CE Brainstorm
EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
Turns a vague or ambitious feature idea into a requirements-only plan through dialogue with you, sized to the work, before any code is written.
Clarifies what to build before how, by asking one question at a time about a feature idea and then handing the result on to planning.
Install Feature Brainstorm
$ npx skills add VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan brainstorm --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/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brainstorm .claude/skills/brainstorm && 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 "brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstorm into .claude/skills/brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "brainstorm", 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/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstormType 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan brainstorm --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brainstorm .agents/skills/brainstorm && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstorm into .agents/skills/brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "brainstorm", 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan brainstorm --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brainstorm .cursor/skills/brainstorm && 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 "brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstorm into .cursor/skills/brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "brainstorm", 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/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git --path skills/brainstorm--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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan brainstorm --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brainstorm .gemini/skills/brainstorm && 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 "brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstorm into .gemini/skills/brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "brainstorm", 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan brainstormInstalls 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brainstorm .github/skills/brainstorm && 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 "brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstorm into .github/skills/brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "brainstorm", 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan brainstorm --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brainstorm .opencode/skills/brainstorm && 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 "brainstorm" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/brainstorm into .opencode/skills/brainstorm/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "brainstorm", 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
brainstorm- GitHub stars
- 108
- Token cost
- ~1.8k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 833 words
- Files
- 3 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 11
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Clarifies what to build before how, by asking one question at a time about a feature idea and then handing the result on to planning.
- Works in 4 steps: Assess scope and workspace → Understand the idea → Capture the design document → …
- A feature idea is vague and has several reasonable interpretations
- SKILL.md covers Feature description, Execution flow, Output Summary and Key Principles, plus 1 more section
- Calls git
What it does
The skill takes a feature description and will not proceed without one. It first decides whether this is a new project, where it offers to create the project first (run /create, open the new folder, then run /brainstorm there) or to continue where you are, or a feature for the current project. It then checks whether requirements are already clear, with specific acceptance criteria and a constrained scope, and if so suggests going straight to planning.
When brainstorming is needed, a codebase-review agent first looks at existing patterns, similar features and CLAUDE.md guidance. The agent then asks questions through AskUserQuestion, one at a time: multiple choice over open-ended, broad before narrow, assumptions validated out loud and success criteria raised early. It never adds its own catch-all option, since the tool already supplies Other. The folder ships a template and a clear-context handoff reference. It is designed for Claude Code or similar products with agent support.
When your agent uses it
- A feature idea is vague and has several reasonable interpretations
- Settling scope and trade-offs before writing an implementation plan
- Starting a new app idea and deciding where to work on it
Example prompts
- “Brainstorm a saved-searches feature for the dashboard before we plan it.”
- “I want to add something like notifications, but I'm not sure what. Help me narrow it down.”
- “Let's brainstorm a new habit tracker app from scratch.”
Requirements
- Claude Code or a similar product with agent support
- Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
Workflow steps
4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 19e0695. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
git
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
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
Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Context cost
Feature Brainstorm loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.9k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 28 tokens; SKILL.md has 833 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan at commit 19e0695, republished under its MIT licence (© VeryGoodOpenSource). 833 words, ~1,801 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- brainstorm
- description
- Explores requirements and approaches through collaborative dialogue before planning implementation.
- compatibility
- Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
- user-invocable
- true
- when_to_use
- Use when user says "brainstorm", "explore idea", "what should we build", "think through this", or "let's discuss approaches".
- argument-hint
- feature or idea to explore
Brainstorm a feature or improvement
Clarify WHAT to build before diving into HOW to build it. Explore user intent, approaches, and design decisions through collaborative dialogue.
Feature description
<feature description>$ARGUMENTS</feature description>
If the feature description above is empty, ask the user: "What feature would you like to brainstorm? Describe the idea, problem or feature you are thinking about."
DO NOT proceed until you have a description from the user.
Execution flow
0. Assess scope and workspace
Determine whether this is a new project or a feature for the current project.
| Signal | Conclusion |
|---|---|
| User says "new app", "new project", "build from scratch"; no relevant code in working directory | New project |
| User references existing code/screens; idea extends current functionality | Feature for current project → skip to Step 0.1 |
If new project, use AskUserQuestion: "This sounds like a new project. Where would you like to work?"
- Create project first (Recommended) — output instructions to run
/create, open the new folder, then/brainstorm <description>in that workspace. Then stop. - Continue here — proceed to Step 0.1
0.1. Assess clarity of requirements
Assess whether brainstorming is needed.
| Requirements are clear | Brainstorming is needed |
|---|---|
| Specific acceptance criteria provided | Vague terms ("make it better", "add something like") |
| Exact behavior described, scope constrained | Multiple reasonable interpretations, trade-offs undiscussed |
If clear: Use AskUserQuestion to suggest proceeding directly to planning.
1. Understand the idea
1.1. Lightweight project research
Run a quick project review to understand existing patterns:
- Task @codebase-review-agent("Understand existing patterns related to: <feature_description>")
Focus on: similar features, established patterns, CLAUDE.md guidance.
1.2. Collaborative conversation
Use the AskUserQuestion tool to ask questions one at a time. The tool automatically provides an "Other" option for free-text input — never add your own catch-all option (e.g., "Something else", "None of the above").
Question Techniques: Prefer multiple choice over open-ended. Start broad (purpose, users) then narrow (constraints, edge cases). Validate assumptions explicitly. Ask about success criteria early.
Key Topics to Explore:
| Topic | Example Questions |
|---|---|
| Purpose | What problem does this solve? What's the motivation? |
| Users | Who uses this? What's their context? |
| Constraints | Any technical limitations? Timeline? Dependencies? |
| Success | How will you measure success? What's the happy path? |
| Edge Cases | What shouldn't happen? Any error states to consider? |
| Existing Patterns | Are there similar features in the codebase to follow? |
Exit condition: Continue until the idea is clear OR user says "proceed" or "let's move on."
1.3. Explore approaches
Propose 2-3 concrete approaches with trade-offs. Lead with your recommendation and explain why.
Guidelines:
- YAGNI ruthlessly. If an approach adds complexity for a hypothetical future need, call it out and lean toward the simpler option. The question is always: "Do we need this now, or are we guessing?"
- Prefer boring patterns. If the codebase already solves a similar problem, default to that pattern. Consistency beats cleverness.
- Right-size the architecture. Not every feature needs its own package. Not every screen needs a new state management controller. Match the solution to the actual complexity.
Structure for Each Approach:
**[Approach Name]** <- [Is it recommended? Yes/No]
[2-3 sentence description of what this looks like in practice]
- Pros: [what's good]
- Cons: [what's not]
- Best when: [the circumstances where this wins]Use AskUserQuestion tool to ask which approach the user prefers.
Show full SKILL.md (336 more words)Show less
1.4. Set up workspace
Before writing any files, ensure the session is not on the base branch:
- Run
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD. If the current branch is a base branch (main,master, ordevelop), use AskUserQuestion to offer creating a feature branch —git checkout -b <type>/<kebab-topic>, name under 60 characters — before writing. If already on a feature branch, continue without prompting.
2. Capture the design document
Write a brainstorm document to docs/brainstorm/YYYY-MM-DD-<kebab-case-topic>-brainstorm-doc.md.
Ensure docs/brainstorm/ directory exists before writing.
Use the brainstorm template as the document structure.
3. Handoff
Use AskUserQuestion tool to consider next steps:
Question: "Brainstorm complete! What would you like to do next?"
Options:
- Clear context and plan (Recommended): clear context for a fresh start, then plan
- Continue with planning: run the
/planskill to create a detailed implementation plan - Review and refine approach: improve the document using structured review
- Done for now: brainstorm complete. To start planning later:
/plan
If the user selects "Clear context and plan" → Follow the clear context handoff for /plan with the actual brainstorm doc path. Then stop.
If the user selects "Review and refine approach" then apply the @refine-approach skill to the document.
When refine-approach is complete, present these options:
- Clear context and plan (Recommended): clear context for a fresh start, then plan
- Move to planning: run the
/planskill to create a detailed implementation plan - Done for now: ideation complete. To start planning later:
/plan
If the user selects "Clear context and plan" → Follow the clear context handoff for /plan with the actual brainstorm doc path. Then stop.
Output Summary
When complete, display:
Brainstorm complete!
Document: docs/brainstorm/YYYY-MM-DD-<kebab-case-topic>-brainstorm-doc.md
Key decisions:
- [Decision 1]
- [Decision 2]Key Principles
- One question at a time - Don't overwhelm with multiple questions
- Multiple choice preferred - Easier to answer than open-ended when possible
- YAGNI ruthlessly - Remove unnecessary features from all designs
- Explore alternatives - Always propose 2-3 approaches before settling
- Incremental validation - Present design in sections, validate each
- Be flexible - Go back and clarify when something doesn't make sense
Important Guidelines
DO NOT CODE! Just explore and document decisions.
© VeryGoodOpenSource, 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/brainstorm of VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.
- SKILL.md
- references/clear-context-handoff.md
- references/template.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 19e0695
Compare with similar skills
Feature 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.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature Brainstorm this skillVeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan | 108 | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| CE BrainstormEveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin | 25k | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Brainstorming Before BuildingjnMetaCode/superpowers-zh | 8.3k | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Architect Before You Buildjsmastery-pro/jsm-agent-skill | 216 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Interview-Driven Spec Writerposhan0126/dotclaude | 871 | — | ~804 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Interview Meaddyosmani/agent-skills | 102k | 6 repos | ~3.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
Similar skills
Brainstorming Before Building
jnMetaCode/superpowers-zh
Turns a rough idea into an approved design before any code is written, sorting the request into spike, bounded or architectural and enforcing an approval gate.
Architect Before You Build
jsmastery-pro/jsm-agent-skill
Runs a short design conversation before coding: aligns on terms, works through the decisions that matter and ends with a plan you confirm.
Interview-Driven Spec Writer
poshan0126/dotclaude
Interviews you about scope, behavior, edge cases and verification, then writes a self-contained SPEC.md that a fresh session can implement without this conversation.
Interview Me
addyosmani/agent-skills
Asks one question at a time, each with a best guess attached, until the agent is about 95 percent sure what you really want, before any plan, spec or code.
Foreman Grill Docs
VisionForge-OU/foreman
Headless grilling pass that challenges an approved implementation plan against the existing codebase and domain model, then writes an ADR draft and a PRD draft into the Foreman feature directory.
More from VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan
All 11 skills in this repoOn-Demand Code Review
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Runs parallel review agents over a branch, chosen paths or a whole project and merges their findings into one numbered report you can act on by id.
Git Rebase onto Base Branch
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Rebases the current feature branch onto the latest main, master or develop, stashing uncommitted work first and aborting cleanly if conflicts appear.
Create Pull Request
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Stages, commits, pushes and opens a pull request with a Conventional Commits message, after running the project's checks unless told to skip them.
Post-Incident Debrief
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Produces a blameless post-incident debrief with timeline, root cause and follow-up actions after an outage, failed release or significant bug, while details are fresh.
Targeted Emergency Bug Fix
VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan
Applies a minimal fix to an emergency bug through triage, root-cause location, a hotfix branch and a blast-radius check, with tests and review still required.
Plan
VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan
Turns high-level brainstorming and ideas into well-structured, actionable implementation plans.
Related
Questions about Feature Brainstorm
What does Feature Brainstorm do?
Clarifies what to build before how, by asking one question at a time about a feature idea and then handing the result on to planning. The skill takes a feature description and will not proceed without one. It first decides whether this is a new project, where it offers to create the project first (run /create, open the new folder, then run /brainstorm there) or to continue where you are, or a feature for the current project.
When should I use Feature Brainstorm?
Feature Brainstorm fits situations like: A feature idea is vague and has several reasonable interpretations; settling scope and trade-offs before writing an implementation plan; starting a new app idea and deciding where to work on it.
How do I install Feature Brainstorm in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/brainstorm in VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan) into .claude/skills/brainstorm in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Feature Brainstorm in Codex?
Run `npx skills add VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill brainstorm -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/brainstorm in VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan) into .agents/skills/brainstorm in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Feature 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 VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --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 Feature Brainstorm need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Feature Brainstorm needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git). Our summary lists: Claude Code or a similar product with agent support. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support).
Does Feature Brainstorm access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Feature 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 Feature Brainstorm use?
Feature 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 Feature Brainstorm use?
About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.2k 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 104 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Feature Brainstorm?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Feature Brainstorm: CE Brainstorm (EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin, 25k stars), Brainstorming Before Building (jnMetaCode/superpowers-zh, 8.3k stars), Architect Before You Build (jsmastery-pro/jsm-agent-skill, 216 stars) and Interview-Driven Spec Writer (poshan0126/dotclaude, 871 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Feature Brainstorm?
VeryGoodOpenSource (a GitHub organization) maintains it in VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan, which has 108 GitHub stars. The repository holds 11 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 30, 2026.
Source: VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.