Brainstorming

Explore technical solutions with structured ideation, scoring, and plan-creator handoff.

Differentiator: office-hours = "should we build this?", brainstorming = "how should we build this?"

When to Use

• Multiple architecturally-distinct approaches exist for a known requirement
• Trade-off analysis between candidate solutions is needed
• Novel problem with no obvious pattern in the codebase
• Pre-mortem / failure-mode exploration before committing to a design
• Constraint-rich problem (budget, time, stack) where the solution space is narrow

NOT this skill if: you are stuck on a specific existing approach with forced assumptions — use mk:problem-solving. NOT this skill if: you want to deepen an existing verdict or plan — use mk:elicit.

When NOT to Use

Plan-First Gate

Brainstorming precedes planning — it produces input FOR plans. Always skips Gate 1 (same as mk:investigate and mk:office-hours).

Arguments

• --depth quick — 3-8 ideas, no scoring (default)
• --depth deep — scored ideas + top 3 + optional plan-creator handoff
• --technique [name] — force a specific technique (default: auto-select)

Process (outcome-oriented; not a script)

The skill is done when:

1. Problem is confirmed — the user has explicitly agreed on what is being solved and the binding constraint. Use AskUserQuestion if needed, capped at 3 questions per batch (see Discovery Protocol).
2. Scope is right-sized — if the request bundles 3+ independently-shippable concerns (heuristic: would each be its own GitHub issue or PR?), the user has agreed to either decompose into sub-projects or pick one to brainstorm now. Do not proceed on a bundled request.
3. A technique is selected — match problem type to one file in references/techniques/. When multiple match, prefer in this order: multi-alternative → first-principles → reverse → constraint-mapping → scamper → analogical-thinking → perspective-shift.
   • "How to build X" → multi-alternative.md
   • Novel problem, no existing pattern → first-principles.md
   • Debugging / preventing failures → reverse.md
   • Many constraints, narrow space → constraint-mapping.md
   • Improving / iterating an existing thing → scamper.md
   • Cross-domain transfer → analogical-thinking.md
   • Stakeholder / persona angles → perspective-shift.md
4. Ideas are generated, then evaluated separately — cap at 8 ideas per run. Do not score or compare while generating; the full set must exist before any ranking.
5. Anti-bias pivot is applied once — after idea #4 (midpoint), pause and ask: "what orthogonal category have I not touched yet?" Generate the rest from that angle. One pivot per session.
6. Output uses the right template —
   • --depth quick → assets/output-ideas.md
   • --depth deep → assets/output-scored.md (score via references/scoring-criteria.md)
7. Handoff is offered (--depth deep only) — ask: "Create plan from top idea?" If yes → invoke mk:plan-creator with { idea, problem, constraints, scores, rationale }.

Behavioral hard rule (not hook-enforced — see gate-rules.md for actual gates): brainstorming MUST NOT write code, create files outside plans/reports/, or invoke implementation skills. Output is ideas, never code.

Idea Format Template

Capture every idea with this shape — not bare table rows:

[#N] [Mnemonic Title]
  Concept: [2-3 sentence mechanism — what it is and how it works]
  Novelty: [What makes this non-obvious; why a senior eng wouldn't dismiss it]

The Novelty line is mandatory. If you cannot write one, the idea is a duplicate of a more obvious option — drop it and try another orthogonal angle.

Anti-Rationalization

When tempted to skip discovery, scope, or the pivot — read references/anti-rationalization.md. It catalogs the common excuses and their counter-arguments.

Discovery Protocol

Use AskUserQuestion to clarify, but cap at 3 questions per batch. Avoid question fatigue.

Good clarifying questions target:

• The actual constraint that bounds the solution (budget, latency, team size, deadline)
• The success criteria (what does "good" look like once we ship?)
• What the user has already ruled out and why

Bad clarifying questions:

• Asking the user to design the solution ("would you prefer X or Y?")
• Asking for information already in the request
• Asking 5+ questions before generating any ideas

Gotchas (top 3)

• Premature solutioning — jumping to "how" before confirming "what". Force problem restatement first.
• Anchoring on first idea — generate ALL ideas before evaluating any. Score in a separate pass.
• Context flooding — max 8 ideas per run. If the problem needs more, run multiple focused sessions on sub-problems.

Full list: references/gotchas.md Edge cases (where the obvious approach is wrong): references/edge-cases.md

Workflow Integration

Phase 1 (Plan) — pre-planning. Runs after problem validation, before plan creation.

mk:office-hours (validate)
  ↓
mk:brainstorming (explore)
  ↓
mk:plan-creator (plan)

Handoff Protocol

On completion:

• Output saved to plans/reports/
• If --depth deep and user opts in: invoke mk:plan-creator with { idea, problem, constraints, scores, rationale }
• plan-creator receives this as pre-research input and may skip its own discovery step