# Idea Vault > Systematic business idea capture, scoring, and lifecycle management for solopreneurs and builders. Use when: capturing a new idea, reviewing your idea backlog, evaluating a specific idea, graduating an idea to active project, or running a monthly idea audit. NOT for: task management, project execution tracking (use project-tracker), or goal setting (use goal-tracker). - Skill: `theagentledger/idea-vault` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add theagentledger/idea-vault` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/theagentledger/idea-vault/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Product & Planning - License: CC-BY-NC-4.0 - Author: theagentledger (https://skillmd.com/u/theagentledger) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/theagentledger/idea-vault --- # Idea Vault *by [The Agent Ledger](https://theagentledger.com) — The newsletter on building AI-native businesses.* Every solopreneur has more ideas than hours. The problem isn't the idea — it's that ideas live in your head, your notes app, a dozen open browser tabs, and the shower. They compete for attention equally, whether they're worth $0 or $100K/year. The Idea Vault gives your ideas a home with a lifecycle. Capture them fast. Score them honestly. Review them systematically. Graduate the winners. Kill the rest with dignity. --- ## What This Skill Does - **Captures** new ideas in a structured format (quick or detailed) - **Scores** ideas across 4 dimensions: revenue potential, effort, alignment, novelty - **Tracks** ideas through a 5-stage pipeline: Raw → Researched → Validated → Active / Parked / Killed - **Reviews** your backlog on a weekly quick-scan and monthly deep-review cadence - **Graduates** validated ideas to project-tracker with a handoff brief - **Resurrects** parked ideas on a schedule (some ideas are just early) - **Surfaces** patterns across your idea history (what do you keep returning to?) --- ## Setup ### 1. Create the Vault File Create `ideas/idea-vault.md` in your workspace with this structure: ```markdown # Idea Vault ## Active Pipeline ### Raw (unscored captures) ### Researched (scored, needs validation) ### Validated (ready to build or launch) ## Parking Lot ## Archive ### Graduated → Active Projects ### Killed ``` ### 2. Create the Scoring Reference Save this in your working notes or at the top of `idea-vault.md`: ``` IDEA SCORE DIMENSIONS (rate each 1-5): R — Revenue Potential: Can this make meaningful money? (5 = $100K+ path) E — Effort Inverse: How easy to build/launch? (5 = hours, 1 = months) A — Alignment: Fits your skills, audience, and goals? (5 = perfect fit) N — Novelty: Is this defensibly different? (5 = clear gap in market) Total = R + E + A + N (max 20) 16-20: Prioritize immediately 11-15: Research before committing 6-10: Park with a review date 1-5: Kill unless there's a specific reason to keep ``` ### 3. Add AGENTS.md Standing Instructions (Optional) Add to your AGENTS.md or HEARTBEAT.md: ``` ## Idea Vault - When I say "idea:" followed by anything, capture it to ideas/idea-vault.md under Raw - During weekly review, flag any Raw ideas older than 14 days that haven't been scored - During monthly review, check Parking Lot ideas with "revisit by" dates that have passed ``` --- ## Usage Patterns ### 1. Quick Capture > "Idea: subscription box for solopreneurs — curated AI tools + resources, $29/month" The agent captures this to the Raw section with a timestamp and no further friction. Scoring happens later. **Capture format:** ``` **[IDEA-###] Title** Captured: YYYY-MM-DD Source: shower / conversation / competitor / market gap / other One-liner: [What it is in one sentence] Status: Raw Notes: [Optional initial context] ``` ### 2. Score an Idea > "Score IDEA-042 — AI newsletter tools bundle" The agent walks through each scoring dimension and fills in the rubric, producing: ``` **IDEA-042 Score** R (Revenue): 4/5 — Newsletter tools have clear willingness to pay; bundle could do $500-2K MRR at scale E (Effort): 3/5 — Curation work upfront, but no code needed; 2-4 weeks to MVP A (Alignment): 5/5 — Perfect fit: AI tools, newsletter audience, solopreneur focus N (Novelty): 3/5 — Bundle concept exists, but AI-specific + editorial curation is differentiator Total: 15/20 — RESEARCH Next step: Interview 5 newsletter subscribers about their AI tool spend. Set revisit: 2 weeks. ``` Move to Researched. ### 3. Research Update > "Update IDEA-042: talked to 8 newsletter readers, 6 said they'd pay $19-29/month for curated stack" The agent logs the research finding, recalculates if score changes, and notes what validation step comes next. ### 4. Full Idea Review Session > "Run my idea review" The agent goes through the pipeline systematically: ``` 📦 IDEA VAULT REVIEW — [Date] RAW (unscored): 6 ideas ⚠️ 2 ideas > 14 days old — flag for scoring or kill Oldest: IDEA-039 (23 days) — "AI-powered Etsy listing optimizer" RESEARCHED: 4 ideas 1 idea ready to validate (score 15+): IDEA-042 2 ideas stalled (no activity 21+ days): IDEA-037, IDEA-040 VALIDATED: 1 idea IDEA-038: "Daily briefing cron template pack" — 18/20, waiting on capacity PARKING LOT: 9 ideas 3 ideas past revisit date — surfacing for review KILLED (last 90 days): 12 ideas Pattern detected: 3 killed ideas involved physical products → possible blind spot ACTION ITEMS: 1. Score IDEA-039 or kill it — it's been sitting 2. Advance IDEA-042 to Validated (validation evidence gathered) 3. Review IDEA-037, IDEA-040 — stalled in Researched 4. Revisit parked ideas #034, #031, #027 (past their review dates) ``` ### 5. Graduate Idea to Project > "Graduate IDEA-042 to project-tracker" The agent creates a handoff brief: ``` **IDEA-042 → PROJECT HANDOFF** Idea: AI Newsletter Tools Bundle Final Score: 16/20 Validation: 8 reader interviews, 75% positive; comparable product research done Revenue Model: $19-29/month subscription, targeting 50 subs at launch Launch Scope: Curation-only v1 (no code), biweekly drops, Google Doc delivery Next Step: Outline curation criteria → select first 10 tools → write intro email → Create project file: projects/ai-newsletter-tools-bundle.md → Link to decision-log entry for the go/no-go decision → Archive IDEA-042 to Graduated section with graduation date ``` ### 6. Kill an Idea Properly > "Kill IDEA-031 — I've looked at this 4 times and never start it" ``` **IDEA-031 KILLED — [Date]** Reason: Repeatedly deprioritized; lack of genuine motivation despite good score Lesson: High score ≠ high desire. Execution requires wanting to, not just calculating that I should. Future signal: If this resurfaces in 6+ months, that's genuine pull — recapture then. ``` Killed ideas stay in the archive. The kill reasons are often the most valuable part of the vault. ### 7. Resurrect a Parked Idea > "Check parking lot — what's overdue for review?" The agent surfaces parked ideas past their revisit date, with a brief context refresh and a binary prompt: **keep parking, promote, or kill**. ### 8. Idea Pattern Analysis > "What patterns do you see in my idea history?" The agent reviews the vault (including killed ideas) and surfaces: - What categories do you keep returning to? (content, tools, services, physical) - What scores consistently high but never gets built? (motivation gap vs capacity gap) - What kills most often? (market risk, effort, misalignment) - Time between capture and kill/graduation (your natural evaluation pace) --- ## Idea Pipeline Reference | Stage | Description | Trigger to Advance | Trigger to Kill | |---|---|---|---| | **Raw** | Just captured, unscored | Score it | Still here in 30 days with no interest | | **Researched** | Scored, initial research done | Score 11+, validation plan exists | Score drops below 8 after research | | **Validated** | Evidence gathered, go/no-go decision point | Committed to build | Evidence doesn't support the thesis | | **Active** | Graduated to project-tracker | — | Project killed (archive in decision-log) | | **Parked** | Good idea, wrong time | Revisit date arrives, timing changed | Revisited 3+ times with no action | | **Killed** | Consciously rejected | — (permanent) | — | --- ## Idea Score Quick Reference ``` R — Revenue Potential 5: Clear $100K+/year path with reasonable effort 4: $10K-100K/year plausible 3: $1K-10K/year, modest ceiling 2: Revenue possible but unclear how to monetize 1: Essentially non-commercial E — Effort Inverse (how EASY, not how hard) 5: Can launch in hours or days (template, guide, curation) 4: Launch in 1-2 weeks 3: Launch in 1-2 months 2: Launch in 3-6 months 1: Year+ or requires co-founder/funding A — Alignment (skills + audience + goals) 5: You have the skills, it serves your audience, it fits your goals 4: Strong in 2 of 3 3: Strong in 1, workable in others 2: You're stretching significantly 1: Outside your wheelhouse entirely N — Novelty / Differentiation 5: Clear gap, no obvious competitor, strong point of view 4: Crowded space but meaningfully differentiated 3: Similar to existing solutions, defensible niche 2: Similar to many competitors, differentiation unclear 1: Undifferentiated commodity ``` --- ## Heartbeat Integration Add to HEARTBEAT.md for periodic idea maintenance: ```markdown ## Idea Vault Check (weekly) - Flag any Raw ideas older than 14 days - Surface Researched ideas with no activity in 21+ days - Note any Parking Lot ideas past their revisit date - Report: [# Raw] [# Researched] [# Validated] [# Parked] ``` For a monthly deep review, add a cron: ``` openclaw cron add \ --name "monthly-idea-review" \ --cron "0 10 1 * *" \ --model "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6" \ --session isolated \ --message "Run a full Idea Vault review: score any unscored Raw ideas, flag stalled Researched ideas, surface Parking Lot items past their revisit dates, and identify any patterns in killed ideas from the past quarter. Report findings." \ --announce \ --to "[YOUR_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID]" \ --tz "America/Chicago" ``` --- ## Integration with Other Agent Ledger Skills | Skill | How They Connect | |---|---| | **decision-log** | Log go/no-go decisions when graduating or killing an idea | | **project-tracker** | Graduated ideas become projects — handoff brief creates the project file | | **goal-tracker** | Validate that an idea serves your current quarter's goals before advancing | | **research-assistant** | Use for deep-dive on Researched ideas (market sizing, competitor analysis) | | **financial-tracker** | Track revenue from graduated ideas; compare projected vs actual | | **solopreneur-assistant** | Weekly business review includes Idea Vault status summary | | **content-calendar** | Ideas can spawn content (newsletter angle, tutorial) even if not built | --- ## Customization **Adjust scoring weights:** If revenue is your primary filter, weight R × 2 in your total. If you're optimizing for learning, weight A higher. The default equal-weight rubric is a starting point. **Add custom dimensions:** Some builders add a 5th dimension: **P (Personal Enjoyment)** — would you actually enjoy building and running this? A score of 1 is a silent project killer. **Idea categories:** Tag ideas with a category (product, service, content, tool, community, other) to spot patterns over time. **Team use:** If you have a collaborator, add a "Submitted by" field and a "Champion" field (who owns evaluation). Ideas without a champion stall. **Kill threshold:** Default is to kill ideas scored below 8. If you're early-stage and still exploring, lower to 6. If you're focused, raise to 12. --- ## Troubleshooting **"My vault is full of Raw ideas and nothing gets scored"** → Set a rule: no new captures without scoring one existing Raw idea first. Or batch-score every Sunday (15 minutes max). **"I score ideas high but never build them"** → Add the P (Personal Enjoyment) dimension. A 4 REAM score that feels like work is a trap. Also check your goal-tracker — are ideas competing with committed goals? **"I keep resurrecting the same idea without making progress"** → Treat the third resurface as a forcing function: either commit to a validation step with a deadline, or kill it permanently. Endless parking is just soft avoidance. **"My scores feel arbitrary"** → Calibrate against your track record. Look at your graduated projects and their original scores. Adjust the rubric until past scores match what you now know about those projects. --- ## Privacy Note The Idea Vault stores everything locally. No content is transmitted externally unless you explicitly instruct your agent to share it. Your un-built ideas are competitively sensitive — treat this file accordingly (don't share it in group chats or multi-agent contexts with external access). --- *[The Agent Ledger](https://theagentledger.com) — Building AI-native businesses, one system at a time.* *Subscribe for weekly insights on agent setup, automation, and solopreneur strategy.* --- **See also:** `references/advanced-patterns.md` for idea tournament protocols, opportunity cost tracking, seasonal idea batches, and validation sprint frameworks. **License:** CC-BY-NC-4.0 — Free to use and adapt for non-commercial purposes. Please credit The Agent Ledger.