App Namer

Step 6: Validate the Top Candidates

Run the top 5-8 through the gauntlet in validation-checklist.md. For each, record status as available / taken / conflict / unchecked:

1. App Store name — exact-name search on the App Store; reserve in App Store Connect if clear
2. Trademark knockout — USPTO/EUIPO + web search in the software class (not legal clearance)
3. Domain — .com, then .app, then get-/try-/use- prefixes
4. Social handle — consistent handle across X / Instagram (nice-to-have)
5. Linguistic safety — no bad meanings in top ASO markets, Siri-pronounceable

Use WebSearch/WebFetch to check what's checkable (existing App Store apps, trademark databases, domain registrars). For anything you can't verify, mark it unchecked and tell the user exactly how to check — never report a name as available if you didn't verify it.

Step 7: Recommend and Reserve

Present the ranked shortlist, then make a single clear recommendation. End with the action: reserve the winning name in App Store Connect now — App Store names are unique and first-come, so a name that's available today can be gone tomorrow.

Output Structure

{
  "naming_brief": {
    "one_liner": "On-device app that turns leftover ingredients into recipe suggestions",
    "target_user": "Home cooks who want to reduce food waste",
    "personality": "warm, simple, a little playful",
    "category": "Food & Drink",
    "scope_ceiling": "could expand to meal planning and grocery lists",
    "assumptions": ["No existing brand to match", "iOS-first, US market primary"]
  },
  "shortlist": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "name": "Larder",
      "archetype": "hybrid",
      "name_subtitle": "Larder — Recipes From Leftovers",
      "char_counts": { "name": 6, "subtitle": 30 },
      "home_screen_preview": "Larder",
      "rationale": "Evokes the source (what's in your larder) without being literal about recipes; warm, short, and far more ownable than the generic 'Pantry'; subtitle carries the 'recipes' + 'leftovers' keywords.",
      "scores": {
        "memorability": 8,
        "clarity_fit": 8,
        "availability": 9,
        "aso_value": 8,
        "pronounce_spell": 9,
        "scalability": 9
      },
      "overall_score": 8.4,
      "validation": {
        "app_store_name": "no live 'Larder' recipe app found — verify in ASC New App and reserve",
        "trademark": "unchecked — run USPTO TESS for 'Larder' in Class 9/42 before committing",
        "domain": "larder.com taken; larder.app available — recommended buy",
        "handle": "@larder taken; @larderapp available",
        "linguistic": "clean in EN/ES/DE/JA; Siri-safe"
      },
      "risks": "Slightly less self-explanatory than 'Pantry' on its own — the subtitle does the clarifying. Confirm the trademark knockout before reserving."
    }
  ],
  "filtered_out": [
    { "name": "Pantry", "reason": "Too generic to own — App Store name and pantry.com almost certainly taken, un-trademarkable" },
    { "name": "LeftoverChef", "reason": "Two-word compound truncates badly on Home Screen; 'Chef' is crowded and trademark-risky" },
    { "name": "Fridgify", "reason": "Cute but fails the radio test — users will spell it 'Fridgefy'/'Fridgi'" }
  ],
  "recommendation": "Lead with Rank 1 if a clean App Store variant clears reservation; otherwise Rank 2. Reserve the winner in App Store Connect immediately, then run app-store/keyword-optimizer to lock the subtitle and keyword field.",
  "next_step": "Reserve the name in App Store Connect → run keyword-optimizer for subtitle + 100-char keywords → feed the name into prd-generator"
}

End-to-End Example

Brief: "A minimalist iOS app that tracks daily water intake with a single tap. For health-conscious people who find existing trackers cluttered. Personality: clean, calm, premium. Stays single-purpose."

Generate (sample of ~30):

• Branded: Drift, Sip, Wello, Aqo, Nim
• Descriptive: Water Daily, Hydrate, Daily Water, Intake
• Hybrid: Gulp, Tide, Droplet, Wave, Brim, Flow

Filter: Drop "Intake" (generic, taken), "Hydrate" (crowded, hard to own), "Aqo" (fails spell test).

Pair + score top survivors:

Validate (top 3): "Sip" — App Store name almost certainly taken (very common), sip.com taken. "Brim" — exact App Store name worth checking, brim.app likely available, no obvious TM conflict in Class 9. "Droplet" — used by DigitalOcean (TM risk in software).

Recommendation: "Go with Brim — Water Tracker. It's short (stands alone on the Home Screen), calm and ownable, almost certainly clears the App Store name, and brim.app is available. Avoid Droplet (DigitalOcean trademark in software). Reserve 'Brim' in App Store Connect now, then run keyword-optimizer to fill the subtitle and keyword field around 'water, hydration, drink, reminder.'"

Integration With Other Skills

product/idea-generator        → pick an idea
        ↓
product/app-namer (THIS SKILL) → name it + reserve it
        ↓
app-store/keyword-optimizer    → lock subtitle + 100-char keywords around the name
        ↓
product/prd-generator          → [App Name] is now filled in
        ↓
generators/app-icon-generator  → icon that matches the name's personality

The name you pick here is the highest-weighted ASO field and a permanent brand decision — it flows into the keyword strategy, the PRD, the icon, and the bundle ID. Get it right before you build.

When NOT to Use This Skill

• No idea yet — run idea-generator first
• Name is already locked — go to keyword-optimizer for ASO
• You need the legal clearance — this skill does a knockout search, not trademark clearance; consult an attorney before filing
• Renaming a high-traffic live app — renaming resets branded search equity; see keyword-optimizer/existing-app-strategy.md before changing a name that's working

Deliverables

At the end of this skill you should have:

• Naming brief captured (one-liner, user, personality, category, scope, assumptions)
• Candidates generated across all three archetypes
• Filtered down with reasons (pronounce/spell/truncate/confusability)
• Each finalist paired as Name — Subtitle with char counts ≤ 30
• Home-screen truncation preview for each
• Scored on all six dimensions, ranked by weighted overall
• Top candidates run through the validation gauntlet with status flags
• One clear recommendation + the "reserve in App Store Connect now" action
• next_step pointing to keyword-optimizer and prd-generator

Output File Location

Save results to app-name-shortlist.json (project root), using the Output Structure above.

Generate wide, filter hard, validate before you fall in love. The best app name is short, ownable, spellable, available today, and lets the subtitle do the keyword work.