brainstorm

# Brainstorm — diverge before you converge <!-- routing-eval reads this line; it lives in the BODY so the always-on skill LISTING stays inside Claude Code's budget (1% of the context window) — an overflowing listing gets descriptions truncated or dropped, which strips the very keywords a match depends on. --> Trigger phrases: "brainstorm", "explore options", "not sure what we want", "help me scope", "ideate" ## When The ask is **under-defined**: the goal, the users, or the shape of the solution aren't clear yet, so jumping straight to `spec-planning` would just plan the wrong thing. This is the front-end of planning, not a replacement — brainstorm *diverges* (widens the option space), spec-planning *converges* (breaks the chosen option into tasks). If scope is already clear, skip this and go straight to [[spec-planning]]. ## The loop 1. **Frame the real problem** — restate the request as the underlying need in one sentence ("the user wants X so that Y"). Separate the stated solution from the goal; often the solution is negotiable, the goal isn't. 2. **Diverge — generate distinct directions.** Produce **2–4 genuinely different** approaches, not variations of one. For each: the core idea, who it serves, the main trade-off. Include a deliberately cheap/minimal option (fight gold-plating early). 3. **Surface the unknowns** — list assumptions and open questions that would change the answer. Mark which are **blocking** (must resolve before planning) vs. def...