Brainstorming
Use for generating or comparing multiple technical approaches to one validated decision.
Boundary: mk:office-hours answers “should we build this?”; this skill answers “how should we build it?” A bare “brainstorm” request is ambiguous: ask whether the user wants product discovery/validation or technical approaches. Do not route from that word alone.
Profiles
- quick /
--depth quick (default) — restate the decision in one line; give 2-4 technically distinct options and one recommendation. If a material fact is missing, state the assumption rather than running discovery. Return inline and stop. Do not load techniques, scout, scoring, challenge, reports, plans, wiki candidates, memory, or handoff.
- deep /
--depth deep — load the needed technique and use the deep workflow below. A report, HTML output, or handoff is optional and only produced when requested or needed by an active plan.
Routing
| Situation |
Route |
| New product, feature, or side-project value is unvalidated |
mk:office-hours |
| Observed failure or root-cause work |
mk:investigate |
| Existing plan, verdict, or brainstorm needs critique |
mk:plan-ceo-review or mk:elicit |
| Generic Q&A or a single implementation detail |
answer directly or use mk:docs-finder |
Defaults
Use at least two alternatives. Quick returns 2-4; deep generates 3-8 and never more than 8. Keep multiple dimensions in one run when they serve one decision or report; split only 3+ independently shippable concerns.
Quick Workflow
- Restate the validated decision and any material assumption.
- Give 2-4 technically distinct options with the key trade-off for each.
- Recommend one option and return inline. Do not create a report, plan, wiki candidate, or memory entry.
Deep Workflow
--advice (optional, deep only): when the flag is present, GUIDE fires after
step 1's frame and REVIEW after step 4's challenge pass, capped at 4 calls per run.
Athena supplies decision criteria and reads the chosen direction; it never generates
the option set, chooses for the user, or adds a gate. Without the flag there are zero
calls and no state. See references/advice-checkpoints.md.
- Confirm the decision, binding constraint, success criterion, and excluded scope. Ask at most three focused questions when needed.
- If 3+ independently shippable concerns are bundled, ask to choose one. Use a compact scout summary only when current codebase touchpoints change the decision.
- Load one technique from
references/techniques/; generate 3-8 technical approaches without scoring while generating.
- Run one anti-bias pivot, then the challenge pass in
references/challenge-pass.md before recommending.
- Load scoring only for deep scoring. Write a report, HTML output, or handoff only when requested or needed by an active plan. For a requested report, an optional
mewkit wiki handoff suggest follows .claude/skills/wiki/references/terminal-handoff-advisory.md; it is fail-open and never runs for quick.
References
references/context-budget.md — deep clarification, count, pivot, and challenge limitsreferences/techniques/ — choose one technique for a deep runreferences/challenge-pass.md and references/scoring-criteria.md — deep convergence onlyreferences/editorial-html.md — HTML only for a requested reportreferences/advice-checkpoints.md — deep --advice checkpoints; load only when the flag is present
1---2name: mk-brainstorming3description: Generate or compare multiple technical approaches for one validated decision. Do not use for product discovery or an existing plan.4---56# Brainstorming78Use for generating or comparing multiple technical approaches to one validated decision.910**Boundary:** `mk:office-hours` answers “should we build this?”; this skill answers “how should we build it?” A bare “brainstorm” request is ambiguous: ask whether the user wants product discovery/validation or technical approaches. Do not route from that word alone.1112## Profiles1314- **quick** / `--depth quick` (default) — restate the decision in one line; give 2-4 technically distinct options and one recommendation. If a material fact is missing, state the assumption rather than running discovery. Return inline and stop. Do not load techniques, scout, scoring, challenge, reports, plans, wiki candidates, memory, or handoff.15- **deep** / `--depth deep` — load the needed technique and use the deep workflow below. A report, HTML output, or handoff is optional and only produced when requested or needed by an active plan.1617## Routing1819| Situation | Route |20| --- | --- |21| New product, feature, or side-project value is unvalidated | `mk:office-hours` |22| Observed failure or root-cause work | `mk:investigate` |23| Existing plan, verdict, or brainstorm needs critique | `mk:plan-ceo-review` or `mk:elicit` |24| Generic Q&A or a single implementation detail | answer directly or use `mk:docs-finder` |2526## Defaults2728Use at least two alternatives. Quick returns 2-4; deep generates 3-8 and never more than 8. Keep multiple dimensions in one run when they serve one decision or report; split only 3+ independently shippable concerns.2930## Quick Workflow31321. Restate the validated decision and any material assumption.332. Give 2-4 technically distinct options with the key trade-off for each.343. Recommend one option and return inline. Do not create a report, plan, wiki candidate, or memory entry.3536## Deep Workflow3738**`--advice` (optional, deep only):** when the flag is present, GUIDE fires after39step 1's frame and REVIEW after step 4's challenge pass, capped at 4 calls per run.40Athena supplies decision criteria and reads the chosen direction; it never generates41the option set, chooses for the user, or adds a gate. Without the flag there are zero42calls and no state. See `references/advice-checkpoints.md`.43441. Confirm the decision, binding constraint, success criterion, and excluded scope. Ask at most three focused questions when needed.452. If 3+ independently shippable concerns are bundled, ask to choose one. Use a compact scout summary only when current codebase touchpoints change the decision.463. Load one technique from `references/techniques/`; generate 3-8 technical approaches without scoring while generating.474. Run one anti-bias pivot, then the challenge pass in `references/challenge-pass.md` before recommending.485. Load scoring only for deep scoring. Write a report, HTML output, or handoff only when requested or needed by an active plan. For a requested report, an optional `mewkit wiki handoff suggest` follows `.claude/skills/wiki/references/terminal-handoff-advisory.md`; it is fail-open and never runs for quick.4950## References5152- `references/context-budget.md` — deep clarification, count, pivot, and challenge limits53- `references/techniques/` — choose one technique for a deep run54- `references/challenge-pass.md` and `references/scoring-criteria.md` — deep convergence only55- `references/editorial-html.md` — HTML only for a requested report56- `references/advice-checkpoints.md` — deep `--advice` checkpoints; load only when the flag is present
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