Starting a New Project
Turns a raw project idea into a saved, living goal-and-requirements document for an empty workspace.
- Repository
- JetBrains/thinkrail
- Stars
- 7,089
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Files
- 1 file
What it does
When you start a project from an empty folder with only an idea, this skill makes the agent interview you step by step, propose a draft overview, problem statement, and smallest useful first version, and confirm each part before saving it. The result is a single markdown file, goal-and-requirements.md, that records what you are building and why. It also tells the agent to cut ideas that are not essential and to offer a search for existing open-source alternatives.
Great for
- Developers starting a new app or tool from scratch who want a written scope before coding
- People with a personal tool idea who want a short spec rather than a long document
- Teams drafting a product requirements document for a public or multi-user product
Skip it if
- Existing projects with code, because the skill is only meant for empty workspaces and changes should go through the brainstorming skill instead
- Users who want the agent to start coding immediately, since this skill deliberately produces a document first and ends there
Try asking
- “I have an idea for a habit tracker CLI, help me set up the project”
- “Let's start a new project for a recipe-sharing site with a few user types”
- “Help me write the goal and scope for a small personal budgeting tool”
Install in 3 steps
- 1
Download the skill
The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.
starting-a-new-project.zip - 2
Add it to your agent
Claude Code (all projects)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip starting-a-new-project.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)
mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip starting-a-new-project.zip -d .claude/skills/Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.
- 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 few sentences about the problem and who has it, so it can build a fuller draft with fewer questions.
- Answer the confirmation prompts with corrections rather than new requirements; the draft is meant to be edited, not rewritten.
- Expect a deliberately small first build; push back only on cuts you truly need, since dropped ideas are handed back to you rather than saved.
What's inside
- 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.