{"name":"brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt","description":"A prompt that turns a rough idea into an agreed design before any code - the AI reads the project, checks what you want and why, one point at a time, offers two or three approaches with trade-offs, then writes a short design doc for you to approve. Use when you have a vague idea, want to brainstorm, or want options before building.","category":"coding-prompts","tags":["planning","spec","architecture"],"models":["any"],"proven":false,"passing_families":0,"model_testing":"Not yet model-tested; testing Jan 2027","url":"https://theskillvault.ai/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt","api_url":"https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt","raw_url":"https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/raw","body":"# Brainstorm an idea into a design (prompt)\n\nAgents build what they think you want. This prompt makes them find out first, with short questions, and agree a design before writing code.\n\n## When to use\n- You have an idea (\"add teams to my app\") but not the details.\n- Past builds came back as something you did not mean.\n- You want options and trade-offs, not the first solution the AI thought of.\n\n## When not to use\n- The task is already clear and small, like \"make the button blue\". Just ask for it.\n\n## Steps\n1. Open your project in the AI tool so it can read the code.\n2. Paste the prompt with your idea in place of {{IDEA}}.\n3. Answer its questions one at a time.\n4. Pick an approach, then approve or edit the design doc before any build starts.\n\n## Prompt\n```text\nI want to brainstorm this idea into a design before any code is written:\n{{IDEA}}\n\n1. First read the relevant parts of this project. Do not ask me anything the code already answers.\n2. Echo back what you think I want, who it is for and why, in under 100 words.\n3. Ask me one question at a time - the open question whose answer would most change what gets built. Say why you are asking.\n4. When you understand the goal, offer 2-3 approaches with trade-offs (effort, risk, what each rules out), and recommend one.\n5. After I choose, write a short design doc to docs/designs/{{name}}.md with: goal, users, chosen approach, what is out of scope, open risks, and how we will know it works.\n\nDo not write or change any code until I approve the design doc.\n```\n\n## How to adapt\n- Short on time? Change step 3 to \"ask at most three questions\".\n- For non-code ideas (a talk, an event), drop step 1.\n\n## Gotchas\n- Do not paste private customer data or secrets into the idea text.\n- If the AI asks five questions at once, remind it: one at a time.\n\n## Portability\nWorks with any chat AI or coding agent. No tool lock-in. For a full product spec afterwards, use write-prd-prompt.\n\n## Done when\n- You chose one approach out of several.\n- A design doc is saved and you approved it before code was written.\n\n## Example prompt\n\"Brainstorm with me: I want users to be able to share projects with teammates.\"\n\n---\nAdapted from \"brainstorming\" in obra/superpowers (MIT, Copyright (c) 2025 Jesse Vincent). See LICENSE.txt.","files":["LICENSE.txt"],"license":"MIT","license_name":"MIT License","license_url":"https://opensource.org/license/mit","attribution":"Based on work by Jesse Vincent (obra/superpowers, brainstorming) (Copyright (c) 2025 Jesse Vincent, MIT License), https://github.com/obra/superpowers/tree/2ce8aa15d05bd57213e6f746f953aafb7ded7a8b/skills/brainstorming; adapted by TheSkillVault, https://theskillvault.ai","install":{"claude_code":"curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/raw' -o ~/'.claude/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/files/LICENSE.txt' -o ~/'.claude/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/LICENSE.txt'","cursor":"curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/raw' -o '.cursor/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/files/LICENSE.txt' -o '.cursor/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/LICENSE.txt'","agents":"curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/raw' -o '.agents/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/files/LICENSE.txt' -o '.agents/skills/brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt/LICENSE.txt'","mcp_url":"https://theskillvault.ai/mcp","cursor_mcp_deeplink":"cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=theskillvault&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3RoZXNraWxsdmF1bHQuYWkvbWNwIn0%3D","mcp_config":{"mcpServers":{"theskillvault":{"url":"https://theskillvault.ai/mcp"}}}},"bundles":[],"tested_on":[{"family":"chatgpt","name":"ChatGPT","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"claude","name":"Claude","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"gemini","name":"Gemini","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"grok","name":"Grok","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"llama","name":"Llama","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"deepseek","name":"DeepSeek","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"mistral","name":"Mistral","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"qwen","name":"Qwen","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false},{"family":"kimi","name":"Kimi K","outcome":null,"date":null,"source":null,"counts":false,"stale":false}],"proven_rule":{"threshold":5,"window_days":365,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T03:20:33.817Z"}}