Coding prompts · Prompt

Brainstorm an idea into a design (prompt)

brainstorm-idea-into-design-prompt

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.

Works with: Any AI Not yet model-tested; testing Jan 2027

View raw SKILL.mdInstall

Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any AI chat, then tell it about your project. How it works

Install in Claude Code, Cursor or Codex (optional)

Only for AI coding tools that read skill folders. Run one line in a terminal, in your project folder. It downloads this skill's text files from TheSkillVault and nothing else; you can read them first with “View raw SKILL.md”.

Claude Code (all your projects)

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 (this project)

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'

Codex and other Agent Skills tools (this project)

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'

Or connect the whole library over MCP

Add TheSkillVault to Cursor or add this to your app's MCP settings (read-only; help):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "theskillvault": {
      "url": "https://theskillvault.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Agents build what they think you want. This prompt makes them find out first, with short questions, and agree a design before writing code.

When to use

  • You have an idea ("add teams to my app") but not the details.
  • Past builds came back as something you did not mean.
  • You want options and trade-offs, not the first solution the AI thought of.

When not to use

  • The task is already clear and small, like "make the button blue". Just ask for it.

Steps

  1. Open your project in the AI tool so it can read the code.
  2. Paste the prompt with your idea in place of {{IDEA}}.
  3. Answer its questions one at a time.
  4. Pick an approach, then approve or edit the design doc before any build starts.

Prompt

I want to brainstorm this idea into a design before any code is written:
{{IDEA}}

1. First read the relevant parts of this project. Do not ask me anything the code already answers.
2. Echo back what you think I want, who it is for and why, in under 100 words.
3. Ask me one question at a time - the open question whose answer would most change what gets built. Say why you are asking.
4. When you understand the goal, offer 2-3 approaches with trade-offs (effort, risk, what each rules out), and recommend one.
5. 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.

Do not write or change any code until I approve the design doc.

How to adapt

  • Short on time? Change step 3 to "ask at most three questions".
  • For non-code ideas (a talk, an event), drop step 1.

Gotchas

  • Do not paste private customer data or secrets into the idea text.
  • If the AI asks five questions at once, remind it: one at a time.

Portability

Works with any chat AI or coding agent. No tool lock-in. For a full product spec afterwards, use write-prd-prompt.

Done when

  • You chose one approach out of several.
  • A design doc is saved and you approved it before code was written.

Example prompt

"Brainstorm with me: I want users to be able to share projects with teammates."

---

Adapted from "brainstorming" in obra/superpowers (MIT, Copyright (c) 2025 Jesse Vincent). See LICENSE.txt.

Bundled files

Licence

Adapted from Jesse Vincent (obra/superpowers, brainstorming) (Copyright (c) 2025 Jesse Vincent), MIT License. Adapted by TheSkillVault: rewrote the brainstorming conversation as a compact paste-in prompt with an original design-doc outline; dropped harness and skill-chaining instructions; added steps, adapt notes and done-when.

Licence: MIT License. Attribution when you reuse it: 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