Agent skill

Yc Weekly Growth Compass

by magnus919 in magnus919/agent-skills

Make weekly startup growth decisions using growth rate, user behavior, and experiment evidence.

MITAuto-check passed

Install Yc Weekly Growth Compass

skills CLI
$ npx skills add magnus919/agent-skills --skill yc-weekly-growth-compass -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install magnus919/agent-skills yc-weekly-growth-compass --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/magnus919/agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/yc-weekly-growth-compass .claude/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Facts

Skill name
yc-weekly-growth-compass
GitHub stars
115
Token cost
~2.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,058 words
Files
7 (incl. scripts, references, assets)
Skills in repo
131
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Make weekly startup growth decisions using growth rate, user behavior, and experiment evidence.

  • Works in 4 steps: State your target weekly growth rate… → For any proposed initiative, ask: "Does… → If yes → do it. If no → defer or drop it. → …
  • Profitability trajectory analysis
  • SKILL.md covers When to Load, How to Use, Methodology and The Decision Framework, plus 5 more sections
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder; calls python

What it does

Yc Weekly Growth Compass is an agent skill from magnus919/agent-skills. Make weekly startup growth decisions using growth rate, user behavior, and experiment evidence. Do not use this skill for runway, burn, or profitability trajectory analysis; use yc-default-alive-calculator for financial sustainability.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 10 other files, including scripts, reference files and assets (for example `README.md`, `assets/compound-growth-table.md` and `evals/evals.json`). Compatibility notes: Python 3.9+ with standard library only (no external dependencies). The growth-compass.py script uses only math, json, and sys.

The repository describes itself as: Curated collection of AI agent skills for Hermes and other agent frameworks. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Profitability trajectory analysis
  • Use yc-default-alive-calculator for financial sustainability

Example prompts

  • “/yc-weekly-growth-compass”

Requirements

  • Python 3
  • Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Python 3.9+ with standard library only (no external dependencies). The growth-compass.py script uses only math, json, and sys.

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. State your target weekly growth rate (e.g., "7%")
  2. For any proposed initiative, ask: "Does this serve our target growth rate?"
  3. If yes → do it. If no → defer or drop it.
  4. At end of week, measure actual growth. If you missed target, something else matters more than the thing you did.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 22b4723. 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

    Ships 2 files in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

    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.

  • Compatibility

    Python 3.9+ with standard library only (no external dependencies). The growth-compass.py script uses only math, json, and sys.

    From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

Context cost

Yc Weekly Growth Compass loads about 2.5k tokens when it runs, and up to ~4.2k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 66 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,058 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~66
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.5k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~4.2k

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); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from magnus919/agent-skills at commit 22b4723, republished under its MIT licence (© magnus919). 1,058 words, ~2,534 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 6 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
yc-weekly-growth-compass
description
Make weekly startup growth decisions using growth rate, user behavior, and experiment evidence. Do not use this skill for runway, burn, or profitability trajectory analysis; use `yc-default-alive-calculator` for financial sustainability.
compatibility
Python 3.9+ with standard library only (no external dependencies). The growth-compass.py script uses only math, json, and sys.
license
MIT
metadata.spec-version
1.0
metadata.tags
startup-growth, growth-rate, ycombinator, paul-graham, startup-metrics, weekly-growth, traction, compound-growth, startup-compass
metadata.sources
https://paulgraham.com/growth.html, https://paulgraham.com/ds.html, https://www.ycombinator.com/about
metadata.skills
yc-default-alive-calculator
metadata.requires-toolsets
terminal

Weekly Growth Compass

"If there's one number every founder should always know, it's the company's growth rate. That's the measure of a startup. If you don't know that number, you don't even know if you're doing well or badly." — Paul Graham, "Startup = Growth" (September 2012)

This skill operationalizes Y Combinator's core growth philosophy into a repeatable weekly practice. The growth rate is not just a metric — it's a compass for every decision a founder makes.

When to Load

TriggerExample
"What's my growth rate?"Routine founder check-in
"Are we growing fast enough?"Trajectory anxiety
"Should we prioritize feature X or growth Y?"Decision framing
"Where will we be in a year?"Projection/planning
"How does our growth compare to YC benchmarks?"Benchmarking
"Is this initiative worth doing?"Growth compass check
"How long to double our revenue?"Milestone planning

How to Use

Quick Rule of Thumb (No Script)

YC's empirical benchmarks, based on measuring thousands of startups:

Weekly GrowthAnnualizedYC Assessment
1%1.7xConcerning — haven't found product-market fit
2%2.8xBelow average — need significant acceleration
5%12.6xGood — solid trajectory, keep pushing
7%33.7xVery good — exceptional progress
10%142.0xOutstanding — rare breakout trajectory

The inflection point: 5-7% weekly is the target zone YC coaches for.

Growth Compass Exercise (No Script)

Use this heuristic for any strategic decision:

  1. State your target weekly growth rate (e.g., "7%")
  2. For any proposed initiative, ask: "Does this serve our target growth rate?"
  3. If yes → do it. If no → defer or drop it.
  4. At end of week, measure actual growth. If you missed target, something else matters more than the thing you did.

This transforms the bewildering complexity of startup building into a single optimization problem, exactly as Graham intended.

Full Analysis (Script)
bash
python scripts/growth-compass.py \
  --current-value 1200 \
  --previous-value 1000 \
  --period weekly

Or with a full series for trending:

bash
python scripts/growth-compass.py \
  --series "1000,1050,1100,1200,1350,1420" \
  --period weekly
Required inputs
FlagDescriptionExample
--current-valueMetric value this period1200
--previous-valueMetric value last period1000
Or --seriesComma-separated values over time"1000,1050,1100"
--periodweekly, monthly, or quarterlyweekly
Optional inputs
FlagDescriptionExample
--project-periodsPeriods to project forward (default: 52)104
--target-valueTarget metric to reach100000
--metric-nameLabel for the metric (default: "users/revenue")"MRR"
--jsonMachine-readable JSON output
--dry-runValidate inputs and show what would be computed without running
Output fields
FieldMeaning
growth_rate.period_rate_pctCalculated growth rate for the input period
growth_rate.weekly_equivalent_pctWeekly rate with the same annual compound multiplier
benchmark.labelYC tier classified from the weekly equivalent; YC thresholds are weekly-only
projected_1yrValue after 52 weeks at current rate
projected_2yrValue after 104 weeks at current rate
doubling_timePeriods to double at current rate
time_to_targetIf target set, periods to reach it
assessmentPlain-English interpretation

Methodology

Growth Rate Calculation
growth_rate = ((current_value - previous_value) / previous_value) × 100

For series with 3+ data points, the script computes:

  • Period-over-period rates for each interval
  • Mean growth rate (arithmetic average)
  • Median growth rate (robust to outliers)
  • Compound weekly growth rate (CWGR) — fitted from first to last value
Period Conversion and YC Tiers

The YC tier thresholds (2%, 5%, 7%, and 10%) describe weekly growth. Monthly and quarterly inputs are converted without changing their annual compound multiplier:

weekly_rate = (1 + period_rate)^(periods_per_year / 52) - 1

The main benchmark and assessment always use that weekly equivalent. Period growth remains separately reported and is used for period-based projections and doubling time. The comparison table labels its rows as weekly benchmark rates and shows the equivalent rate for the selected input period; it does not classify a monthly or quarterly rate with weekly thresholds.

The Compass Principle

From Graham's essay: "We usually advise startups to pick a growth rate they think they can hit, and then just try to hit it every week. If they decide to grow at 7% a week and they hit that number, they're successful for that week. There's nothing more they need to do. But if they don't hit it, they've failed in the only thing that mattered."

The script operationalizes this by:

  1. Computing whether you hit your target
  2. Projecting forward at current rate vs. target rate
  3. Showing the gap in absolute terms so founders feel the urgency
Show full SKILL.md (394 more words)Show less
Compound Growth Projection
future_value = current_value × (1 + growth_rate/100)^periods

The magic of compound growth at YC benchmarks:

Starting from $1,000/month MRR:

Weekly GrowthMonth 12Month 24Month 36
1%$1,700$2,900$4,900
5%$12,600$159,000$2.0M
7%$33,700$1.1M$38M
10%$142,000$20.2M$2.9B

The difference between 5% and 7% weekly is the difference between a lifestyle business and a category-defining company. Small variations in growth rate produce qualitatively different outcomes.

The Decision Framework

For the Founder
  1. Monday: Set this week's growth target
  2. Every decision: "Does this serve the target?"
  3. Friday: Measure actual growth
  4. If hit: Successful week, nothing else matters
  5. If missed: Alarmed. What went wrong? Adjust.
For the Investor/Advisor

Use YC's diagnostic frame:

What's your weekly growth rate?  ─→  < 5%: Founders aren't doing
    ↓                                    unscalable things
    ↓                                5-7%: Good, keep pushing
    ↓                                10%+: Exceptional
What's your growth rate trend?     ─→  Accelerating: product-market fit
    ↓                                    Decelerating: market saturation or churn
    ↓                                    Flat: plateau, needs intervention
Is revenue growing same as users?  ─→  No: monetization gap

Example: Early YC Company Assessment

bash
python scripts/growth-compass.py \
  --current-value 35000 \
  --previous-value 32000 \
  --period monthly \
  --metric-name "MRR" \
  --target-value 100000

Growth rate: 9.4% monthly (~2.09% weekly equivalent) YC assessment: Below Average (based on the weekly equivalent) 1-year projection: ~$107K MRR Doubling time: ~7.7 months Months to $100K MRR: ~12 months

References

  • references/growth-compass-framework.md — Full essay breakdown with quotes
  • assets/compound-growth-table.md — Reference table for quick lookup
  • yc-default-alive-calculator companion skill — For financial sustainability analysis

Available Scripts

ScriptPurposeInvocation
scripts/growth-compass.pyDeterministic CLI calculator: computes period growth rate, YC benchmark assessment, compound projections (1yr/2yr), doubling time, and time-to-target; accepts two values or a comma-separated series, with text or --json output. Run it whenever a founder asks for an actual growth number, projection, or benchmark rather than a rule-of-thumb answer.python scripts/growth-compass.py --current-value 1200 --previous-value 1000 --period weekly --json
scripts/test_growth_compass.pyOffline regression checks for weekly identity, monthly/quarterly conversion, annual compounding invariance, negative/zero rates, and JSON/text benchmark consistency.python -m unittest scripts/test_growth_compass.py

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.9+ with the standard library only (per compatibility) — no external packages, API keys, or data files.
  • Real metric inputs: current/previous values for one period, or at least a short series of historical values. The script computes arithmetic; it cannot invent your numbers.
  • The terminal toolset (per frontmatter) to execute Python.

Limitations

  • Growth rate is computed from exactly what you pass in: garbage inputs produce confident-looking output, so confirm the metric definition (users vs revenue vs MRR) and the period alignment before trusting results.
  • Projections are pure compounding of the latest rate — they model no churn, seasonality, capacity limits, or deceleration.
  • Series statistics need 3+ points; with only two values there is no mean/median/CWGR trend, just the single interval rate.
  • The YC tier labels are benchmarks from Paul Graham's "Startup = Growth" essay, not a valuation or fundraising judgment.

© magnus919, 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 6 other files (scripts, references, assets) in yc-weekly-growth-compass of magnus919/agent-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • README.md
  • assets/compound-growth-table.md
  • evals/evals.json
  • references/growth-compass-framework.md
  • scripts/growth-compass.py
  • scripts/test_growth_compass.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 22b4723

Compare with similar skills

Yc Weekly Growth Compass 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.

Yc Weekly Growth Compass compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
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Growth Enginesickn33/agentic-awesome-skills47k2 repos~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Growth Logaffaan-m/ECC277k1 repos~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Weekly Review PlanningNousResearch/hermes-agent252k—~994Automated safety check: PassMIT
Startup Canvasphuryn/pm-skills27k—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Yc Weekly Growth Compass

What does Yc Weekly Growth Compass do?

Make weekly startup growth decisions using growth rate, user behavior, and experiment evidence. Yc Weekly Growth Compass is an agent skill from magnus919/agent-skills. Make weekly startup growth decisions using growth rate, user behavior, and experiment evidence.

When should I use Yc Weekly Growth Compass?

Yc Weekly Growth Compass fits situations like: profitability trajectory analysis; use yc-default-alive-calculator for financial sustainability.

How do I install Yc Weekly Growth Compass in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add magnus919/agent-skills --skill yc-weekly-growth-compass -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (yc-weekly-growth-compass in magnus919/agent-skills) into .claude/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Yc Weekly Growth Compass in Codex?

Run `npx skills add magnus919/agent-skills --skill yc-weekly-growth-compass -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (yc-weekly-growth-compass in magnus919/agent-skills) into .agents/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Yc Weekly Growth Compass 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 magnus919/agent-skills --skill yc-weekly-growth-compass -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass, .gemini/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass, .github/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass and .opencode/skills/yc-weekly-growth-compass in your project.

What does Yc Weekly Growth Compass need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Yc Weekly Growth Compass needs Python for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (python). Our summary lists: Python 3. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Python 3.9+ with standard library only (no external dependencies). The growth-compass.py script uses only math, json, and sys..

Does Yc Weekly Growth Compass 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 Yc Weekly Growth Compass 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. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Yc Weekly Growth Compass use?

Yc Weekly Growth Compass is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Yc Weekly Growth Compass use?

About 2.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 10k 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 1.7k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Yc Weekly Growth Compass?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Yc Weekly Growth Compass: Weekly Project Digests (thedotmack/claude-mem, 99k stars), Growth Engine (sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, 47k stars), Growth Log (affaan-m/ECC, 277k stars) and Weekly Review Planning (NousResearch/hermes-agent, 252k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Yc Weekly Growth Compass?

magnus919 (a GitHub user) maintains it in magnus919/agent-skills, which has 115 GitHub stars. The repository holds 131 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

Source: magnus919/agent-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.