# Ideate > Grounded divergent idea generation — scan the codebase, generate many candidate directions across parallel generators, critique all behind a reject-by-default gate, and write the survivors plus the rejection rationale for the losers to docs/ideation/.md (markdown by default; an HTML view is opt-in via `format:html`). Use when the user says "let's brainstorm", "what should we build", "what should we build next", "any ideas for", or "/ideate". Generates candidate directions and routes the survivors onward to askme for intent-clarification; it does not clarify intent itself and does not plan. - Skill: `majiayu000/ideate-3` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/ideate-3` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/ideate-3/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Web & Frontend - Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/ideate-3 --- # Ideate — grounded divergent generation behind a reject-by-default gate `ideate` turns a vague subject into a bounded set of candidate directions that survived critique, with the rejected candidates kept and explained rather than dropped. Flow: ground the subject in the real codebase (dispatch-first), generate many candidates across parallel generators, critique all, then write the survivors plus the rejection rationale for the losers. It writes one surface by default: the operating repo's `docs/ideation/.md`, markdown — always the canonical surface. The opt-in `format:html` flag additionally renders a human-reading HTML view derived from that markdown (`references/html-rendering.md`); it never replaces the markdown and never changes the default output. Idea selection is reject-by-default — a candidate earns a place by surviving the critique, never by default. `Op:` of an ideate run is `extend` — a new ideation doc is a load-bearing capability added to the repo's decision record. Adapted from EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin (MIT). ## Auto-invoke - "let's brainstorm" - "what should we build" - "what should we build next" - "any ideas for" - "ideas for" Fire automatically on a trigger phrase or on `/ideate`. The reject-by-default critique below still decides which candidates earn a place in the doc — auto-firing is permission to evaluate behind that gate, not permission to fabricate ideas to look productive. If the subject is unidentifiable, ask one clarifying question (or hand off to `askme`) and stop; do not generate against an unknown subject. `/ideate [subject]` runs immediately without waiting for a trigger phrase. The remainder of `$ARGUMENTS` after stripping any leading flag is the subject. `ideate format:html [subject]` additionally renders the opt-in HTML view; the default stays markdown-only. ## When to Apply - The user opens with a brainstorm phrase, asks what to build, or invokes `/ideate` on a subject. - The subject is divergent (many possible directions) and needs candidate generation before any one direction is chosen. - A repo exists to ground the scan, or the subject names a concrete in-repo surface. ## When NOT to Apply - **Intent on a single direction already in hand** — that is `askme`'s territory: it clarifies intent via Verbalized Sampling, it does not generate directions. - **The anchor itself is in question** (what diagnosis / guiding policy the repo steers by) — that is `strategy`'s territory; `ideate` diverges *within* an anchor, it does not set one. - **A direction is already chosen and needs implementation units** — that is `plan`. `ideate` stops at survivors plus an `askme` handoff; it never plans. - **Subject unidentifiable after one clarifying question** — stop; do not generate against nothing. ## Support files — read on demand Don't bulk-load at start. Read at the step that needs it; pass the relevant content into any subagent you spawn. - `references/ideation-method.md` — the generate → critique → survivor-rationale method: the axis × frame divergence matrix, the verbatim generator and critic agent prompts, the survivor/rejection output schema, and the `docs/ideation/.md` section structure. Read at Phase 2 and Phase 5. - `references/html-rendering.md` — how to render the canonical markdown to a self-contained HTML view. Read only when a run carries `format:html`. ## Workflow ### Phase 1 — Ground the scan (dispatch-first) Ungrounded ideation is fabrication. Before generating, ground the subject in the real codebase. Defer to ODIN's Dispatch-First protocol — escalate Explore agents by scope: **1** for a single known concern, **3** for multiple concerns or unknown scope, **5** for a cross-module or architectural survey. Auto-skip to direct reads only for a single file under 50 LOC. **Seed the grounding scope with `STRATEGY.md`:** the grounding Explore agent(s) read it (when present at the repo root) as optional upstream grounding so candidates stay on-anchor, and fold its diagnosis/guiding-policy into the returned summary; if absent, note that in one line and proceed — strategy grounding never blocks. (In an auto-skip run, the orchestrator reads it directly.) Explore agents are read-only and return architecture / pattern / constraint summaries with `file:line` cites. Use token-efficient discovery only: `fd -e --max-results 50`, `ast-grep run -p 'PATTERN' -l -C 1` or `git --no-pager grep -n -C 2 'pattern'`, preview with `bat -P -p -n -r START:END file`, structure with `eza --tree --level=2`. The output is a grounding summary every later candidate must cite against. If the scan cannot identify the subject, route to `askme` and stop. ### Phase 2 — Generate candidates (parallel, read-only) Read `references/ideation-method.md`. Dispatch the generator subagents **in one tool-call message**, each seeded with the grounding summary and a **distinct axis × frame assignment** so they diverge instead of converging on the one salient reading. Each generator returns ~6–8 raw candidates, every candidate carrying a basis (`file:line` or `external:`). Generators **write nothing**. Sequential dispatch invalidates the divergence contract. ### Phase 3 — Critique all (reject by default) Dispatch a critic over the full raw candidate pool. **Every candidate is rejected by default**; it survives only by clearing the critique filters — grounded (the cited basis holds), feasible (buildable in this repo), non-duplicate (not a restatement of a peer survivor), load-bearing (the direction would change a decision). The critic tags each candidate `survive | reject` with a one-line reason. A rejection without a reason is invalid output. ### Phase 4 — Reviewer-gated merge Dispatch a Reviewer subagent to audit the critic's verdicts against completeness / consistency / accuracy / scope. The Reviewer's output is the adjudicated set: the **survivors** and the **rejection rationale** for the losers. The Reviewer is the single adjudication authority — the orchestrator applies its set, does not rescue a rejected candidate, and does not re-litigate an accepted one. ### Phase 5 — Assemble and write 1. Build `docs/ideation/.md` per the section structure in `references/ideation-method.md`: subject + grounding summary, **Survivors** (each: idea, rationale, evidence cite), **Rejected** (each: idea + one-line rejection rationale — losers are explained, never silently dropped), and the next step. **Markdown is the canonical surface, always written.** Slug is the sanitized subject. 2. `mkdir -p docs/ideation/`, then write `docs/ideation/.md`. 3. **Read the file back** to confirm it landed as intended. 4. **Opt-in HTML view — only if the run carries `format:html`.** Read `references/html-rendering.md` and render `docs/ideation/.html` as a self-contained view derived from the markdown read back in step 3; read it back and verify content parity with the markdown. Default (no flag) runs skip this step — the output is markdown only. 5. **Gated auto-commit** — stage ONLY what this run wrote: `git add docs/ideation/.md` (and `docs/ideation/.html` when `format:html`). **Never `git add -A`.** Commit with an `Op: extend` trailer. Read-back precedes staging. ### Phase 6 — Route onward to askme Hand the survivors to `askme` to clarify intent on the chosen direction(s) before any planning. `ideate` ends here. Do not jump to `plan` — the chosen direction needs intent-clarification first. ## Constitutional Rules (Non-Negotiable) 1. **Op-cell is `extend`.** Every commit body carries `Op: extend`. 2. **No ungrounded ideation.** Phase 1 is a precondition, not optional. Every candidate cites a basis (`file:line` or `external:`); a candidate with no basis is dropped before critique. 3. **Reject by default.** The critique rejects every candidate unless it earns survival, and every loser carries a recorded rejection rationale. Silent drops and optimistic ranking are both rejected — ranking buries weak ideas, the gate cuts them and says why. 4. **The Reviewer audit is the single adjudication authority.** The orchestrator applies the Reviewer's survivor set and rejection rationale; it neither rescues rejected candidates nor re-litigates accepted ones. 5. **Markdown is the canonical surface, always written.** `docs/ideation/.md` is written every run and is the source of truth the `askme` handoff reads. HTML is opt-in via `format:html` and only ever a view derived from that markdown — it never replaces it and never changes the default output. 6. **Stage only what this run wrote.** `git add docs/ideation/.md` (plus `docs/ideation/.html` when `format:html`), never `git add -A`, and only after reading each file back. 7. **Generators in one tool-call message.** Parallel dispatch with distinct axis × frame assignments; sequential dispatch is rejected at the validation gate. 8. **Routes to `askme`, never straight to `plan`.** If any rule here conflicts with `~/.claude/claude/system-prompt-baseline.md`, the baseline wins. ## Validation Gates | Gate | Pass Criteria | Blocking | |---|---|---| | Subject identified | Phase 1 scan grounded the subject; a basis exists | Yes — else route to `askme` and stop | | Strategy grounding | `STRATEGY.md` folded into the grounding scope if present; absence noted in one line; never blocked | No | | Grounding dispatched | Explore agent(s) per the 1/3/5 escalation returned summaries | Yes | | Single-message generation | All generator subagents launched in one tool-call message | Yes | | Every candidate grounded | Each carries a `file:line` or `external:` basis | Yes — ungrounded candidates dropped | | Critique applied to all | Every candidate has a `survive \| reject` verdict + reason | Yes | | Reviewer audit | Survivor set + rejection rationale audited before write | Yes | | Canonical markdown written | `docs/ideation/.md` written every run, regardless of flag | Yes | | HTML view parity | If `format:html`: `.html` derived from the markdown, single self-contained file, content parity | Yes when `format:html` | | Doc read back | Each written file re-read after write to confirm it landed | Yes | | Stage scope | Only this run's `docs/ideation/.{md,html}` staged; no `git add -A` | Yes | ## Commits One ideation doc per commit, `Op: extend` trailer in the body (a load-bearing addition to the repo's decision record). Stage only what `ideate` wrote — `git add docs/ideation/.md` (and `docs/ideation/.html` when `format:html`), never other dirty files, never `git add -A`. Read each file back before staging. Publish by the operating repo's normal flow. ## Anti-patterns - **Generating before grounding.** Ideas with no cited basis are fabrication. Scan first. - **Dropping losers silently.** The rejection rationale is part of the deliverable; an unexplained reject is lost signal. - **Optimistic ranking instead of reject-by-default.** Ranking keeps weak ideas at the bottom of the list; the gate cuts them and records why. - **Parallel generators converging on the obvious reading.** Without distinct axis × frame assignments, every generator returns the same idea — the parallelism buys nothing. - **Jumping to `plan`.** `ideate` ends at a survivor set handed to `askme`, not an implementation plan. - **`git add -A`.** Stages unrelated dirty files. Stage what this run wrote by path. - **HTML by default, or content only in the HTML.** HTML is opt-in (`format:html`) and always a view derived from the markdown; anything in the view but not the markdown is drift. ## Disambiguation - **vs `askme`** — `askme` clarifies intent on a direction already in hand (Verbalized Sampling questions); it does not generate directions. `ideate` generates the candidate directions and routes its survivors to `askme` for intent-clarification before planning. - **vs `strategy`** — `strategy` sets the anchor (the diagnosis and guiding policy the repo steers by); it is upstream grounding `ideate` reads, not a generator. `ideate` diverges within that anchor; `strategy` decides the anchor. - **vs `plan`** — `plan` turns a chosen, clarified direction into implementation units. `ideate` never plans; it stops at survivors plus the `askme` handoff. ## Operating surface `ideate` writes one surface by default: the operating repo's `docs/ideation/.md` (markdown, the canonical surface). With `format:html` it additionally writes `docs/ideation/.html`, a view derived from that markdown. Everywhere else it is read-only — Explore, generator, critic, and Reviewer subagents write nothing. Staging is scoped to the file(s) this run wrote; no writes to undefined or doubly-owned locations.