Brainstorming

---
name: brainstorming
description: Use when creating or developing, before writing code or implementation plans - refines rough ideas into fully-formed designs through collaborative questioning, alternative exploration, and incremental validation. Don't use during clear 'mechanical' processes
---

# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

## Prerequisite

Check if you're currently in Plan mode. If you are, you must STOP and say so, asking your human to switch out of Plan mode. Explain that your behaviour is different in Plan mode, which clashes with this skill. Tell your human that you won't make any code changes during brainstorming.

## Overview

Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.

Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the design in small sections (200-300 words), checking after each section whether it looks right so far.

You MUST NOT make any code changes during brainstorming. Writing code during brainstorming is a failure state.

## The Process

**Understanding the idea:**

- Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
- Ask questions one at a time to refine the idea
- Prefer multiple choice questions when possible, but open-ended is fine too
- Only one question per message - if a topic needs more exploration, break it into multiple questions
- Focus on understanding: purpose, constraints, success criteria

**Exploring approaches:**

- Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
- Present options conversationally with your recommendation and reasoning
- Lead with your recommended option and explain why

**Presenting the design:**

- Once you believe you understand what you're building, present the design
- Break it into sections of 200-300 words
- Ask after each section whether it looks right so far
- Cover: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing
- Be ready to go back and clarify if something doesn't make sense

## After the Design

### ⚠️ MANDATORY: Linear ↔ Beans Linking

BEFORE continuing, you MUST read your `issue-tracking-with-beans-and-linear` skill.

Every Beans epic MUST have a corresponding Linear ticket. Every Linear ticket MUST have a corresponding Beans epic. No exceptions.

**Capture the design:**

1. If no Linear ticket exists yet, create one first via `issue-tracking-with-linear` skill
2. Create the Beans epic with the Linear ticket reference:
   ```bash
   beans create "<linear-ticket-id>: <design-name>" --type epic --body "<description>"
   ```
3. Put the validated design in the epic description

**Implementation (if continuing):**

- Ask: "Ready to break this into implementation tasks (calling the `making-plans` skill)?"
- Use `making-plans` skill

## Key Principles

- **One question at a time** - Don't overwhelm with multiple questions
- **Multiple choice preferred** - Easier to answer than open-ended when possible
- **YAGNI ruthlessly** - Remove unnecessary features from all designs
- **Explore alternatives** - Always propose 2-3 approaches before settling
- **Incremental validation** - Present design in sections, validate each
- **Be flexible** - Go back and clarify when something doesn't make sense