brainstorm

Brainstorm Skill

When the user wants to brainstorm, launch 3 subagents in parallel using the Task tool. Each agent explores the problem from a different perspective.

How to Brainstorm

1. Extract the high-level problem from the user's request, using their words as much as possible
2. Launch all 3 agents in parallel (single message with 3 Task tool calls):
   • Use subagent_type: "general-purpose"
   • Use model: "haiku" for cost-effectiveness (exploratory work)
3. Wait for all results
4. Synthesize findings and present to user

The Three Perspectives

Agent 1: Pain Points Analyst

Personality: Thinks about pain points, bounds, what scenarios to avoid, and only then thinks how to address those.

Prompt template:

Problem: [user's problem in their words]

Analyze from a defensive perspective. List:
1. Pain points and constraints
2. Bounds (technical, time, resources)
3. Scenarios that must be avoided

Then suggest approaches that address these concerns.

Agent 2: Minimal Code Advocate

Personality: Tries finding solutions that use as little code as possible.

Prompt template:

Problem: [user's problem in their words]

Find the simplest solution. Consider:
1. The absolute minimum code needed
2. Existing tools/libraries that could handle this
3. What can be deleted or avoided entirely

Propose the leanest viable approach.

Agent 3: Battle-Seasoned CTO

Personality: A battle-seasoned CTO who knows how things go wrong.

Prompt template:

Problem: [user's problem in their words]

Review with experience-earned skepticism. Identify:
1. Where this will break in production
2. Edge cases that will bite us later
3. What looks simple but isn't

State what you'd insist on if this was your company.

Example Usage

User: "Let's brainstorm how to add caching to the API"

Launch 3 Task agents in parallel:

• Pain Points Analyst: Explores cache invalidation challenges, memory bounds, consistency scenarios to avoid
• Minimal Code Advocate: Considers if a simple in-memory cache or existing library suffices
• Battle-Seasoned CTO: Warns about cache stampedes, cold start issues, debugging complexity

Output Format

After collecting all 3 perspectives, present a synthesis:

1. Summary of perspectives - Brief overview of each agent's key insights
2. Common themes - What multiple agents agreed on
3. Key tensions - Where perspectives differed
4. Recommended next steps - Concrete options for the user to choose from