Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Problem Addressed

Many agents jump into coding, scaffolding, or implementation checklists before requirements are clear. This skill helps convert a vague idea into a reviewable design spec before any implementation work begins.

How It Works

The skill enforces a structured workflow: inspect files, docs, and recent commits; clarify purpose, constraints, and success criteria one question at a time, preferring multiple-choice options. If the topic involves UI, diagrams, or layout, it can offer a visual companion as a separate message to show mockups, comparisons, and architecture sketches. It then proposes 2-3 approaches with trade-offs and a recommendation, presents the design section by section covering architecture, components, data flow, error handling, and testing, and asks for approval after each section. The approved spec is written to docs/superpowers/specs/YYYY-MM-DD--design.md, checked for placeholders, contradictions, scope, and ambiguity, committed to Git, and reviewed by the user. Only after approval does it hand off to writing-plans.

Boundaries

This is useful for unclear feature design, refactoring direction, or decomposing large systems. It may be too heavy for simple, fully specified changes or emergency fixes. The skill is limited to design clarification and spec production; it should not trigger implementation skills before user approval.