# Skill Ideation

> 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.

- Skill: `mcltyl/skill-ideation` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mcltyl/skill-ideation`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mcltyl/skill-ideation/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: mcltyl (https://skillmd.com/u/mcltyl)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mcltyl/skill-ideation

---


# 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

1. **Specific > Generic** — "saying no to your boss" beats "assertiveness"
2. **Moment > Topic** — "the morning after a fight" beats "relationships"
3. **Follow user direction** — Expand what they asked, don't redirect
4. **Action > Theory** — Skills should be usable, not just interesting
5. **Gaps > Coverage** — Find what doesn't exist, not what's popular