Skill Ideation
Purpose
Generate skill ideas that solve real problems — not generic topics like "Time Management" or "Communication."
When to Activate
- "Give me skill ideas"
- "What skills should I build?"
- "Brainstorm skills about [topic]"
- "I want to create a skill for [situation]"
- User notices a gap that could be a skill
The Problem with Generic Skills
| ❌ Bad Skill Idea |
Why It Fails |
| Time Management |
Too broad, Google handles it |
| Communication |
Means everything, helps nothing |
| Productivity |
Category, not skill |
| Leadership |
10,000 books already exist |
| ✅ Good Skill Idea |
Why It Works |
| deadline-panic-recovery |
Specific moment, actionable |
| saying-no-to-boss |
Clear situation, real tension |
| first-week-at-job |
Universal experience, time-bound |
| explaining-tech-to-parents |
Specific audience, common need |
Generation Framework
Start with Problems, Not Categories
Don't ask: "What category should I make a skill for?"
Ask: "What do people consistently struggle with?"
5 Generation Methods
1. From Failure
What do people consistently screw up?
- first-apology-attempt
- feedback-delivery-fail
- meeting-that-should-be-email
2. From Moments
What 10-minute window needs help?
- waiting-for-interview
- receiving-bad-news
- 3am-anxiety-thoughts
3. From "Nobody Taught Me"
What did school skip?
- how-to-negotiate-rent
- reading-a-room
- when-to-quit
4. From Verbs (Not Nouns)
- Not "communication" → "saying no"
- Not "relationships" → "after the argument"
- Not "career" → "asking for a raise"
5. From Contrarian
What sounds wrong but is right?
- laziness-as-wisdom
- quitting-as-skill
- doing-nothing
Quality Filters
Before proposing any idea, check:
| Test |
Question |
| Who |
Specific person who needs this? |
| When |
Clear trigger moment? |
| Gap |
Google doesn't answer well? |
| Teachable |
Can be conveyed in text? |
| Timeless |
Still useful next year? |
| Narrow-Universal |
Specific but common? |
Category Seed Bank
Use these as starting points, then go specific:
Life Moments
- Micro-Moments (3am thoughts, waiting room anxiety)
- Identity Transitions (first manager, new parent, retirement)
- Life Logistics (moving, negotiating, adulting)
Emotions & Psychology
- Personality Patterns (perfectionist, people-pleaser, overthinker)
- Body Wisdom (gut feelings, stress signals, energy patterns)
- Money Psychology (scarcity mindset, enough number, guilt)
Relationships
- Conflict & Repair (apologies, difficult conversations, boundaries)
- Power Dynamics (managing up, office politics, saying no)
- Dating & Connection (first dates, long-term maintenance, breakups)
Work & Career
- Job Search (interviews, negotiation, first week)
- Professional Skills (presentations, feedback, meetings)
- Freelancing & Side Hustles (pricing, clients, scope creep)
Creativity & Expression
- Creative Blocks (blank page, perfectionism, sharing work)
- Writing (emails, documentation, public content)
- Learning (skill acquisition, deliberate practice, plateaus)
Tech & Modern Life
- AI Interaction (prompting, verification, ethical use)
- Digital Wellness (screen time, notifications, boundaries)
- Remote Work (async communication, video fatigue, isolation)
Health & Wellbeing
- Mental Health (anxiety, depression, therapy prep)
- Physical (sleep, movement, nutrition basics)
- Mind-Body (stress signals, burnout recovery, energy)
Special Seasons
- Major Transitions (new job, marriage, divorce, loss)
- Age-Specific (quarter-life crisis, midlife, retirement)
- Cultural (expat life, coming out, immigrant experience)
Output Format
When generating ideas, use:
| Idea |
One-Liner |
Type |
| idea-name |
What it solves |
📚/🛠️/🧠/💡 |
Types:
- 📚 Understanding — Explains why
- 🛠️ Practice — Provides templates/methods
- 🧠 Mindset — Reframes thinking
- 💡 Permission — Validates an unpopular choice
User Direction Following
Core principle: User gives a seed, agent diverges.
When user says "brainstorm about swimming":
❌ Don't: "Swimming isn't in my categories"
✅ Do: Explore directions:
- Swimming fear (psychological barrier)
- Pool etiquette (unwritten rules)
- Teaching kids to swim (parenting angle)
- Swimming meditation (mindfulness angle)
- Open water anxiety (specific fear)
- Swimming culture by country (cultural angle)
Follow their direction. Expand, don't limit.
Anti-Patterns
| ❌ Don't |
✅ Do Instead |
| Propose generic topics |
Find the specific moment |
| List categories |
List situations |
| Use nouns |
Use verbs |
| Ignore user direction |
Follow and expand |
| Propose things Google handles |
Find the gaps |
Example Session
User: "Give me skill ideas about anxiety"
Response:
| Idea |
One-Liner |
Type |
| 3am-thought-spiral |
What to do when your brain won't stop at night |
🛠️ Practice |
| anxiety-before-call |
The 5 minutes before an important phone call |
🛠️ Practice |
| anxiety-vs-intuition |
Is this fear or wisdom? How to tell |
🧠 Mindset |
| first-panic-attack |
What's happening and what to do |
📚 Understanding |
| anxiety-at-parties |
Surviving social events when you'd rather hide |
🛠️ Practice |
| productive-anxiety |
Using anxiety as fuel without burning out |
🧠 Mindset |
| explaining-anxiety |
How to tell someone who doesn't get it |
🛠️ Practice |
| anxiety-medication-decision |
When to consider it, how to think about it |
💡 Permission |
Note: Not "anxiety management" (too broad) but specific situations where anxiety appears.
Response Principles
- Specific > Generic — "saying no to your boss" beats "assertiveness"
- Moment > Topic — "the morning after a fight" beats "relationships"
- Follow user direction — Expand what they asked, don't redirect
- Action > Theory — Skills should be usable, not just interesting
- Gaps > Coverage — Find what doesn't exist, not what's popular
1---2name: skill-ideation3description: Generate agent skill ideas through problem-driven brainstorming. Situation-specific, narrow-but-universal. Triggers when user wants skill ideas or needs to expand their skill collection.4---56# Skill Ideation78## Purpose910Generate skill ideas that solve real problems — not generic topics like "Time Management" or "Communication."1112## When to Activate1314- "Give me skill ideas"15- "What skills should I build?"16- "Brainstorm skills about [topic]"17- "I want to create a skill for [situation]"18- User notices a gap that could be a skill1920---2122## The Problem with Generic Skills2324| ❌ Bad Skill Idea | Why It Fails |25|-------------------|--------------|26| Time Management | Too broad, Google handles it |27| Communication | Means everything, helps nothing |28| Productivity | Category, not skill |29| Leadership | 10,000 books already exist |3031| ✅ Good Skill Idea | Why It Works |32|-------------------|--------------|33| deadline-panic-recovery | Specific moment, actionable |34| saying-no-to-boss | Clear situation, real tension |35| first-week-at-job | Universal experience, time-bound |36| explaining-tech-to-parents | Specific audience, common need |3738---3940## Generation Framework4142### Start with Problems, Not Categories4344**Don't ask:** "What category should I make a skill for?" 45**Ask:** "What do people consistently struggle with?"4647### 5 Generation Methods4849#### 1. From Failure50What do people consistently screw up?51- first-apology-attempt52- feedback-delivery-fail53- meeting-that-should-be-email5455#### 2. From Moments56What 10-minute window needs help?57- waiting-for-interview58- receiving-bad-news59- 3am-anxiety-thoughts6061#### 3. From "Nobody Taught Me"62What did school skip?63- how-to-negotiate-rent64- reading-a-room65- when-to-quit6667#### 4. From Verbs (Not Nouns)68- Not "communication" → "saying no"69- Not "relationships" → "after the argument"70- Not "career" → "asking for a raise"7172#### 5. From Contrarian73What sounds wrong but is right?74- laziness-as-wisdom75- quitting-as-skill76- doing-nothing7778---7980## Quality Filters8182Before proposing any idea, check:8384| Test | Question |85|------|----------|86| **Who** | Specific person who needs this? |87| **When** | Clear trigger moment? |88| **Gap** | Google doesn't answer well? |89| **Teachable** | Can be conveyed in text? |90| **Timeless** | Still useful next year? |91| **Narrow-Universal** | Specific but common? |9293---9495## Category Seed Bank9697Use these as starting points, then go specific:9899### Life Moments100- Micro-Moments (3am thoughts, waiting room anxiety)101- Identity Transitions (first manager, new parent, retirement)102- Life Logistics (moving, negotiating, adulting)103104### Emotions & Psychology105- Personality Patterns (perfectionist, people-pleaser, overthinker)106- Body Wisdom (gut feelings, stress signals, energy patterns)107- Money Psychology (scarcity mindset, enough number, guilt)108109### Relationships110- Conflict & Repair (apologies, difficult conversations, boundaries)111- Power Dynamics (managing up, office politics, saying no)112- Dating & Connection (first dates, long-term maintenance, breakups)113114### Work & Career115- Job Search (interviews, negotiation, first week)116- Professional Skills (presentations, feedback, meetings)117- Freelancing & Side Hustles (pricing, clients, scope creep)118119### Creativity & Expression120- Creative Blocks (blank page, perfectionism, sharing work)121- Writing (emails, documentation, public content)122- Learning (skill acquisition, deliberate practice, plateaus)123124### Tech & Modern Life125- AI Interaction (prompting, verification, ethical use)126- Digital Wellness (screen time, notifications, boundaries)127- Remote Work (async communication, video fatigue, isolation)128129### Health & Wellbeing130- Mental Health (anxiety, depression, therapy prep)131- Physical (sleep, movement, nutrition basics)132- Mind-Body (stress signals, burnout recovery, energy)133134### Special Seasons135- Major Transitions (new job, marriage, divorce, loss)136- Age-Specific (quarter-life crisis, midlife, retirement)137- Cultural (expat life, coming out, immigrant experience)138139---140141## Output Format142143When generating ideas, use:144145| Idea | One-Liner | Type |146|------|-----------|------|147| **idea-name** | What it solves | 📚/🛠️/🧠/💡 |148149**Types:**150- 📚 Understanding — Explains why151- 🛠️ Practice — Provides templates/methods152- 🧠 Mindset — Reframes thinking153- 💡 Permission — Validates an unpopular choice154155---156157## User Direction Following158159**Core principle:** User gives a seed, agent diverges.160161When user says "brainstorm about swimming":162163❌ Don't: "Swimming isn't in my categories"164165✅ Do: Explore directions:166- Swimming fear (psychological barrier)167- Pool etiquette (unwritten rules)168- Teaching kids to swim (parenting angle)169- Swimming meditation (mindfulness angle)170- Open water anxiety (specific fear)171- Swimming culture by country (cultural angle)172173**Follow their direction. Expand, don't limit.**174175---176177## Anti-Patterns178179| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do Instead |180|----------|---------------|181| Propose generic topics | Find the specific moment |182| List categories | List situations |183| Use nouns | Use verbs |184| Ignore user direction | Follow and expand |185| Propose things Google handles | Find the gaps |186187---188189## Example Session190191**User:** "Give me skill ideas about anxiety"192193**Response:**194195| Idea | One-Liner | Type |196|------|-----------|------|197| **3am-thought-spiral** | What to do when your brain won't stop at night | 🛠️ Practice |198| **anxiety-before-call** | The 5 minutes before an important phone call | 🛠️ Practice |199| **anxiety-vs-intuition** | Is this fear or wisdom? How to tell | 🧠 Mindset |200| **first-panic-attack** | What's happening and what to do | 📚 Understanding |201| **anxiety-at-parties** | Surviving social events when you'd rather hide | 🛠️ Practice |202| **productive-anxiety** | Using anxiety as fuel without burning out | 🧠 Mindset |203| **explaining-anxiety** | How to tell someone who doesn't get it | 🛠️ Practice |204| **anxiety-medication-decision** | When to consider it, how to think about it | 💡 Permission |205206**Note:** Not "anxiety management" (too broad) but specific situations where anxiety appears.207208---209210## Response Principles2112121. **Specific > Generic** — "saying no to your boss" beats "assertiveness"2132. **Moment > Topic** — "the morning after a fight" beats "relationships"2143. **Follow user direction** — Expand what they asked, don't redirect2154. **Action > Theory** — Skills should be usable, not just interesting2165. **Gaps > Coverage** — Find what doesn't exist, not what's popular
mcltyl