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Brainstorming Before Building

Makes the agent interview you about product and technical design before it writes code for a feature or bug fix

Source Download skill
Repository
JetBrains/thinkrail
Stars
7,089
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
3 files

What it does

Once installed, the agent stops jumping straight into code when you ask for a feature, behavior change, or bug fix. Instead it asks structured questions about what the change is for, how it should behave (including empty and error states), and which technical approach to take, then records the agreed design in a temporary task spec file. Only after you accept the design does it build, and afterwards it updates the project's durable specs to match what was built. The skill itself runs no code and needs no network access; it is a set of written instructions that point to other skills and to a spec-graph workflow.

Great for

  • Developers working on a codebase that keeps spec documents and wants the agent to design before coding
  • Teams that want a traceable record of why a change was made and what was decided
  • People who find AI agents often build the wrong thing and want more upfront clarification

Skip it if

  • Quick edits such as typos, documentation, configuration, or mechanical refactors, which the skill explicitly excludes; it adds overhead to tiny tasks
  • Projects without a spec-graph setup, since the workflow depends on spec_create, the spec-graph skill, and a .thinkrail folder that this file alone does not provide
  • Users who want the agent to just act immediately, because the skill deliberately delays implementation until the design is approved

Try asking

  • “Add a CSV export option to the reports page”
  • “Fix the bug where the login form clears the email field after a failed attempt”
  • “Change how session timeouts are handled and tell me the design options before you build”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Brainstorming Before BuildingInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 3 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    brainstorming.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip brainstorming.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip brainstorming.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Give the agent a clear, specific request so it can skip questions the request already answers; the skill says explicit designs count as approval.
  • Answer the product questions first; the skill asks for product decisions before any technical options are discussed.
  • Make sure the spec-graph tooling is set up in the repository, otherwise the workflow's core steps cannot run as written.

What's inside

  • amending-specs.md
  • fixing-a-bug.md
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from JetBrains/thinkrail under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-11-02. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.