# Brainstorm

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- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-cogni-ai-ou-cogni-ai-agent-skills-brainstorm`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [Cogni-AI-OU](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/cogni-ai-ou)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [Cogni-AI-OU](https://github.com/Cogni-AI-OU)
- **Source:** https://github.com/Cogni-AI-OU/cogni-ai-agent-skills/tree/main/brainstorm

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-cogni-ai-ou-cogni-ai-agent-skills-brainstorm
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Skill brainstorm

A cognitive framework and protocol for exploring options, breaking down complexities, and summarizing information.

## Core Process

1. **Context Gathering & Research**: Aggressively gather facts, existing data, and constraints before formulating any conclusions.
2. **Explore Options**: Generate multiple orthogonal approaches or alternative options. Do not settle for the first apparent solution.
3. **Deconstruct Complexities**: Break down the problem space into atomic, manageable components.
4. **Visual Summarization**: Synthesize the gathered data and complexities into simple, easy-to-read Mermaid diagrams (e.g., mindmaps, block diagrams, or flowcharts).

## Core Principles

- **Design-It-Twice Protocol**: ALWAYS generate at least two distinct architectural paths before recommending a preferred solution.
- **Divergent Before Convergent**: Ensure a broad exploration of the problem space (divergent thinking) before narrowing down to specific recommendations (convergent thinking).
- **Fact-Based Exploration**: Anchor all generated options in empirical data retrieved from the codebase, project memory, or provided context.
- **Recursive Decomposition**: Break every complex objective into its atomic components to manage cognitive load and ensure precision.
- **Visual Clarity First**: Use diagrams early to establish a shared mental model before diving into deep technical or textual analysis.

## Diagnostics and Usage Patterns

- **Component Architecture Visualization**: Map high-level structural components with a Mermaid `block-beta` diagram.
- **Context & Ecosystem Mapping**: Map out the current ecosystem, constraints, and known unknowns using a Mermaid `mindmap` before defining architectural changes.
- **Diagramming Focus**:
  Default to high-level topological or structural diagrams (`block-beta`, `flowchart`, `mindmap`, `quadrantChart`, `radar-beta`) to visualize options and establish facts.
- **Flow & Logic Breakdown**: Detail sequential states and dependencies using a Mermaid `flowchart`.
- **Root Cause & Priority Mapping**: Use `ishikawa-beta`, `quadrantChart`, or `radar-beta` for evaluating alternatives, prioritization, and deep-dive problem exploration.

## Brainstorming - Problem Breakdown

When you need to explore a complex problem, use this step-by-step visual approach to ensure all facts are gathered and complexity is reduced:

### Step 1: Context & Ecosystem Mapping

Before proposing any changes, gather all relevant facts and constraints. Map the existing environment using a `mindmap`.

```mermaid
%% This diagram visualizes the existing ecosystem and constraints
mindmap
  root((System Context))
    Dependencies
      External API
      Database
    Constraints
      Performance
      Security
    Known Unknowns
      Rate limits
```

### Step 2: Component Architecture Visualization

Break the problem into structural parts and orthogonal options using a `block-beta` diagram so the options can be compared effectively.

```mermaid
%% This block diagram shows multiple architectural options
block-beta
  columns 3
  space Option1 space
  FrontendA DatabaseA CacheA
  space Option2 space
  FrontendB DatabaseB CacheB
```

### Step 3: Flow & State Modeling

Finally, visualize the behavior, state changes, or sequential logic required for the proposed options using a `flowchart`.

```mermaid
%% This flowchart explores a process logic option
flowchart LR
    Start --> CheckState{Is Valid?}
    CheckState -->|Yes| Process[Process Data]
    CheckState -->|No| Reject[Reject Request]
```

### Step 4: Root Cause Exploration (If Applicable)

When brainstorming around a systemic issue or failure, use an `ishikawa-beta` (fishbone) diagram to aggressively deconstruct contributing factors before jumping to conclusions.

```mermaid
%% This diagram categorizes contributing factors to a problem
ishikawa-beta
    Core Problem or Failure
    Infrastructure
        Network latency
    Codebase
        Tech debt
        Missing tests
    Dependencies
        Deprecated API
```

### Step 5: Prioritization Mapping

When multiple paths, options, or tasks are generated, map them onto a `quadrantChart` to evaluate trade-offs like effort versus impact.

```mermaid
%% This diagram visualizes task or option prioritization
quadrantChart
    title Option Prioritization
    x-axis Low Effort --> High Effort
    y-axis Low Impact --> High Impact
    quadrant-1 Quick Wins
    quadrant-2 Strategic
    quadrant-3 Time Sinks
    quadrant-4 Fill-ins
    "Option A": [0.2, 0.8]
    "Option B": [0.8, 0.9]
    "Option C": [0.7, 0.3]
```

### Step 6: Trade-off Analysis

For complex architectural decisions, use a `radar-beta` diagram to score options across multiple competing dimensions.

```mermaid
%% This diagram scores options across various constraints
radar-beta
    title Architectural Trade-offs
    axis Performance, Security, Maintainability, Cost-Efficiency, Scalability
    curve Performance {8, 7, 6, 4, 9}
    curve Scalability {6, 9, 8, 7, 5}
```

## What to Avoid

- **Assumption-Driven Brainstorming**: Relying on guesses instead of factual context gathered through tools.
- **False Dichotomies**: Assuming only two opposing solutions exist without exploring orthogonal architectural paths.
- **Overcomplicated Diagrams**: Creating massive, unreadable diagrams. Break them into smaller, focused visual summaries.
- **Premature Convergence**: Proposing a final solution without explicitly documenting the discarded alternative options.

## Related Skills

- **brainstorm-agent-runs**: You MUST load this skill when identifying agentic runs in CI/CD for a Pull Request.
- **brainstorm-github-pr**: You MUST load this skill when asked to analyze or brainstorm a Pull Request.
- **critical-thinking**: You MUST load this skill when evaluating the options generated during brainstorming.
- **mermaid**: You MUST load this skill when constructing standard Mermaid diagrams.
- **mermaid-beta**: You MUST load this skill when using experimental Mermaid diagrams.
- **minizinc**: You MUST load this skill when executing or deeply modeling constraint satisfaction problems.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [Cogni-AI-OU](https://github.com/Cogni-AI-OU)
- **Source:** [Cogni-AI-OU/cogni-ai-agent-skills](https://github.com/Cogni-AI-OU/cogni-ai-agent-skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-cogni-ai-ou-cogni-ai-agent-skills-brainstorm
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/cogni-ai-ou
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.