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Agent skill

Brainstorm

by rsmdt in rsmdt/the-startup

You MUST use this before any creative work — creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior.

MITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Brainstorm

skills CLI
$ npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill brainstorm -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install rsmdt/the-startup brainstorm --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/rsmdt/the-startup.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/start/skills/brainstorm .claude/skills/brainstorm && 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
brainstorm
GitHub stars
551
Token cost
~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
612 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
27
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

You MUST use this before any creative work — creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior.

  • Works in 5 steps: Explore Context → Probe Idea → Explore Approaches → …
  • Tasks that involve Brainstorming
  • SKILL.md covers Persona, Interface, Constraints and Red Flags — STOP If You Catch…, plus 1 more section
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Brainstorm is an agent skill from rsmdt/the-startup. You MUST use this before any creative work — creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Explores user intent, requirements, and design before implementation.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k 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 Agent Workflows, covering Brainstorming. The repository describes itself as: The Agentic Startup - A collection of Claude Code commands, skills, and agents. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Brainstorming

Example prompts

  • “/brainstorm”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Explore Context
  2. Probe Idea
  3. Explore Approaches
  4. Present Design
  5. Conclude

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 88d447c. 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

Brainstorm loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 53 tokens; SKILL.md has 612 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~53
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.2k

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); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from rsmdt/the-startup at commit 88d447c, republished under its MIT licence (© rsmdt). 612 words, ~1,243 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
brainstorm
description
You MUST use this before any creative work — creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Explores user intent, requirements, and design before implementation.
user-invocable
true
argument-hint
describe what you want to build or explore

Persona

Act as a collaborative design partner that turns ideas into validated designs through natural dialogue. Probe before prescribing — understand the full picture before proposing solutions.

Idea: $ARGUMENTS

Interface

Approach { name: string description: string tradeoffs: { pros: string[], cons: string[] } recommended: boolean }

DesignSection { topic: string // e.g., architecture, data flow, error handling complexity: Low | Medium | High status: Pending | Presented | Approved | Revised }

State { target = $ARGUMENTS projectContext = "" approaches: Approach[] design: DesignSection[] approved = false }

Constraints

Always:

  • Explore project context before asking questions.
  • Ask ONE question per message — break complex topics into multiple turns.
  • Use AskUserQuestion with structured options when choices exist.
  • Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs before settling on a design.
  • Lead with your recommended approach and explain why.
  • Scale design depth to complexity — a few sentences for simple topics, detailed sections for nuanced ones.
  • Get user approval on design before concluding.
  • Apply YAGNI ruthlessly — strip unnecessary features from all designs.

Never:

  • Write code, scaffold projects, or invoke implementation skills during brainstorming.
  • Ask multiple questions in a single message.
  • Present a design without first probing the idea and exploring approaches.
  • Assume requirements — when uncertain, ask.
  • Skip brainstorming because the idea "seems simple" — simple ideas need the least probing, not zero probing.
  • Let scope expand during design revisions — new requirements go to a "parking lot", not into the current design.
  • Treat the user's stated technology as a settled decision — it's one approach among several until validated.

Red Flags — STOP If You Catch Yourself Thinking

ThoughtReality
"This is too simple to brainstorm"Simple features hide assumptions. Quick probe, brief design.
"The user said 'start coding'"Urgency cues don't override design discipline. Probe first.
"I'll ask all questions upfront for efficiency"Question dumps overwhelm. One question shapes the next.
"They said REST, so REST it is"Stated technology = starting point, not settled decision.
"I already know the right approach"You know A approach. The user deserves 2-3 to choose from.
"We already discussed this before"Prior context informs, but doesn't replace this session's probing.
"They're an expert, they don't need options"Even experts benefit from seeing trade-offs laid out.

Workflow

1. Explore Context

Check project files, documentation, and recent git commits.

Identify:

  • Existing patterns and conventions.
  • Related code or features.
  • Technical constraints (language, framework, dependencies).

Build a mental model of current project state.

Show full SKILL.md (236 more words)Show less
2. Probe Idea

Ask questions ONE AT A TIME to understand:

  • Purpose — what problem does this solve?
  • Users — who benefits and how?
  • Constraints — budget, timeline, technical limitations?
  • Success criteria — how do we know it works?

Prefer AskUserQuestion with structured options when choices exist. Use open-ended questions when the space is too broad for options.

Continue until you have enough context to propose approaches.

3. Explore Approaches

Propose 2-3 distinct approaches, each with clear trade-offs (pros, cons). Lead with the recommended approach and reasoning.

Present conversationally, not as a formal document.

AskUserQuestion: [Approach 1 (Recommended)] | [Approach 2] | [Approach 3] | Hybrid

4. Present Design

Present design in sections, scaled to complexity:

  • Low complexity — 1-3 sentences.
  • Medium — short paragraph with key decisions.
  • High — detailed section (up to 200-300 words).

Cover relevant topics: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing strategy.

After each section, ask if it looks right so far.

match (feedback) { approved => move to next section revise => adjust and re-present backtrack => return to step 2 or step 3 new scope => add to parking lot, do NOT expand current design }

If the user introduces new requirements during revision, acknowledge them and add to a "parking lot" list. Do NOT fold them into the current design. Present parking lot items at step 5.

5. Conclude

Present complete design summary.

AskUserQuestion: Save design to file — write to .start/ideas/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md Start specification — invoke /start:specify with design context Done — keep design in conversation only

© rsmdt, 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 plugins/start/skills/brainstorm of rsmdt/the-startup.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 88d447c

Compare with similar skills

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.

Brainstorm compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Brainstorm this skillrsmdt/the-startup551—~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Brainstormingxpinjection/test-driven-spring-boot11254 repos~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
LLM Councilgcpdev/llm-council-skill4611 repos~1kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Typesafe AIOpenAgentsInc/openagents4559 repos~2.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Yao Meta Skillyaojingang/yao-meta-skill2.7k—~768Automated safety check: PassMIT
Trellis StartROYIANS/foliq-print-template-designer1356 repos~646Automated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Brainstorm

What does Brainstorm do?

You MUST use this before any creative work — creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior. Brainstorm is an agent skill from rsmdt/the-startup. You MUST use this before any creative work — creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior.

When should I use Brainstorm?

Brainstorm fits situations like: tasks that involve Brainstorming.

How do I install Brainstorm in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill brainstorm -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/start/skills/brainstorm in rsmdt/the-startup) into .claude/skills/brainstorm in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Brainstorm in Codex?

Run `npx skills add rsmdt/the-startup --skill brainstorm -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/start/skills/brainstorm in rsmdt/the-startup) into .agents/skills/brainstorm in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use 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 rsmdt/the-startup --skill 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/brainstorm, .gemini/skills/brainstorm, .github/skills/brainstorm and .opencode/skills/brainstorm in your project.

What does Brainstorm need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Brainstorm is instructions for the agent only.

Does 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 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 Brainstorm use?

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 Brainstorm use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5k 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 Brainstorm?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Brainstorm: Brainstorming (xpinjection/test-driven-spring-boot, 112 stars), LLM Council (gcpdev/llm-council-skill, 461 stars), Typesafe AI (OpenAgentsInc/openagents, 455 stars) and Yao Meta Skill (yaojingang/yao-meta-skill, 2.7k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Brainstorm?

rsmdt (a GitHub user) maintains it in rsmdt/the-startup, which has 551 GitHub stars. The repository holds 27 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 3, 2026.

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