Brainstorming
xpinjection/test-driven-spring-boot
You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior.
Reviews and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation.
Install Refine Approach
$ npx skills add VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill refine-approach -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan refine-approach --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/refine-approach .claude/skills/refine-approach && 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 "refine-approach" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/refine-approach into .claude/skills/refine-approach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refine-approach", 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/refine-approachType 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 refine-approach -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan refine-approach --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/refine-approach .agents/skills/refine-approach && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "refine-approach" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/refine-approach into .agents/skills/refine-approach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refine-approach", 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 refine-approach -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan refine-approach --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/refine-approach .cursor/skills/refine-approach && 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 "refine-approach" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/refine-approach into .cursor/skills/refine-approach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refine-approach", 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/refine-approach--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 refine-approach -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan refine-approach --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/refine-approach .gemini/skills/refine-approach && 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 "refine-approach" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/refine-approach into .gemini/skills/refine-approach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refine-approach", 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 refine-approachInstalls 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 refine-approach -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/refine-approach .github/skills/refine-approach && 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 "refine-approach" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/refine-approach into .github/skills/refine-approach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refine-approach", 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 refine-approach -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 refine-approach --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/refine-approach .opencode/skills/refine-approach && 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 "refine-approach" agent skill from https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan/tree/main/skills/refine-approach into .opencode/skills/refine-approach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refine-approach", 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
refine-approach- GitHub stars
- 109
- Token cost
- ~1.2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 590 words
- Files
- 2 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 11
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Reviews and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation.
- Works in 6 steps: Get the document that needs review → Assess → Evaluate and score → …
- Tasks that involve Brainstorming
- SKILL.md covers Step 1. Get the document that…, Step 2. Assess, Step 3. Evaluate and score and Step 4. Critical improvements, plus 3 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Refine Approach is an agent skill from VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan. Reviews and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation. Identifies gaps, clarifies assumptions, and ensures the approach is sound.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/clear-context-handoff.md`). Compatibility notes: Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Brainstorming. The repository describes itself as: AI-assisted workflows that follow Very Good Ventures best practices. It pairs perfectly with our Very Good AI Flutter Plugin. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Brainstorming
Example prompts
- “Use the refine-approach skill to review and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation”
- “/refine-approach”
Requirements
- Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
Workflow steps
6 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
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.
Compatibility
Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Context cost
Refine Approach loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.2k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 42 tokens; SKILL.md has 590 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). 590 words, ~1,171 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/refine-approach/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- refine-approach
- description
- Reviews and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation. Identifies gaps, clarifies assumptions, and ensures the approach is sound.
- compatibility
- Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support)
- user-invocable
- true
- when_to_use
- Use when user says "refine this", "review my approach", or "is this ready".
- argument-hint
- path to document to refine
Refine Approach
Improve brainstorm and/or planning documents through structured review.
Step 1. Get the document that needs review
Document path: $ARGUMENTS
If $ARGUMENTS is non-empty, treat it as the document path and proceed to Step 2. Assess.
If $ARGUMENTS is empty, ask the user which document to review. Check docs/brainstorm/ and docs/plan/ for recent documents to suggest.
Step 2. Assess
Read the document, then ask and clarify:
- What is not clear?
- What is not necessary?
- What decision is being avoided?
- What assumptions are not stated or developed?
- What risks are not addressed?
- What part of the scope has been under-estimated?
Do not fix yet anything. Simply take notes about what you find to inform what you do in Step 3. Evaluate and score.
Step 3. Evaluate and score
Apply the following criteria to evaluate the document:
| Criteria | What to evaluate |
|---|---|
| Clarity | Problem statement is clear, no vague language ("probably," "consider," "try to") |
| Completeness | Required sections present, constraints stated, open questions flagged |
| Specificity | Concrete enough for next step (brainstorm → can plan, plan → can implement) |
| YAGNI | No hypothetical features, simplest approach chosen |
| Scope | Scope is well defined and constrained, not overly ambitious |
If invoked during a brainstorm phase (after /brainstorm), validate that the document reflects with fidelity the user intent.
Step 4. Critical improvements
Among everything found in Steps 2-3, does one issue stand out? If something would significantly improve the document's quality, this is the must address item. Highlight it prominently.
Step 5. Update the document
Present your findings, then:
- Auto-fix minor issues (vague language, formatting) without asking
- Ask approval before substantive changes (restructuring, removing sections, changing meaning)
- Update the document inline—no separate files, no metadata sections
Simplification Guidance
Simplification is purposeful removal of unnecessary complexity, not shortening for its own sake.
Simplify when:
- Content serves hypothetical future needs, not current ones
- Sections repeat information already covered elsewhere
- Detail exceeds what's needed to take the next step
- Abstractions or structure add overhead without clarity
Don't simplify:
- Constraints or edge cases that affect implementation
- Rationale that explains why alternatives were rejected
- Open questions that need resolution
Show full SKILL.md (243 more words)Show less
Step 6: Next steps
After changes are complete, ask:
- Refine again — another review pass
- Review complete — document is ready
When invoked directly by the user (not as part of another skill), also determine the document type and offer clear context handoff as the first option:
If the document is a brainstorm (from docs/brainstorm/):
- Clear context and plan (Recommended): clear context for a fresh start, then plan
- Refine again — another review pass
- Done for now — document is ready
If the document is a plan (from docs/plan/):
- Clear context and build (Recommended): clear context for a fresh start, then build
- Refine again — another review pass
- Done for now — document is ready
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 "Clear context and build" → Follow the clear context handoff for /build with the actual plan file path. Then stop.
When invoked by another skill (e.g., from /brainstorm or /plan), only offer "Refine again" and "Review complete", then return control to the caller.
Iteration guidance
After 2 refinement passes, recommend completion—diminishing returns are likely. But if the user wants to continue, allow it.
What NOT to Do
- Do not rewrite the entire document
- Do not add new sections or requirements the user didn't discuss
- Do not over-engineer or add complexity
- Do not create separate review files or add metadata sections
© 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 1 other file (references) in skills/refine-approach of VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan.
- SKILL.md
- references/clear-context-handoff.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 19e0695
Compare with similar skills
Refine Approach 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refine Approach this skillVeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan | 109 | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Brainstormingxpinjection/test-driven-spring-boot | 112 | 54 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| LLM Councilgcpdev/llm-council-skill | 461 | 1 repos | ~1k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Typesafe AIOpenAgentsInc/openagents | 455 | 9 repos | ~2.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Yao Meta Skillyaojingang/yao-meta-skill | 2.7k | — | ~768 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Trellis StartROYIANS/foliq-print-template-designer | 135 | 6 repos | ~646 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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LLM Council
gcpdev/llm-council-skill
Multi-LLM collaborative brainstorming and planning. An agent skill from gcpdev/llm-council-skill.
Typesafe AI
OpenAgentsInc/openagents
Build AI-powered software with TypeSafe: small units of AI intelligence you can use like programming primitives.
Yao Meta Skill
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Create, improve, or evaluate an existing skill from workflows, prompts, SOPs, scripts.
Trellis Start
ROYIANS/foliq-print-template-designer
Initializes an AI development session by reading workflow guides, developer identity, git status, active tasks, and project guidelines from .trellis/.
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.
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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.
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Post-Incident Debrief
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Related
Categories
Questions about Refine Approach
What does Refine Approach do?
Reviews and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation. Refine Approach is an agent skill from VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan. Reviews and refines brainstorm or planning documents before implementation.
When should I use Refine Approach?
Refine Approach fits situations like: tasks that involve Brainstorming.
How do I install Refine Approach in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill refine-approach -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/refine-approach in VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan) into .claude/skills/refine-approach in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Refine Approach in Codex?
Run `npx skills add VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan --skill refine-approach -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/refine-approach in VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan) into .agents/skills/refine-approach in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Refine Approach 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 refine-approach -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/refine-approach, .gemini/skills/refine-approach, .github/skills/refine-approach and .opencode/skills/refine-approach in your project.
What does Refine Approach need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Refine Approach is instructions for the agent only. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code (or similar products with agent support).
Does Refine Approach 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 Refine Approach 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 Refine Approach use?
Refine Approach 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 Refine Approach use?
About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.7k 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 12 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Refine Approach?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Refine Approach: 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 Refine Approach?
VeryGoodOpenSource (a GitHub organization) maintains it in VeryGoodOpenSource/vgv-wingspan, which has 109 GitHub stars. The repository holds 11 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 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.