Brainstorming
When to Use
Use this skill at the start of any request/change when:
- Requirements are ambiguous or incomplete
- The change touches security, auth/authz, data flow, CI/CD, or supply chain
- There are multiple plausible implementation approaches
- You need a rationale trail (auditability)
Workflow
Phase 0 — Intake & Risk Classification
- Clarify goals/non-goals and acceptance criteria
- Classify risk: Low / Med / High
- Determine if this is brownfield (existing system)
- Decide workflow path:
- Standard: brainstorm → plan → tdd → review
- Fast (low-risk only): plan → tdd → review
Phase 1 — Clarify
- Ask 3–8 targeted questions (scope, constraints, stakeholders, non-goals)
- List assumptions if the user cannot answer immediately
Phase 2 — Explore Options
- Produce 2–3 options
- For each: complexity (L/M/H), risks, dependencies, rollback strategy
Phase 3 — Decide & Record
- Recommend one option and justify
- Produce a Decision Log entry (append-only)
Phase 4 — Change Package Skeleton
- Propose a
changes/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>/directory - Provide copy/paste-ready stubs:
01-brainstorm.md02-decision-log.md03-spec.md(draft)
Output Template
- Risk Classification (Low/Med/High)
- Workflow Path Recommendation (Standard/Fast)
- Questions (if needed)
- Assumptions & Constraints
- Options (2–3)
- Recommendation
- Decision Log
- Change Package Skeleton (file stubs)
Output Mapping (Change Package)
Write results into:
changes/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>/01-brainstorm.mdchanges/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>/02-decision-log.md- Draft/Update
changes/<...>/03-spec.md(minimum scope + verification)
If the change folder does not exist yet, propose a folder name and include the content in your response so it can be pasted into the files.