/brainstorm

name: brainstorm
description: "Guide project ideation through Socratic questioning to generate briefs with validated approaches and decision rationale."

Attune Brainstorm Command

Transform vague project ideas into structured briefs with validated approaches through multi-phase exploration.

When To Use

Use this command when you need to:

• Start a new project without clear requirements
• Explore and compare multiple technical approaches
• Validate project feasibility before committing resources
• Document decision rationale for stakeholders
• Clarify the core problem being solved

When NOT To Use

Avoid this command if:

• Requirements and specification already exist (use `/attune:blueprint` instead)
• You need to refine existing specs (use `/attune:specify` instead)
• Project scope is well-defined (jump to `/attune:project-init`)
• Making mid-project strategic decisions (use `/attune:war-room` instead)

Usage

# Start interactive brainstorming session
/attune:brainstorm

# Brainstorm with specific domain
/attune:brainstorm --domain "web application"

# Resume previous brainstorm
/attune:brainstorm --resume

What This Command Does

1. **Invokes brainstorming skill** with superpowers integration 2. **Guides ideation** through Socratic questioning 3. **Explores constraints** and requirements 4. **Documents outcomes** in structured format 5. **Generates project brief** for planning phase

Integration with Superpowers

When superpowers plugin is available:

• Uses `Skill(superpowers:brainstorming)` for Socratic method
• Uses structured ideation frameworks
• Applies constraint-based thinking

Without superpowers:

• Falls back to attune's native brainstorming skill
• Provides similar guided questioning
• Documents ideas systematically

Workflow

# 1. Invoke brainstorming skill
Skill(attune:project-brainstorming)

# 2. Guide through phases:
#    - Problem definition
#    - Constraint identification
#    - Solution exploration
#    - Approach comparison
#    - Decision documentation

# 3. Generate project brief
#    - Saved to docs/project-brief.md
#    - Includes problem, goals, constraints, approach

# 4. Workflow auto-continues (see below)

Workflow Continuation Protocol (MANDATORY)

**After brainstorming completes successfully**, auto-proceed to the next phase unless `--standalone` was specified:

1. **Verify artifact**: Confirm `docs/project-brief.md` exists and is non-empty 2. **Checkpoint message**: Display brief summary to user:

   Brainstorming complete. Project brief saved to docs/project-brief.md.
   Proceeding to specification phase...

3. **Auto-invoke next phase**:

   Skill(attune:project-specification)

**Bypass Conditions** (skip auto-continuation if ANY true):

• `--standalone` flag was provided
• `docs/project-brief.md` does not exist or is empty
• User explicitly requests to stop after brainstorming

Brainstorming Phases

Phase 1: Problem Definition

**Questions**:

• What problem are we solving?
• Who experiences this problem?
• What is the current solution (if any)?
• What are the pain points?

**Output**: Problem statement document

Phase 2: Constraint Identification

**Questions**:

• What are the technical constraints?
• What are the resource constraints (time, budget, team)?
• What are the regulatory/compliance requirements?
• What are the integration requirements?

**Output**: Constraints matrix

Phase 3: Solution Exploration

**Techniques**:

• Multiple approach generation (3-5 approaches)
• Trade-off analysis for each approach
• Pros/cons documentation
• Risk assessment

**Output**: Approach comparison table

Phase 4: Approach Selection

**Criteria**:

• Alignment with constraints
• Technical feasibility
• Resource efficiency
• Risk vs. reward
• Time to value

**Output**: Selected approach with rationale

Phase 5: Brief Generation

**Sections**:

• Problem statement
• Goals and success criteria
• Constraints
• Selected approach
• Trade-offs and decisions
• Next steps

**Output**: `docs/project-brief.md`

Arguments

• `--domain <domain>` - Project domain (web, cli, library, etc.)
• `--resume` - Resume previous brainstorm session
• `--output <path>` - Custom output path for brief (default: docs/project-brief.md)
• `--skip-superpowers` - Don't use superpowers integration
• `--standalone` - Run only this phase; do not auto-proceed to specification

Examples

Example 1: Web Application Brainstorm

/attune:brainstorm --domain "web application"

**Session Flow**:

🧠 Brainstorming: Web Application Project

Problem Definition:
→ What specific problem does this web app solve?
  [User input: "Help developers track technical debt"]

→ Who are the primary users?
  [User input: "Development teams, tech leads"]

→ What do they currently use?
  [User input: "Spreadsheets, GitHub issues, nothing systematic"]

Constraints:
→ Must integrate with existing tools (GitHub, Jira)?
  [User input: "Yes, GitHub primarily"]

→ Team size and timeline?
  [User input: "2 developers, 3 months MVP"]

Approaches:
1. Standalone SaaS (Django + React)
2. GitHub App integration (GitHub API + webhooks)
3. CLI tool with web dashboard (FastAPI + Vue)

...

**Output**: `docs/project-brief.md`

# Technical Debt Tracker - Project Brief

## Problem Statement
Development teams lack systematic tracking of technical debt...

## Goals
1. Centralize technical debt tracking
2. Integrate with GitHub issues
3. Provide prioritization framework

## Constraints
- 3-month timeline for MVP
- 2 developers
- Must integrate with GitHub
- No dedicated ops resources

## Selected Approach
**GitHub App integration** (Approach 2)

Rationale: Lowest friction for adoption...

## Trade-offs
- Pros: Native GitHub integration, automatic discovery
- Cons: Locked into GitHub ecosystem

Example 2: Resume Previous Brainstorm

/attune:brainstorm --resume

Loads previous session state