# Concept Exploration > Shape a rough product or project idea into an actionable concept brief before ICP, market research, specifications, UX, UI, or implementation planning - Skill: `georgeqle/concept-exploration-4` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add georgeqle/concept-exploration-4` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/georgeqle/concept-exploration-4/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Research & Search - Author: GeorgeQLe (https://skillmd.com/u/georgeqle) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/georgeqle/concept-exploration-4 --- # Concept Exploration Use this skill when the user has a half-formed idea and needs it cleaned up enough to enter the normal research and planning workflow. This skill is intentionally pre-ICP: it clarifies the concept, problem hypothesis, beneficiary hypothesis, value wedge, constraints, non-goals, and unknowns, but does not select an ICP, analyze competitors, define UX/UI, choose architecture, or write implementation specs. ## Process 1. **Resolve context** - Read `.agents/project.json` if it exists. - Read README, CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, existing `research/`, `specs/`, and task docs when present. - Determine whether the current directory is already a bootstrapped project. Treat it as bootstrapped when it has meaningful `README.md` plus `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md`; treat it as unbootstrapped when those are missing, placeholder-only, or the user is describing an idea outside any project repo. - If `$ARGUMENTS` contains a rough idea, use it as the starting draft. - If `$ARGUMENTS` names an app that matches `research/{app}/`, use app-scoped output paths. Otherwise use top-level `research/`. - Determine the concept identity and a normalized concept slug as soon as either is known from `$ARGUMENTS`, repo context, or the interview. Normalize by lowercasing, removing URL suffix noise, replacing non-alphanumeric runs with `-`, trimming leading/trailing `-`, and dropping only project-wide brand prefixes when the remaining word is the actual scoped concept (for example, `poketo.work` -> `work`; `Poketo Core` -> `poketo-core`). - If existing research or the prompt suggests multiple related concepts may exist, prefer slugged output paths over generic filenames. Reserve generic `concept-brief.md` only for a single unambiguous project-level concept. - If no rough idea is available from arguments or repo context, ask the user for the idea in plain language. - Read `research/.progress.yaml` when present. Treat `active_path` as the current product/app/ICP focus and `product_paths[]` as parked or promoted product-path state, not git branch state. - When the prompt, repo context, interview, or pivot history surfaces multiple related concepts, apps, product lines, or future pivots, update or propose updates to `research/.progress.yaml` with product-path entries instead of merging them into one generic concept. Use fields: `id`, `label`, `source_skill`, `scope_path`, `status`, `reason`, `evidence_refs`, `revisit_trigger`, `next_skill`, and `last_touched`. - Keep the central concept as `active_path` when it is the current focus. Record related or future concepts as `status: deferred` or `status: revisit_candidate` with a concrete revisit trigger and a likely next skill such as `/icp `. 2. **Keep the boundary clear** - Do not run ICP, competitive analysis, journey mapping, UX variation, UI interview, roadmap, or implementation planning inside this skill. - Do not validate the market with broad web research. Use light repo/context inspection only; downstream research skills own evidence gathering. - Treat every user claim as a hypothesis unless supported by existing project files. 3. **Surface a Concept Assumptions Manifest** - Before deep questioning, present what you think the concept is. - Tag assumptions as `[from prompt]`, `[from repo]`, `[from research]`, or `[inferred]`. - Cover: - concept summary - problem hypothesis - target beneficiary or user hypothesis - product/category guess - value wedge - constraints - non-goals - riskiest unknowns - Ask the user to confirm, correct, or flag assumptions before writing. 4. **Interview until concept-ready** - Ask 1 to 3 focused questions per turn. - Resolve only concept-level ambiguity: - what problem exists - who might care - what outcome changes for them - what makes the idea different enough to investigate - what must stay out of scope - what constraints are real now - When unsure, recommend a practical default and clearly mark it as an assumption. 5. **Coverage checkpoint** - Present the final concept summary, unknowns, and readiness for ICP. - Restate the resolved concept identity, slug, and exact output paths before writing. - If the conversation pivoted from the initial concept to a different central concept, write the pivoted concept to its own slugged brief and preserve the initial concept as a related or future concept in the brief and interview log. Do not merge both concepts into one generic project-level brief. - Ask whether any core premise, constraint, or non-goal is wrong before writing. ## Output Write: - For one unambiguous project-level concept only: `research/concept-brief.md` and `research/concept-brief-interview.md`. - When a concept identity is known, multiple concepts exist or may exist, or a pivot occurs: `research/concept-brief-{slug}.md` and `research/concept-brief-{slug}-interview.md`. - If `$ARGUMENTS` names an app that matches `research/{app}/`, use the same filenames under `research/{app}/`: `research/{app}/concept-brief-{slug}.md` and `research/{app}/concept-brief-{slug}-interview.md`, or unsuffixed app-scoped files only when that app has one unambiguous concept. - `research/.progress.yaml` — create or update only when multiple concepts, product paths, product lines, app scopes, or pivots are present. Use `product_paths` terminology instead of branch terminology. The concept brief must include: - `## Summary` - `## Problem Hypothesis` - `## Beneficiary Hypothesis` - `## Product Category Guess` - `## Value Wedge` - `## Constraints` - `## Non-Goals` - `## Assumptions And Unknowns` - `## ICP Readiness` - `## Next Steps` The `## ICP Readiness` section must state whether the concept is ready for `/icp`, what inputs `/icp` should use, and which assumptions should be tested first. The `## Next Steps` section must recommend exactly one primary command: - If the concept appears to be a business app or user-facing product and the business discovery lane is not enabled: `/pack install business-discovery` — this installs the research skills (ICP, competitive analysis, value prop, positioning, lean canvas) needed before any repo bootstrapping or development. - If `business-discovery` or the compatibility `business-app` alias is enabled: `/icp` - If the concept already has ICP/market evidence but needs journey, onboarding, conversion, or retention planning: `/pack install customer-lifecycle` - If project type is unclear: `/pack recommend` Include 1-3 other options only when they are materially useful. ### Alignment Page Follow the shared Alignment Page convention in CLAUDE.md. Output: `alignment/concept-exploration-{topic}.html`. ## Constraints - Keep the skill short and pre-research. - Do not write specs, UX variants, UI specs, roadmap phases, or implementation tasks. - Do not recommend `/scaffold` unless the user explicitly asks to create a package/app shell before research; normal product flow scaffolds after research, prototype consolidation, spec, roadmap, and phase planning identify the first implementation target. `/scaffold` requires the monorepo pack (`/pack install monorepo`). - Do not update `tasks/todo.md`. - New files do not need archive snapshots. Before replacing an existing concept brief, including slugged briefs, archive it to `docs/history/archive/YYYY-MM-DD/HHMMSS/`. ## Default Shipping Contract Follow the shared shipping contract convention in CLAUDE.md.