English — Official English version of idea-mining.
Idea-Mining — Mine ideas, filter, execute one
Overview & Purpose
When facing complex problems, ideation rarely fails due to a lack of ideas, but rather due to three things: ideas are not recorded, they are not checked against what has already been tried (leading to repeating the same dead ends), and none is consistently pursued to completion. This workflow strictly separates the three phases: first, mine redundantly/divergently (without evaluation), then filter (against the project documentation), and finally explore ONE idea substantially.
Origin: distilled from a productive research-automation run on open mathematical problems; works equally well for architecture, design, and conceptual blockages.
Phase A — Fill the Idea Storage (Divergent, Without Evaluation)
Write all findings into a file IDEENSPEICHER.md in the project folder (keywords + 2–3 sentences, note source/trigger). Go through the eight techniques sequentially — they target different association spaces, so for truly stuck problems, do not skip any (for minor blockages or tight time, a justified subset is sufficient, but at least one soft technique from 3–5 plus research):
- Recognition: Does this look familiar? Have I seen this structure before in a different context?
- Distant Discipline: Is there a similar problem/formula in a distant discipline (Physics↔Economics, Biology↔Computer Science, …)? Where exactly lies the connection?
- Everyday Allegory: Tell the problem in a nature-inspired allegory (waves, sand, current, growth …). Effective: have an unbiased subagent invent the allegory and then see where it leads — your own view is already deformed by the problem.
- Discomfort / Frog→Prince: What bothers me about the current state, what do I find ugly? What would need to change for me to suddenly find it beautiful? Aesthetic discomfort often points to a poorly chosen representation.
- Fairy Tale Reframing: Tell the problem as a fairy tale: Who is the hero, who are the villains, what dangers lurk, what could help the hero? Assigning roles forces a causal structure that remains invisible in formalism.
- Research: Search web, domain databases, preprint servers, forums (Reddit/ResearchGate/GitHub) for new publications, scripts, approaches. Load relevant sources into a
_sources/ folder and read for innovations — remain critical of preprints.
- Sibling Projects: Check related personal/internal projects for back-transferable solution ideas (sub-problems solved there, tools built there).
- Inventory Cross-Run: Review your entire project inventory (pipeline) for approaches that could fit THIS problem.
Phase B — Filter (Against What Has Been Tried)
Cross-check the idea storage against the project documentation: proof notes, decision logs, TODO/DONE, previous idea storages. Eliminate what is documented as already tried and completed — not what merely "sounds unlikely" (evaluation by attractiveness happens only in Phase C). Save surviving ideas to IDEENSPEICHER_FILTERED.md.
A prerequisite is well-maintained experiment documentation — if none exists, the first step is to create it (otherwise every future run will produce duplicate efforts).
Phase C — Choose and Execute
- Briefly explore one to three ideas from the filtrate (one paragraph each: what would be the first concrete step, what would be the sign of success?).
- Choose one — the one with the strongest attraction. Attraction is a legitimate criterion here: for hard problems, only an idea you want to pursue will carry you through.
- Carry the choice through to the end or at least substantially forward — do not jump to the next idea at the first obstacle (that would be Phase A behavior during Phase C).
Phase D — Document
- Enter findings into project documentation (proof note, decision log, ADR) — including failures, as they form the filter for the next run.
- Put open follow-up ideas back into
IDEENSPEICHER.md or TODO.
- Short report: mined (count) | filtered (surviving) | explored | result | next step.
Phase E — Seeding (Optional Outbound Transfer)
Technique 7 brings ideas IN from sibling projects — Phase E reverses the direction: If exploration yields something transferable (method, tool, solution pattern), briefly review your project inventory: Who would this help?
- Seed selectively, do not scatter: At most ~3 recipient projects directly provided with a concrete TODO entry (what to adopt, where it is located, why it fits); note further candidates only as a prioritized list in your own project.
- Reason for the limit: Broad scattering creates vague tasks in many projects that no one picks up — three precise seeds beat ten diffuse ones.
As a Periodic Run
The workflow is well suited as a recurring automation for a fixed project (innovation round). For this, combine it with the rotation scaffolding (rotation-check skill): the registry prevents the same ideas from being "rediscovered" multiple times — the idea storage and experiment documentation act as the memory here.
Example & Application
Problem: A convergence proof has been stuck on an estimate for weeks.
A) Mining → IDEENSPEICHER.md: e.g., (2) similar structure in queueing
theory?; (3) Subagent allegory "sand trickles through finer and finer sieves" →
idea: estimate step-by-step instead of globally; (6) 2026 preprint with new
lemma, downloaded to _sources/; (7) neighboring project has a numerical
check script that can be transferred back.
B) Filter against BEWEISNOTIZ.md: "tighten global estimate" was tried twice
and documented as discarded → removed. 3 ideas survive → IDEENSPEICHER_FILTERED.md.
C) Prime Choice: the sieve idea (strongest attraction) — carried through to a partial result.
D) BEWEISNOTIZ.md updated (including failure of idea 2), short report.
Red Flags
| Thought |
Reality |
| "Techniques 3–5 are just playfulness" |
The soft techniques provide the ideas that research cannot deliver — they address different association spaces. |
| "I evaluate while collecting" |
Evaluation in Phase A kills divergent yield. Save first, filter later. |
| "The filter takes too long, I already remember" |
Memory smooths over failed attempts — only documentation counts. |
| "The idea is stuck, I'll take the next one" |
In Phase C you carry through; jumping back to Phase A only with a documented reason. |
Related Skills
brainstorm — broad creative methods (SCAMPER, Six Hats) without filter/exploration pipeline.think / decide — analysis and selection decision, usable within Phase C.rotation-check — scaffolding for periodic deployment.swarm-operations — unbiased subagents for technique 3 and parallel exploration.
Changelog
1.1.0 (2026-07-03)
- Phase E "Seeding": optional outbound transfer of transferable results to
sibling projects (max. ~3 direct recipients) — integrated instead of a separate
cross-project-transfer skill (deduplication decision).
1.0.0 (2026-07-03)
- Initial version. Abstracted from the Codex automation "ultra-deep-idea-search-single-project"
(idea storage → filter → prime choice → exploration) and generalized to be user-neutral.
1---2name: en-83description: Mine ideas, filter against history, explore one to completion. A 5-phase workflow (A-E) for complex problem solving.4---56> **English** — Official English version of `idea-mining`.78<img src="banner.png" width="100%" alt="idea-mining banner">910# Idea-Mining — Mine ideas, filter, execute one1112## Overview & Purpose1314When facing complex problems, ideation rarely fails due to a lack of ideas, but rather due to three things: ideas are not **recorded**, they are not checked against **what has already been tried** (leading to repeating the same dead ends), and none is consistently **pursued to completion**. This workflow strictly separates the three phases: first, mine redundantly/divergently (without evaluation), then filter (against the project documentation), and finally explore ONE idea substantially.1516Origin: distilled from a productive research-automation run on open mathematical problems; works equally well for architecture, design, and conceptual blockages.1718## Phase A — Fill the Idea Storage (Divergent, Without Evaluation)1920Write all findings into a file `IDEENSPEICHER.md` in the project folder (keywords + 2–3 sentences, note source/trigger). Go through the eight techniques sequentially — they target different association spaces, so for truly stuck problems, do not skip any (for minor blockages or tight time, a justified subset is sufficient, but at least one soft technique from 3–5 plus research):21221. **Recognition:** Does this look familiar? Have I seen this structure before in a different context?232. **Distant Discipline:** Is there a similar problem/formula in a distant discipline (Physics↔Economics, Biology↔Computer Science, …)? Where exactly lies the connection?243. **Everyday Allegory:** Tell the problem in a nature-inspired allegory (waves, sand, current, growth …). Effective: have an **unbiased subagent** invent the allegory and then see where it leads — your own view is already deformed by the problem.254. **Discomfort / Frog→Prince:** What bothers me about the current state, what do I find ugly? What would need to change for me to suddenly find it beautiful? Aesthetic discomfort often points to a poorly chosen representation.265. **Fairy Tale Reframing:** Tell the problem as a fairy tale: Who is the hero, who are the villains, what dangers lurk, what could help the hero? Assigning roles forces a causal structure that remains invisible in formalism.276. **Research:** Search web, domain databases, preprint servers, forums (Reddit/ResearchGate/GitHub) for new publications, scripts, approaches. Load relevant sources into a `_sources/` folder and read for innovations — remain critical of preprints.287. **Sibling Projects:** Check related personal/internal projects for back-transferable solution ideas (sub-problems solved there, tools built there).298. **Inventory Cross-Run:** Review your entire project inventory (pipeline) for approaches that could fit THIS problem.3031## Phase B — Filter (Against What Has Been Tried)3233Cross-check the idea storage against the project documentation: proof notes, decision logs, TODO/DONE, previous idea storages. **Eliminate what is documented as already tried and completed** — not what merely "sounds unlikely" (evaluation by attractiveness happens only in Phase C). Save surviving ideas to `IDEENSPEICHER_FILTERED.md`.3435A prerequisite is well-maintained experiment documentation — if none exists, the first step is to create it (otherwise every future run will produce duplicate efforts).3637## Phase C — Choose and Execute38391. Briefly explore one to three ideas from the filtrate (one paragraph each: what would be the first concrete step, what would be the sign of success?).402. Choose **one** — the one with the strongest attraction. Attraction is a legitimate criterion here: for hard problems, only an idea you *want* to pursue will carry you through.413. Carry the choice through to the end or at least substantially forward — do not jump to the next idea at the first obstacle (that would be Phase A behavior during Phase C).4243## Phase D — Document4445- Enter findings into project documentation (proof note, decision log, ADR) — **including failures**, as they form the filter for the next run.46- Put open follow-up ideas back into `IDEENSPEICHER.md` or TODO.47- Short report: mined (count) | filtered (surviving) | explored | result | next step.4849## Phase E — Seeding (Optional Outbound Transfer)5051Technique 7 brings ideas IN from sibling projects — Phase E reverses the direction: If exploration yields something transferable (method, tool, solution pattern), briefly review your project inventory: Who would this help?5253- **Seed selectively, do not scatter:** At most ~3 recipient projects directly provided with a concrete TODO entry (what to adopt, where it is located, why it fits); note further candidates only as a prioritized list in your own project.54- Reason for the limit: Broad scattering creates vague tasks in many projects that no one picks up — three precise seeds beat ten diffuse ones.5556## As a Periodic Run5758The workflow is well suited as a recurring automation for a fixed project (innovation round). For this, combine it with the rotation scaffolding (`rotation-check` skill): the registry prevents the same ideas from being "rediscovered" multiple times — the idea storage and experiment documentation act as the memory here.5960## Example & Application6162```text63Problem: A convergence proof has been stuck on an estimate for weeks.6465A) Mining → IDEENSPEICHER.md: e.g., (2) similar structure in queueing66 theory?; (3) Subagent allegory "sand trickles through finer and finer sieves" →67 idea: estimate step-by-step instead of globally; (6) 2026 preprint with new68 lemma, downloaded to _sources/; (7) neighboring project has a numerical69 check script that can be transferred back.70B) Filter against BEWEISNOTIZ.md: "tighten global estimate" was tried twice71 and documented as discarded → removed. 3 ideas survive → IDEENSPEICHER_FILTERED.md.72C) Prime Choice: the sieve idea (strongest attraction) — carried through to a partial result.73D) BEWEISNOTIZ.md updated (including failure of idea 2), short report.74```7576## Red Flags7778| Thought | Reality |79| --- | --- |80| "Techniques 3–5 are just playfulness" | The soft techniques provide the ideas that research cannot deliver — they address different association spaces. |81| "I evaluate while collecting" | Evaluation in Phase A kills divergent yield. Save first, filter later. |82| "The filter takes too long, I already remember" | Memory smooths over failed attempts — only documentation counts. |83| "The idea is stuck, I'll take the next one" | In Phase C you carry through; jumping back to Phase A only with a documented reason. |8485## Related Skills8687- `brainstorm` — broad creative methods (SCAMPER, Six Hats) without filter/exploration pipeline.88- `think` / `decide` — analysis and selection decision, usable within Phase C.89- `rotation-check` — scaffolding for periodic deployment.90- `swarm-operations` — unbiased subagents for technique 3 and parallel exploration.9192## Changelog9394### 1.1.0 (2026-07-03)95- Phase E "Seeding": optional outbound transfer of transferable results to96 sibling projects (max. ~3 direct recipients) — integrated instead of a separate97 cross-project-transfer skill (deduplication decision).9899### 1.0.0 (2026-07-03)100- Initial version. Abstracted from the Codex automation "ultra-deep-idea-search-single-project"101 (idea storage → filter → prime choice → exploration) and generalized to be user-neutral.
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