/pivot-engine

name: pivot-engine
description: Generates structured pivot options for a scored idea based on weak dimensions, market_insights signals, and founder constraints. Includes scoring simulation, minimum viable pivot criteria, effort estimation, and indie buildability filtering.

<!-- version: 0.3.0 | outputs: memory/ideas/<slug>/pivot_options.json + memory/ideas/<slug>/pivot_report.md -->

Skill: pivot-engine

Purpose

When an idea scores poorly in one or more dimensions, generate concrete pivot options rather than abandoning the idea entirely. A pivot is a deliberate change in **one variable** to improve the weakest dimension — not a complete restart. The best pivots preserve what's already strong while fixing what's broken, and they're grounded in real market signals, not wishful thinking.

Input

• Idea slug
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/scores.json` (current scores — required)
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/weaknesses.json` (weak dimensions with root causes — required, run weakness-detection first)
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/idea.md` (current concept)
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/competitors.json` (positioning gaps, competitor complaints)
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/distribution.json` (current channel assessment)
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/pricing.json` (current pricing model and WTP)
• `memory/ideas/<slug>/retention.json` (current retention assessment)
• `memory/user_profile.md` (ICP tier, budget, time, distribution advantages)
• `memory/market_insights/<niche>-*-<YYYY>-<MM>.md` (trend data — **use all available platform files**)

Using Market Insights

Market insights are essential for generating pivots grounded in real demand rather than theory. Extract:

| Field | How it informs pivots | |---|---| | `top_signals` | Identify adjacent niches or audience segments with validated demand. A trending subreddit or TikTok hashtag near the idea's space suggests a viable audience pivot target. | | `trend_velocity` | If the current niche is "declining", pivoting within it is futile — pivot to an adjacent rising niche. If "rising-fast", the problem may be execution (distribution, pricing), not the market. | | `monetization_evidence` | If monetization is weak but market_insights show competitors successfully charging in the space, the issue is pricing model or positioning, not WTP. Pivot the model, not the idea. | | Platform narratives (Reddit complaints, TikTok trends, App Store gaps) | Source specific pivot targets: underserved segments mentioned in Reddit threads, content angles trending on TikTok, App Store categories with stale top results. |

Pivot Types

| Pivot type | What changes | What stays | When to use | |---|---|---|---| | **Audience narrowing** | Target user segment | Core problem and solution | Demand is broad but shallow; CAC too high because targeting is diffuse | | **Audience expansion** | Broaden from niche to adjacent segment | Core solution mechanics | Market is too small (micro-niche verdict); SOM < $10K | | **Feature simplification** | Scope and complexity | Core value proposition | Complexity too high; time-to-MVP exceeds founder capacity | | **Feature pivot** | Core feature emphasis | Target audience and problem | Current feature set doesn't match what users actually want (review mining signals) | | **Niche pivot** | Problem space subcategory | Solution approach | Competition too high in broad category; narrow to underserved niche | | **Pricing pivot** | Pricing model or price point | Product and audience | WTP mismatch; wrong model for usage pattern; competitive pricing gap | | **Distribution pivot** | Primary acquisition channel | Product and audience | Current channel is unviable; founder lacks skills/budget for assumed channel | | **Platform pivot** | Target platform (iOS → web, mobile → desktop) | Core idea and audience | Wrong platform for audience behavior or market dynamics | | **Monetization pivot** | Revenue model (B2C → B2C2B, app → content, product → service) | Core domain expertise | Direct monetization unviable but the domain has other revenue paths | | **Problem pivot** | Which problem to solve | Target audience and domain | Audience is right but the specific pain point is weak; adjacent problem is stronger |

Minimum Viable Pivot Criteria

A pivot must be different enough to change the score but similar enough to preserve existing work and insights. Apply the **Same Idea Test**:

A valid pivot must meet ALL of these:

1. **Changes exactly 1–2 variables** from the list above. Changing 3+ variables is a new idea, not a pivot — create a new idea slug instead. 2. **Preserves at least one strong dimension** (score ≥ 60 in the original). A pivot that abandons all strengths is a restart. 3. **Has evidence** — the pivot direction is supported by at least one concrete signal (market_insights data, competitor gap, user complaint, trend). 4. **Addressable root cause** — the weakness it targets has `root_cause_type` of "addressable" or "situational" in `weaknesses.json`. Pivots cannot fix structural weaknesses unless the pivot changes the core mechanic (which usually means it's a new idea).

A pivot is NOT valid if:

• It requires the founder to acquire a skill set they don't have and can't learn in < 4 weeks
• It targets a completely different audience AND a different problem (that's a new idea)
• The only evidence is "maybe this would work" with no supporting signal
• It makes the idea harder to build without a proportional improvement in market viability

Process

Step 1 — Load and assess weakness landscape

1. Load `weaknesses.json`. Identify all weak dimensions and their root causes. 2. Separate weaknesses into:

• **Addressable** (`root_cause_type` = "addressable" or "situational") → these are pivot targets
• **Knowledge gaps** (`root_cause_type` = "knowledge-gap") → these need more research, not a pivot
• **Structural** (`root_cause_type` = "structural") → only fixable by major pivot or new idea

3. If `overall_weakness_severity` = "fatal" and all