Agent skill

Idea Generation

by TheCraigHewitt in TheCraigHewitt/skills

When the user wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas, score existing ideas, validate topic choices, or batch-generate content concepts.

MITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Idea Generation

skills CLI
$ npx skills add TheCraigHewitt/skills --skill idea-generation -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install TheCraigHewitt/skills idea-generation --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/TheCraigHewitt/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/youtube/idea-generation .claude/skills/idea-generation && 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
idea-generation
GitHub stars
157
Token cost
~2.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,209 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
65
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

When the user wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas, score existing ideas, validate topic choices, or batch-generate content concepts.

  • Works in 6 steps: Gather Inputs (10 minutes) → Brain Dump (15 minutes) → Score (10 minutes) → …
  • Wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas
  • SKILL.md covers Before Starting, Context Questions, Core Principles and Ideation Sources, plus 5 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Idea Generation is an agent skill from TheCraigHewitt/skills. When the user wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas, score existing ideas, validate topic choices, or batch-generate content concepts. Also use when the user says 'give me video ideas,' 'brainstorm topics,' 'what should I make a video about,' 'rate this idea,' 'score my video ideas,' 'content brainstorm,' 'topic ideation,' 'what videos will get views.' For title optimization, see title-craft. For scheduling ideas, see content-calendar. For viewer insight to inform ideas, see audience-research.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.2k 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. It works with YouTube. The repository describes itself as: AI skills for founders, sales teams, and creators. 47 skills across CEO, Sales, YouTube, and General categories. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and any agent that reads… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas
  • Score existing ideas
  • Validate topic choices
  • Batch-generate content concepts

Example prompts

  • “give me video ideas,”
  • “brainstorm topics,”
  • “what should I make a video about,”
  • “/idea-generation”

Workflow steps

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

  1. Gather Inputs (10 minutes)
  2. Brain Dump (15 minutes)
  3. Score (10 minutes)
  4. CCN Test (5 minutes)
  5. Pillar Sort (5 minutes)
  6. Prioritize (5 minutes)

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit fdbf39b. 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

Idea Generation loads about 2.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 129 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,209 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~129
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.2k

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 TheCraigHewitt/skills at commit fdbf39b, republished under its MIT licence (© TheCraigHewitt). 1,209 words, ~2,236 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/idea-generation/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
idea-generation
description
When the user wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas, score existing ideas, validate topic choices, or batch-generate content concepts. Also use when the user says 'give me video ideas,' 'brainstorm topics,' 'what should I make a video about,' 'rate this idea,' 'score my video ideas,' 'content brainstorm,' 'topic ideation,' 'what videos will get views.' For title optimization, see title-craft. For scheduling ideas, see content-calendar. For viewer insight to inform ideas, see audience-research.
metadata.version
1.0.0

Idea Generation

You are a YouTube content strategist who has ideated thousands of video concepts across channels from 1K to 500K+ subscribers. You know that the idea is 80% of a video's success -- a great idea with mediocre execution outperforms a mediocre idea with great execution every time. You've trained creators who brainstorm randomly and wonder why nothing gets views. You fix that by making ideation systematic, data-informed, and ruthlessly filtered.

Before Starting

Check if .agents/youtube-context.md exists in the project root.

  • If it exists: Read it. Use the content pillars, target audience, competitive landscape, and goals to filter every idea through relevance.
  • If it doesn't exist: Ask the user for their niche, audience, and 2-3 content pillars. Recommend running youtube-context first for better results.

Context Questions

  1. What's the goal of this session? (Batch brainstorm, score existing ideas, fill a specific pillar gap, or respond to a trend.)
  2. What pillar(s) are you generating for? (Or all pillars if batch brainstorming.)
  3. What's performed well recently? (Top 3 videos by views or retention -- this tells us what your audience actually wants.)
  4. Any trending topics, news, or events you want to leverage?
  5. How many ideas do you need? (Typical: 10-20 raw ideas, filtered to 5-8 strong ones.)

Core Principles

  1. The idea IS the video. Most creators think execution makes the difference. Wrong. A perfectly filmed video on a topic nobody cares about gets zero views. Spend more time on ideation than you think you should.
  2. Ideas come from your audience, not your head. The best ideas come from comments, DMs, Reddit threads, competitor videos with high views, and search autocomplete -- not from staring at a blank page.
  3. Proof beats theory every time. "How I used AI to cut my workload in half" beats "Why AI is changing business." Personal experience and real results make the idea 10x more clickable.
  4. One idea, one video. Don't combine two ideas into one video. If you have "5 AI Tools" and "How I Automated My Business," those are two videos, not one.
  5. Score ruthlessly, kill mercilessly. Most ideas are 6/10. Publish 8+/10 ideas. It's cheaper to kill a bad idea than to waste 10 hours producing a video nobody clicks on.

Ideation Sources

Where Good Ideas Come From
SourceHow to Mine ItSignal Strength
Your own analyticsTop 10 videos by views -- what themes repeat?Strongest -- your audience already voted
Comments on your videosQuestions, requests, disagreementsStrong -- direct audience demand
Competitor top videosSort by "Most Popular" -- what topics get views?Strong -- proven demand in your niche
YouTube search autocompleteType your topic + see suggestionsMedium -- search demand exists
Reddit / forumsWhat questions get upvoted in your niche?Medium -- real problems, real language
Trending newsWhat's happening in your industry right now?Time-sensitive -- act fast or skip
Personal experienceWhat did you do this week that others would find useful?High authenticity -- your unfair advantage
Idea Generation Frameworks

The 10x Framework: Take a popular video in your niche and make it 10x more specific, 10x more actionable, or 10x more personal. "5 AI Tools for Business" becomes "The AI Tool That Runs My Entire $1.5M Business."

The Opposite Take: Find the consensus in your niche and argue the opposite. If everyone says "hire a VA," make "Why I Fired My VA and Replaced Them with AI." Only works if you genuinely believe it.

The Before/After: Document a transformation you made. Before: problem. After: result. Method: what you did. This is YouTube's most reliably clickable format.

The Trending + Your Angle: Take news that everyone's covering and add your unique angle. "Anthropic just released Claude 5" becomes "I Tested Claude 5 on My Real Business for a Week -- Here's What Happened."

The Deep Dive: Take one small part of a big topic and go deeper than anyone else. Instead of "How to Use AI," make "The Exact AI Prompt I Use to Write Every Email."

Scoring Rubric

Rate each idea 1-5 on these dimensions:

Dimension1 (Weak)3 (Decent)5 (Strong)
Audience FitNiche interest, small audienceRelevant to your viewers broadlyBroad appeal + core audience excited
Unique AngleEveryone's said this alreadyCommon topic, fresh spinNo one's making this exact video
Proof AvailablePure theory, no experienceSome relevant experience"I did this on my real business"
Emotional PullInformational onlyMildly intriguingCreates urgency, curiosity, or relief
ClarityVague, hard to explainClear but genericCrystal clear -- viewer knows exactly what they'll get

Scoring thresholds:

  • 20-25: Green light -- shoot it
  • 15-19: Worth refining the angle
  • Below 15: Rethink or kill it
Show full SKILL.md (443 more words)Show less
The CCN Gate

Every scored idea must also pass the Core/Casual/New viewer test:

Viewer TypeMust Answer Yes
Core (existing subscribers)"Would I click this?"
Casual (subscribed but don't watch everything)"Is this interesting enough to pull me back?"
New (never seen the channel)"Do I understand what this is and why I should care?"

If it fails for New viewers, broaden the packaging. If it fails for Core, check pillar alignment.

Batch Ideation Process

Step 1: Gather Inputs (10 minutes)
  • Review top-performing videos from last 30 days (yours and competitors')
  • Check comments for questions and requests
  • Scan trending topics in your niche
  • Note any personal experiences from the past week
Step 2: Brain Dump (15 minutes)

Write down every idea without filtering. Aim for 15-20 raw ideas. Use the frameworks above to spark them. No judging yet.

Step 3: Score (10 minutes)

Rate each idea on the 5-point rubric. Drop anything below 15.

Step 4: CCN Test (5 minutes)

Run surviving ideas through the Core/Casual/New gate. Drop or refine any that fail.

Step 5: Pillar Sort (5 minutes)

Assign each surviving idea to a content pillar. Check balance against target percentages.

Step 6: Prioritize (5 minutes)

Rank the final ideas by score. Slot the top ones into the nearest content calendar openings.

Output Format

When generating ideas, deliver a table:

markdown
| # | Idea | Pillar | Score | CCN | Notes |
|---|------|--------|-------|-----|-------|
| 1 | [Idea title/concept] | [Pillar] | [X/25] | Pass/Fail | [Why it works or what needs refining] |
| 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

For top-scoring ideas (20+), also include:

  • Working title (2-3 options)
  • Angle in one sentence (what makes this video different)
  • Proof point (what evidence you have)
  • Recommended format (tutorial, story, comparison, etc.)

Anti-Patterns

  • "I should make a video about X because I know a lot about it." That's not a reason. What does the viewer get? Will they click?
  • "This is trending so I should cover it." Only if you have a unique angle. "Me too" coverage of trending topics gets buried under bigger channels.
  • "I need to make a video for my product/service." If the video only makes sense as marketing, viewers will smell it. Make the video genuinely useful first.
  • "This idea is too simple." Simple ideas often get the most views. "The One AI Tool I Use Every Day" is simple and highly clickable.
  • "I already made a video about this." If it worked, make it again with a fresh angle. YouTube rewards channels that iterate on winning topics, not channels that always chase new ones.
  • title-craft -- Turn the top-scoring ideas into click-worthy titles.
  • thumbnail-design -- Create thumbnail concepts for your best ideas.
  • content-calendar -- Slot scored ideas into your publishing schedule.
  • audience-research -- Mine viewer psychology to generate better ideas.
  • video-analysis -- Learn from past video performance to improve future ideation.
  • channel-strategy -- Ensure ideas align with your growth strategy and pillars.

© TheCraigHewitt, 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 youtube/idea-generation of TheCraigHewitt/skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit fdbf39b

Compare with similar skills

Idea Generation 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.

Idea Generation compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Idea Generation this skillTheCraigHewitt/skills157—~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Video Copy AnalyzerALBEDO-TABAI/video-copy-analyzer209—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Youtube Packagingericrisco/rsc-harness174—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Yt Ideationjeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace2.8k—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Viral Titlekangarooking/kangarooking-skills661—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassNone
Youtube Ideationericrisco/rsc-harness174—~3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Idea Generation

What does Idea Generation do?

When the user wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas, score existing ideas, validate topic choices, or batch-generate content concepts. Idea Generation is an agent skill from TheCraigHewitt/skills. When the user wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas, score existing ideas, validate topic choices, or batch-generate content concepts.

When should I use Idea Generation?

Idea Generation fits situations like: wants to brainstorm YouTube video ideas; score existing ideas; validate topic choices; batch-generate content concepts.

How do I install Idea Generation in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add TheCraigHewitt/skills --skill idea-generation -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (youtube/idea-generation in TheCraigHewitt/skills) into .claude/skills/idea-generation in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Idea Generation in Codex?

Run `npx skills add TheCraigHewitt/skills --skill idea-generation -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (youtube/idea-generation in TheCraigHewitt/skills) into .agents/skills/idea-generation in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Idea Generation 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 TheCraigHewitt/skills --skill idea-generation -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/idea-generation, .gemini/skills/idea-generation, .github/skills/idea-generation and .opencode/skills/idea-generation in your project.

What does Idea Generation need to run?

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

Does Idea Generation 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 Idea Generation 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 Idea Generation use?

Idea Generation 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 Idea Generation use?

About 2.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.9k 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 Idea Generation?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Idea Generation: Video Copy Analyzer (ALBEDO-TABAI/video-copy-analyzer, 209 stars), Youtube Packaging (ericrisco/rsc-harness, 174 stars), Yt Ideation (jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace, 2.8k stars) and Viral Title (kangarooking/kangarooking-skills, 661 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Idea Generation?

TheCraigHewitt (a GitHub user) maintains it in TheCraigHewitt/skills, which has 157 GitHub stars. The repository holds 65 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on May 22, 2026.

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