What is the difference between this and a planning workflow?

Brainstorming focuses on 'What' to build and 'Why,' exploring various high-level approaches. Planning workflows handle 'How' to build it, including specific file structures and API designs.

How does this skill help avoid over-engineering?

It utilizes YAGNI (You Ain't Gonna Need It) gates, forcing the AI to evaluate if a requirement changes the immediate build. If a feature can be deferred without breaking the design, the skill recommends skipping it.

Why does the skill only ask one question at a time?

Sequential questioning ensures each user answer accurately constrains the next step of the brainstorm, preventing the AI from making too many assumptions at once.

Can this skill research my existing codebase during a brainstorm?

Yes, it includes research escalation rules that trigger a codebase analysis if the idea relates to existing features, ensuring new proposals align with your current infrastructure.

Brainstorming & Ideation Workflow

Name: Brainstorming & Ideation Workflow
Author: KingInYellows

byKingInYellows

0•

Productivity & Workflow

Guides Claude through structured, iterative brainstorming sessions using YAGNI principles and multi-approach exploration.

This skill provides a standardized framework for high-level ideation within Claude Code, ensuring that technical discussions remain focused and actionable. It enforces rigorous question techniques—asking one specific question at a time—to prevent information overload while integrating YAGNI (You Ain't Gonna Need It) gates to trim unnecessary scope. By presenting multiple architectural approaches with clear trade-offs and orchestrating research between local repositories and external documentation, it helps developers bridge the gap between a vague idea and a concrete implementation strategy.

Key Features

01Broad-to-narrow sequencing for logical requirement gathering

02YAGNI scope-tightening heuristics to eliminate premature abstractions

03Iterative single-question dialogue patterns to prevent choice paralysis

040 GitHub stars

05Comparative approach formatting with Pros, Cons, and recommendations

06Multi-tier research escalation between local codebase and external sources

Use Cases

01Validating assumptions and constraints for internal developer utilities

02Scoping a new feature or tool before writing any implementation code

03Evaluating trade-offs between different technical architectures or libraries

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add kinginyellows/yellow-plugins brainstorming

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill