Mz Release Signoff
MaterializeInc/materialize
Verify a release candidate on the Grafana dashboards and sign off in release.
Help users identify the most viable path into product management, assess their role fit, and execute a transition strategy through internal mobility, APM programs, or startup roles.
Install Breaking Into Product
$ npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills breaking-into-product --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/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/breaking-into-product .claude/skills/breaking-into-product && 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 "breaking-into-product" agent skill from https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-product into .claude/skills/breaking-into-product/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "breaking-into-product", 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/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-productType 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills breaking-into-product --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/breaking-into-product .agents/skills/breaking-into-product && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "breaking-into-product" agent skill from https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-product into .agents/skills/breaking-into-product/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "breaking-into-product", 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills breaking-into-product --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/breaking-into-product .cursor/skills/breaking-into-product && 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 "breaking-into-product" agent skill from https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-product into .cursor/skills/breaking-into-product/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "breaking-into-product", 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/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git --path skills/breaking-into-product--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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills breaking-into-product --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/breaking-into-product .gemini/skills/breaking-into-product && 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 "breaking-into-product" agent skill from https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-product into .gemini/skills/breaking-into-product/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "breaking-into-product", 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills breaking-into-productInstalls 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/breaking-into-product .github/skills/breaking-into-product && 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 "breaking-into-product" agent skill from https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-product into .github/skills/breaking-into-product/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "breaking-into-product", 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills breaking-into-product --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/breaking-into-product .opencode/skills/breaking-into-product && 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 "breaking-into-product" agent skill from https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/main/skills/breaking-into-product into .opencode/skills/breaking-into-product/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "breaking-into-product", 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
breaking-into-product- GitHub stars
- 1.4k
- Token cost
- ~1.6k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 939 words
- Files
- 3 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 76
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Help users identify the most viable path into product management, assess their role fit, and execute a transition strategy through internal mobility, APM programs, or startup roles.
- Works in 4 steps: Assess role fit - Help the user evaluate… → Identify the optimal path - Determine… → Build a product track record - Guide the… → …
- Tasks that involve Monitoring and alerting
- SKILL.md covers How to Help, Core Principles, Questions to Help Users and Common Mistakes to Flag, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Breaking Into Product is an agent skill from RefoundAI/lenny-skills. Help users identify the most viable path into product management, assess their role fit, and execute a transition strategy through internal mobility, APM programs, or startup roles.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 3 other files, including reference files (for example `references/artifacts.md` and `references/guest-insights.md`).
It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Monitoring and alerting. The repository describes itself as: 86 product management skills from Lenny's Podcast for Claude Code and AI agents. Hiring, user research, strategy, shipping, and more. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Monitoring and alerting
Example prompts
- “/breaking-into-product”
Workflow steps
4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Assess role fit - Help the user evaluate if the daily realities of product management align with their motivations and natural tendencies.
- Identify the optimal path - Determine whether internal transfer, APM programs, or joining an early-stage startup is the most viable route…
- Build a product track record - Guide the user on how to accumulate product-adjacent experience and social capital in their current role.
- Master the interview process - Provide frameworks for product sense, analytical, and execution-style interview questions.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 13598cc. 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.
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
Breaking Into Product loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs, and up to ~7.1k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 51 tokens; SKILL.md has 939 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills at commit 13598cc, republished under its MIT licence (© RefoundAI). 939 words, ~1,550 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/breaking-into-product/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- breaking-into-product
- description
- Help users identify the most viable path into product management, assess their role fit, and execute a transition strategy through internal mobility, APM programs, or startup roles.
Breaking Into Product Management
Strategically navigate the competitive path to your first product management role.
Help the user with breaking into product management using insights from 11 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter.
How to Help
- Assess role fit - Help the user evaluate if the daily realities of product management align with their motivations and natural tendencies.
- Identify the optimal path - Determine whether internal transfer, APM programs, or joining an early-stage startup is the most viable route based on their current context.
- Build a product track record - Guide the user on how to accumulate product-adjacent experience and social capital in their current role.
- Master the interview process - Provide frameworks for product sense, analytical, and execution-style interview questions.
Core Principles
Prioritize Internal Mobility
Annie Pearl: "I think there's really two paths. I think one is more formal in nature. There are associate product manager programs out there and many scaled companies, Google, Meta. All have APM programs that you can formally apply to."
The most effective way to break into the role is through internal transfers or formal APM programs at companies where you have already built trust.
Build or Sell First
Kevin Yien: "So for me, the sort of foundational three are going to be engineer, designer or salesperson. I think sales also gets not a bad rep, but a misrepresented reputation in tech where all they care about is quota, it's just about numbers, et cetera. In reality, the best salespeople are the best listeners, the best people at understanding the problem that the customer is having and then translating that into what you can do for them."
Gaining experience in roles that directly build or sell the product provides a necessary foundation for understanding how to convert potential into customer value.
Get a Seat on the Rocket Ship
Naomi Gleit: "I ended up going, sort of the analogy, I went to the second floor most days after work, asked if there were any projects that I could help out with. It was very early days. There was always more to do than people to do it. And so eventually I picked up a few projects, helping with program management, giving my product feedback, and by the time that I actually applied formally to be a product manager, I had been doing the job voluntarily, almost informally for a few months."
Prioritize getting into a high-growth company in any capacity, then leverage that position to transition into the product department once you have proven your capabilities.
Follow Your Natural Gravity
From "Should I become a product manager": "I switched from engineering to product about ten years into my engineering career, and looking back it was one of the best decisions of my life. Though I loved programming, frankly, I was a mediocre engineer. I got my work done, but I knew I was never going to be an amazing engineer."
The transition is most successful when you are already naturally performing PM-related tasks like stakeholder coordination and customer discovery in your current role.
Leverage Operational Expertise
Christopher Miller: "I think the pedigree of product manager at HubSpot at that time was also a bit different. There were folks who maybe started their time at HubSpot in support, and so intimately familiar with the product and with customers. Some of these people had closed thousands of support tickets and my background was a bit different."
Deep domain expertise in customer support or internal operations can be your 'wedge' into a PM role by solving problems the business isn't yet addressing.
Show full SKILL.md (343 more words)Show less
Lead with Problem Obsession
Deb Liu: "I think when you have passion around a product or passion around a company or around a business model or around something, it shows. And so it's not necessarily faking the enthusiasm or faking the idea that you want to work there, but you don't have to know how to write this spec or PRD or briefings or anything like that. You don't know how to do customer research or do data analytics or read reports, but instead show your passion around the product itself, around the use case, around the customer."
Demonstrating a genuine obsession with solving user problems is often more effective than formal credentials when convincing a team to hire you as a first-time PM.
Questions to Help Users
- "What is your current role, and what product-adjacent tasks are you already performing?"
- "Are you more excited by technical implementation or the underlying business strategy and customer problems?"
- "Does your current company have a product management team you can shadow or support?"
- "Are you willing to take a non-PM role at a high-growth startup to eventually transition?"
- "How do you currently handle situations where you need to lead without formal authority?"
- "Which specific industry or domain do you have the deepest expertise in?"
Common Mistakes to Flag
- Seeking the PM title for status - The role is fundamentally about serving the team and solving customer problems rather than seeking individual praise or authority.
- Over-indexing on theoretical knowledge - Hiring managers value a track record of shipping and solving real problems over formal certifications or degrees.
- Trying to switch companies and roles simultaneously - It is significantly harder to prove PM potential to strangers than to colleagues who already trust your work ethic and domain knowledge.
- Failing to narrow scope in interviews - Candidates often get overwhelmed by complex product prompts because they do not make clarifying assumptions in the first minute of the conversation.
Deep Dive
For all 10 sourced insights from 11 guests, see references/guest-insights.md
Related Skills
- Pm Career Growth
- Career Transitions
- Building A Promotion Case
- Negotiating Compensation
© RefoundAI, 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 2 other files (references) in skills/breaking-into-product of RefoundAI/lenny-skills.
- SKILL.md
- references/artifacts.md
- references/guest-insights.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 13598cc
Compare with similar skills
Breaking Into Product 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking Into Product this skillRefoundAI/lenny-skills | 1.4k | — | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Mz Release SignoffMaterializeInc/materialize | 6.4k | — | ~7.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Axiom Alerting Managementopenclaw/clawhub | 9.5k | — | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| KubeEye Cluster Inspectionkubesphere/kubesphere | 17k | — | ~3.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Axiom Dashboard Builderopenclaw/clawhub | 9.5k | — | ~4.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Docs Corpus Auditmicrosoft/apm | 4k | — | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
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Questions about Breaking Into Product
What does Breaking Into Product do?
Help users identify the most viable path into product management, assess their role fit, and execute a transition strategy through internal mobility, APM programs, or startup roles. Breaking Into Product is an agent skill from RefoundAI/lenny-skills. Help users identify the most viable path into product management, assess their role fit, and execute a transition strategy through internal mobility, APM programs, or startup roles.
When should I use Breaking Into Product?
Breaking Into Product fits situations like: tasks that involve Monitoring and alerting.
How do I install Breaking Into Product in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/breaking-into-product in RefoundAI/lenny-skills) into .claude/skills/breaking-into-product in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Breaking Into Product in Codex?
Run `npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/breaking-into-product in RefoundAI/lenny-skills) into .agents/skills/breaking-into-product in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Breaking Into Product 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 RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill breaking-into-product -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/breaking-into-product, .gemini/skills/breaking-into-product, .github/skills/breaking-into-product and .opencode/skills/breaking-into-product in your project.
What does Breaking Into Product need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Breaking Into Product is instructions for the agent only.
Does Breaking Into Product 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 Breaking Into Product 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 Breaking Into Product use?
Breaking Into Product 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 Breaking Into Product use?
About 1.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.2k 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 5.5k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Breaking Into Product?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Breaking Into Product: Mz Release Signoff (MaterializeInc/materialize, 6.4k stars), Axiom Alerting Management (openclaw/clawhub, 9.5k stars), KubeEye Cluster Inspection (kubesphere/kubesphere, 17k stars) and Axiom Dashboard Builder (openclaw/clawhub, 9.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Breaking Into Product?
RefoundAI (a GitHub organization) maintains it in RefoundAI/lenny-skills, which has 1,381 GitHub stars. The repository holds 76 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on July 16, 2026.
Source: RefoundAI/lenny-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.