Think — Mid-Process Brainstorming & Decision Support

The pipeline builds. This skill thinks. Use it whenever you need to pause, explore, or decide.

When to use: Between any two pipeline steps. During /fill when you're unsure about a section. Before /create when choosing a product type. Before /publish when evaluating readiness.

When NOT to use: For mechanical tasks (/validate, /package). Those have deterministic flows — thinking slows them down.

Activation Protocol

1. Shared preamble: Load references/quality/activation-preamble.md — context assembly, persona adaptation, deterministic routing rules.
2. Read creator.yaml → adapt to profile.type and technical_level
3. If a product is active (workspace/{slug}/ exists), read .meta.yaml → understand current context
4. Parse $ARGUMENTS or conversation context to identify the thinking need
5. Route to the appropriate thinking mode
6. Load voice identity: Load references/quality/engine-voice-core.md. Every user-facing line in this skill honors the ✦ signature, three tones, and six anti-patterns.

5b. Load UX vocabulary: Load references/ux-vocabulary.md — translate all internal terms before creator-facing output. 5c. Load proactives: Load references/engine-proactive.md — wire #17 (lost creator detection: if the creator has been in /think for 3+ questions without resolution, suggest concrete next step or /scout).

Thinking Modes

MODE 1: Brainstorm (divergent)

Trigger: "brainstorm", "ideas for", "what could", "possibilities"

Generate 5-7 distinct approaches to the creator's question. For each:

• Name it in 3 words
• One sentence description
• Strength (why this works)
• Risk (why it might not)

End with: "Which resonates? Or want me to combine elements from multiple?"

MODE 2: Evaluate (convergent)

Trigger: "evaluate", "compare", "which is better", "pros and cons"

Structure the evaluation as a decision matrix:

EVALUATING: {what's being compared}

| Criterion | Option A | Option B | Option C |
|-----------|----------|----------|----------|
| {criterion_1} | {score/assessment} | ... | ... |
| {criterion_2} | ... | ... | ... |

RECOMMENDATION: {option} because {one-sentence reasoning}
RISK: {what could go wrong with the recommendation}

MODE 3: Decide (commit)

Trigger: "should I", "help me decide", "which type", "what approach"

Walk through a 3-step decision:

1. What are you optimizing for? (speed, quality, simplicity, market fit)
2. What are the constraints? (time, skill level, dependencies)
3. Given 1+2, the best path is: {recommendation with clear reasoning}

Then: "Ready to act on this? Here's the command: {next_command}"

MODE 4: Explore (research)

Trigger: "what if", "how does", "is there a way to", "explore"

Investigate the question using available context:

• Search workspace/ for related patterns
• Check product-dna/ for type-specific guidance
• Search marketplace via myclaude search --json 2>/dev/null if relevant (silent-skip on failure per references/cli-contract.md)
• Read references/ for best practices

Synthesize findings, then suggest actionable next steps.

MODE 5: Unstuck (unblock)

Trigger: "I'm stuck", "not sure", "confused", "don't know how"

Diagnose the block:

1. Read current product state from .meta.yaml
2. Identify where in the pipeline the creator is stuck
3. Ask ONE clarifying question to narrow the block
4. Offer 2-3 concrete paths forward, each as a command or action

Context-Aware Behavior

If invoked DURING /fill (detected by conversation context):

• Don't break the section walker flow
• Frame thinking as "let's pause on this section"
• After thinking resolves, seamlessly resume: "Ready to continue with {next_section}?"

If invoked BETWEEN commands:

• Full thinking mode, no time pressure
• Can explore multiple angles

If invoked with a product slug:

• Load that product's full context before thinking
• Frame recommendations in terms of that specific product

Marketplace Intelligence

CLI contract: Load references/cli-contract.md for unified error handling. Both commands are silent-skip severity — thinking proceeds without marketplace data if CLI is unavailable.

If the thinking question is about product strategy ("should I build X?", "is there demand for Y?"):

myclaude search "{relevant_query}" --json 2>/dev/null
myclaude trending --json 2>/dev/null

Surface: how many similar products exist, their download counts, pricing, and gaps.

"There are {N} products in this space. The top one has {downloads} downloads. Your differentiation could be: {suggestion based on gap analysis}."

Anti-Patterns

1. Analysis paralysis — If the creator has been thinking for 3+ rounds without deciding, gently push: "You have enough information to start. The best way to test an idea is to build v1. You can always iterate."
2. Thinking when doing is needed — If the question has an obvious answer ("should I add a README?"), skip thinking mode and just do it.
3. Scope expansion — Thinking can expand scope. Always anchor back: "This is interesting, but for YOUR current product ({slug}), the relevant part is: {focused takeaway}."
4. Replacing /validate — Thinking is subjective exploration. Quality checks are objective. Don't let /think substitute for /validate.
5. Endless brainstorm — Cap brainstorm rounds at 3. After 3: "We've explored enough. Pick one and let's build."

Quality Gate

• [ ] Thinking output is actionable (ends with a clear next step or command)
• [ ] Adapted to creator's language and technical level
• [ ] If product context exists, thinking is anchored to that product
• [ ] Analysis paralysis guard: no more than 3 rounds without a decision push

Compact Instructions

When summarizing this conversation, always preserve:

• The specific question or decision the creator was thinking about
• Key options evaluated and the reasoning for/against each
• The final recommendation or decision made
• Any marketplace data surfaced during exploration
• The command or action suggested as next step