Lead Research
tamdogood/builder-essential-skills
Provider-neutral deep-research orchestration for brainstorming, technology choices, comparisons, and state-of-the-art surveys.
When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter.
Install Business Brainstorm
$ npx skills add coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install coreyhaines31/makerskills business-brainstorm --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/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/business-brainstorm .claude/skills/business-brainstorm && 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 "business-brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstorm into .claude/skills/business-brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "business-brainstorm", 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/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstormType 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install coreyhaines31/makerskills business-brainstorm --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/business-brainstorm .agents/skills/business-brainstorm && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "business-brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstorm into .agents/skills/business-brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "business-brainstorm", 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install coreyhaines31/makerskills business-brainstorm --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/business-brainstorm .cursor/skills/business-brainstorm && 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 "business-brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstorm into .cursor/skills/business-brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "business-brainstorm", 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/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git --path skills/business-brainstorm--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 coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install coreyhaines31/makerskills business-brainstorm --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/business-brainstorm .gemini/skills/business-brainstorm && 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 "business-brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstorm into .gemini/skills/business-brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "business-brainstorm", 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills business-brainstormInstalls 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/business-brainstorm .github/skills/business-brainstorm && 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 "business-brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstorm into .github/skills/business-brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "business-brainstorm", 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install coreyhaines31/makerskills business-brainstorm --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/business-brainstorm .opencode/skills/business-brainstorm && 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 "business-brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/business-brainstorm into .opencode/skills/business-brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "business-brainstorm", 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
business-brainstorm- GitHub stars
- 851
- Token cost
- ~1.7k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 685 words
- Files
- 2 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 21
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter.
- Works in 8 steps: Capture the idea → Load the framework + personal overlay → Score each dimension → …
- /deep-research for market validation
- SKILL.md covers Step 1 — Capture the idea, Step 2 — Load the framework +…, Step 3 — Score each dimension and Step 4 — Trigger research…, plus 6 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Business Brainstorm is an agent skill from coreyhaines31/makerskills. When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter. Not "marketing ideas for a product" (that's marketing-skills:marketing-ideas) — this is "should this business exist + can you win it." Runs the idea through a structured framework (problem, audience, wedge, monetization, moat, portfolio fit, distribution, energy fit, opportunity cost), checks domain availability via /domain, optionally triggers /deep-research for market validation, and outputs a…
Its SKILL.md is about 1.7k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/framework.md`).
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Brainstorming and Deep research. The repository describes itself as: AI agent skills for the personal operator's craft — decisions, research, second-brain, content rotation, scenario modeling, and meta-skills to author more. Works with Claude… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- /deep-research for market validation
- Outputs a viability brief: build / sleep on it / pass
- /business-brainstorm
- New business idea
Example prompts
- “marketing ideas for a product”
- “s marketing-skills:marketing-ideas) — this is”
- “/business-brainstorm,”
- “/business-brainstorm”
Workflow steps
8 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 cc31579. 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
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).
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
Business Brainstorm loads about 1.7k tokens when it runs, and up to ~3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 221 tokens; SKILL.md has 685 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills at commit cc31579, republished under its MIT licence (© coreyhaines31). 685 words, ~1,722 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/business-brainstorm/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- business-brainstorm
- description
- When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter. Not "marketing ideas for a product" (that's marketing-skills:marketing-ideas) — this is "should this business exist + can you win it." Runs the idea through a structured framework (problem, audience, wedge, monetization, moat, portfolio fit, distribution, energy fit, opportunity cost), checks domain availability via /domain, optionally triggers /deep-research for market validation, and outputs a viability brief: build / sleep on it / pass. Archives every idea to ~/.config/makerskills/business-brainstorm/archive/ so past work is searchable. Triggers on "/business-brainstorm," "/brainstorm," "new business idea," "should I build X," "pressure test this idea," "validate this idea," "is X a good business," "what about a [type] for [audience]."
- metadata.version
- 0.2.1
/business-brainstorm — Pressure-test a business idea
Takes a vague idea, runs it through the user's filter, and outputs a structured viability brief. Composes with deep-research (for market) and /domain (for naming).
Step 1 — Capture the idea
Get from the user:
- The idea in 1–2 sentences (the what)
- The reason it's on their mind (the why now)
- Any starting context (a chat where this came up, a tweet that inspired it, a problem they've hit)
If they point at a past chat / doc, load it first. Memory has project_*.md files for in-flight projects — check there before assuming the idea is brand-new.
If the idea is too vague to score, ask 1–2 clarifying questions and stop. Don't pad the brief with assumptions.
Step 2 — Load the framework + personal overlay
Read references/framework.md — the user's filter. Apply each dimension in order.
Also try to load ${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/business-brainstorm/portfolio.local.md if it exists — this is where the user lists their real in-flight businesses, properties, audiences, and partners. When present, use it for the "portfolio fit," "distribution," and "opportunity cost" dimensions instead of asking the user to name each one.
Step 3 — Score each dimension
For each of the 9 dimensions in framework.md, give a 1-line take + a verdict (✅ strong / 🟡 OK / ❌ weak / ❓ unknown — needs research).
Don't BS the unknowns. Mark them ❓ and route to deep-research in Step 4.
Step 4 — Trigger research where needed (optional)
If 2+ dimensions are ❓ unknown, offer the user: "Want me to run /deep-research on [topic] before scoring?"
Useful research targets:
- Market size / who pays signal →
last30daysskill (if installed) + web search - Competitive landscape → search for "alternatives to X", "X vs Y" pages
- ICP signal → forums / Reddit / X where the audience hangs out
- Pricing benchmarks → look at competitor pricing pages
If the user says yes, run the deep-research skill on the topic and incorporate the brief.
Step 5 — Check the .com
Always run /domain on the working name(s). A perfect idea with a $50k domain is a worse idea than a B+ idea with a free .com.
If naming is wide open, brainstorm 5–10 candidate names through /domain and report which are available.
Step 6 — Output the brief
Use this template:
# Business brainstorm: <name or idea slug>
**Date:** <YYYY-MM-DD>
**Idea:** <1–2 sentences>
**Why now:** <1 sentence>
## Verdict
**Build** / **Sleep on it** / **Pass** / **Steal an angle for [existing property]**
<2–3 sentence rationale>
## Score
| Dimension | Take | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem | … | ✅ |
| 2. Audience | … | 🟡 |
| 3. Wedge | … | ❓ |
| 4. Monetization | … | ✅ |
| 5. Moat | … | ❌ |
| 6. Portfolio fit | … | ✅ |
| 7. Distribution | … | ✅ |
| 8. Energy fit | … | 🟡 |
| 9. Opportunity cost | … | ❌ |
## Domain
- <name>.com — available / taken / aftermarket $<price>
- (other candidates if relevant)
## Research applied
- <link to deep-research brief in ~/.config/makerskills/deep-research/archive/, if run>
## Open questions
- <what would change the verdict>
## If you build it (sketch)
- **First 100 customers:** <how>
- **Wedge offer:** <what>
- **Price:** <range>
- **MVP scope:** <1–3 features>
## If you don't build it
- **Angle to steal for existing properties:**
- Property A: …
- Property B: …
- Property C: …
- (etc., only where relevant)Step 7 — Archive
Archives live in ${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/business-brainstorm/archive/ (create the directory if missing). Never write archives inside the skill's own folder — skill installs and upgrades re-sync from source and wipe anything saved there. Migration: if this skill's folder contains an old references/ideas-archive/ with user entries, move those files into the archive directory first.
Write to <archive dir>/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>.md. Append to <archive dir>/INDEX.md (create if missing):
- 2026-06-16 — [<idea>](./<filename>.md) — **<verdict>** — <one-line rationale>Show full SKILL.md (267 more words)Show less
Step 8 — Surface
Show the brief in chat. Tell the user the archive path. Offer:
- "Want to push to Notion as a positioning canvas?"
- "Want me to scaffold a project repo / landing page?" (if verdict = Build)
- "Want me to revisit in 30 days?" (if verdict = Sleep on it)
Composes with
deep-research— for market validation when dimensions are ❓/domain— for .com availability and naming brainstorm/last30days— for audience/market recency signal (via deep-research)- Memory (
project_*.md) — for portfolio context (don't pitch an idea that already exists)
Notes on quality
- Nine dimensions, not one hero metric. Ideas fail because one dimension quietly rots even when the rest score high. Force each dimension to be scored — no "we'll figure that out later" cop-outs.
- Verdict discipline: Ship / Sleep on it / Kill. Not "maybe." Ambiguity in the verdict compounds into ambiguity in the commit; the brief exists to prevent that.
- Portfolio-context check is non-negotiable. Before writing, grep memory + wiki for existing property overlap. If the new idea is 80% one of your existing properties, propose extending the existing property instead of forking a new one — 4x cheaper to compound.
- Archive every brief, even Kills. Killed ideas resurface — the brief with rationale prevents re-litigating. The archive dir + INDEX.md makes revisit trivial.
- "Angle to steal" section forces value from Kills. Even ideas you won't build often have an angle that improves an existing property. Don't skip this section — it's the highest-leverage output of a Kill verdict.
- 30-day revisit for "Sleep on it." Set the calendar reminder. Sleep-on-it ideas that never get revisited become dead weight in the archive; ideas that get revisited resurface with better context.
© coreyhaines31, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in skills/business-brainstorm of coreyhaines31/makerskills.
- SKILL.md
- references/framework.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit cc31579
Compare with similar skills
Business Brainstorm 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Brainstorm this skillcoreyhaines31/makerskills | 851 | — | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Lead Researchtamdogood/builder-essential-skills | 221 | — | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Architect ResearchDanMcInerney/architect-loop | 626 | — | ~2.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Brainstorminged3dai/ed3d-plugins | 250 | 1 repos | ~4.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Research ClawAlphaLab-USTC/ResearchClaw | 134 | — | ~578 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Idea Generationvoidful/academic-skills | 135 | — | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Categories
Questions about Business Brainstorm
What does Business Brainstorm do?
When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter. Business Brainstorm is an agent skill from coreyhaines31/makerskills. When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter.
When should I use Business Brainstorm?
Business Brainstorm fits situations like: /deep-research for market validation; outputs a viability brief: build / sleep on it / pass; /business-brainstorm; new business idea.
How do I install Business Brainstorm in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/business-brainstorm in coreyhaines31/makerskills) into .claude/skills/business-brainstorm in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Business Brainstorm in Codex?
Run `npx skills add coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/business-brainstorm in coreyhaines31/makerskills) into .agents/skills/business-brainstorm in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Business Brainstorm 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 coreyhaines31/makerskills --skill business-brainstorm -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/business-brainstorm, .gemini/skills/business-brainstorm, .github/skills/business-brainstorm and .opencode/skills/business-brainstorm in your project.
What does Business Brainstorm need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Business Brainstorm is instructions for the agent only.
Does Business Brainstorm 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 Business Brainstorm 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 Business Brainstorm use?
Business Brainstorm 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 Business Brainstorm use?
About 1.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.9k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 1.3k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Business Brainstorm?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Business Brainstorm: Lead Research (tamdogood/builder-essential-skills, 221 stars), Architect Research (DanMcInerney/architect-loop, 626 stars), Brainstorming (ed3dai/ed3d-plugins, 250 stars) and Research Claw (AlphaLab-USTC/ResearchClaw, 134 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Business Brainstorm?
coreyhaines31 (a GitHub user) maintains it in coreyhaines31/makerskills, which has 851 GitHub stars. The repository holds 21 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.
Source: coreyhaines31/makerskills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.