 | 2 repos | ~3.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Macro Idea Generation
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Track Backlog
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View and manage the tracker backlog — show in-progress work, current priorities, sprint contents; triage untriaged items; promote ideas to ready; plan a sprint (big rocks + little rocks…
Track Issue
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Log a concrete issue (bug, technical debt, open design problem, or retire candidate) into tracker/ with elaboration — symptoms/impact, affected code links, root-cause notes, fix approaches, and…
Write Docs
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Read BEFORE writing or editing any durable document in this repo — docs/.md, stdlib/.md, tracker/readme.md, AGENTS.md, any README.
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Write or review a project README.md in plain technical-writer prose — problem it solves and doesn't, honest assessment of tested vs untested, trade-offs, prior art, organization, and usage.
Related
Questions about Track Idea
What does Track Idea do?
Log a new idea into tracker/ with elaboration — assumptions, design decisions, related work links, approach brainstorm, and simplest implementation. Track Idea is an agent skill from cdiggins/plato. Log a new idea into tracker/ with elaboration — assumptions, design decisions, related work links, approach brainstorm, and simplest implementation.
When should I use Track Idea?
Track Idea fits situations like: the user says /track-idea; track this idea; fires off a we should someday… thought worth keeping.
How do I install Track Idea in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/track-idea in cdiggins/plato) into .claude/skills/track-idea in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Track Idea in Codex?
Run `npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/track-idea in cdiggins/plato) into .agents/skills/track-idea in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Track Idea in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add cdiggins/plato --skill track-idea -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/track-idea, .gemini/skills/track-idea, .github/skills/track-idea and .opencode/skills/track-idea in your project.
What does Track Idea need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Track Idea needs the command-line tools its instructions call (python). Our summary lists: Python 3.
Does Track Idea access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Track Idea safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Track Idea use?
Track Idea is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Track Idea use?
About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Track Idea?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Track Idea: Grounding A Design (andrew-blake/melcloudhome, 142 stars), Brainstorming (feiskyer/claude-code-settings, 1.7k stars), Comet Design (rpamis/comet, 3.2k stars) and Macro Idea Generation (agentii-ai/agentii-investment-intelligence, 207 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Track Idea?
cdiggins (a GitHub user) maintains it in cdiggins/plato, which has 106 GitHub stars. The repository holds 5 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 26, 2026.
Source: cdiggins/plato on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.