/inno-idea-generation

name: inno-idea-generation
description: >
  Generates research ideas for a defined research problem. Reads the project's
  literature and context, explores directions with research ideation lenses,
  writes three full candidate proposals, and selects one through an explicit
  gate. Writes Ideation/ideas/selected_idea.txt for inno-idea-eval. Use when the
  user wants research ideas, hypotheses, a research direction, or a method idea
  for a paper or project. Runs after literature survey and before inno-idea-eval.

Inno Idea Generation

Turn a research problem into one selected, testable research idea, plus a record of the alternatives that were considered.

inno-deep-research / academic-researcher   (optional: literature first)
        ↓
inno-idea-generation   ← this skill: Ideation/ideas/selected_idea.txt
        ↓
inno-idea-eval         (multi-reviewer evaluation and quality gate)
        ↓
inno-code-survey → inno-experiment-dev

The output is a research proposal, not a product brainstorm: every idea names the limitation it targets, a falsifiable claim, how it differs from the closest prior work, and the smallest experiment that could refute it.

Directory structure

skills/inno-idea-generation/
├── SKILL.md                              ← this file
├── prompts/
│   ├── build_idea_query.md               ← Step 3, round 1: first full proposal
│   ├── new_idea_prompt.md                ← Step 3, rounds 2..N: a different direction family
│   └── build_idea_selection_query.md     ← Step 4: compare, select, enhance
└── references/
    ├── idea_agent_instructions.md        ← Idea Agent role, hard constraints, conciseness rules
    ├── ideation_frameworks.md            ← 12 research ideation lenses + selection guide
    ├── idea_report_template.md           ← Required sections of every candidate and the selected idea
    └── selection_gate.md                 ← 0/1/2 scoring gate, novelty labels, ledger format

Read `references/idea_agent_instructions.md` before Step 1 and follow it for the whole run. The prompt templates are what you (or a sub-agent) answer at each step; their parameter tables say where each value comes from.

Inputs

Nothing except a research problem is strictly required. Read whatever of the following exists, in this order:

| Source | What to take from it | |--------|----------------------| | The user's request | Topic, task, constraints, anything they ruled in or out | | `.pipeline/docs/research_brief.json` | `sections.ideation` (`research_goal`, `problem_framing`, `success_criteria`), `sections.survey` (`key_references`, `open_gaps`), `sections.experiment.dataset_or_data_source`, `meta.target_venue` | | `instance.json` | `Ideation.ideas` and `Ideation.references` paths. They are absolute in Dr. Claw projects; if relative, resolve with `path.join(project_path, value)`. If the file is missing, use `<project>/Ideation/ideas` and `<project>/Ideation/references` | | `Survey/reports/`, `Survey/references/` | Earlier literature reviews and reference lists | | `Ideation/references/papers/` | Paper sources (`.tex`, `.md`, `.txt`, `.pdf`) | | `Experiment/code_references/`, `Experiment/datasets/` | Codebases and data already available, which bound feasibility |

**Ask before generating** when the problem is too vague to write the task contract in Step 1 (for example, only a field name, with no task, setting, or data). Ask at most three short questions (task and target, data or setting, hard constraints such as compute or deadline), then continue.

Outputs

All files go to the `Ideation.ideas` directory (default `Ideation/ideas/`).

Ideation/ideas/
├── idea_context.md                       ← Step 1: task contract, evidence base, limitation card
├── idea_slate.md                         ← Step 2: 6–12 raw directions, grouped by family
├── idea_query_round_1.txt                ← Step 3: the round-1 query actually used
├── raw_idea_1.txt                        ← Step 3: full proposal, family A
├── raw_idea_2.txt                        ← Step 3: full proposal, family B
├── raw_idea_3.txt                        ← Step 3: full proposal, family C
├── selected_idea.txt                     ← Step 4: the selected and enhanced proposal (input of inno-idea-eval)
├── idea_ledger.md                        ← Step 4: selected / deferred / rejected, with scores and reasons
└── logs/
    ├── idea_generation_agent.json            ← after raw_idea_1.txt
    ├── idea_generation_agent_iter_1.json     ← after raw_idea_2.txt
    ├── idea_generation_agent_iter_2.json     ← after raw_idea_3.txt
    └── idea_generation_agent_iter_select.json ← after selected_idea.txt

Write order

Always write the `.txt` / `.md` file first, then the `.json` log, copying the text verbatim (never a summary) into the JSON fields.

`.json` log format

{
  "context_variables": {
    "ideas_path": "<instance.Ideation.ideas>",
    "references_path": "<instance.Ideation.references>",
    "task_contract": "<FULL text of the Task contract section of idea_context.md>",
    "evidence": [
      { "title": "...", "year": 2025, "source": "Ideation/references/papers/... or URL", "takeaway": "..." }
    ],
    "grounded": true,
    "idea_generation_history": [
      { "round": 1, "family": "<direction family>", "status": "raw", "content": "<FULL text of raw_idea_1.txt>" }
    ],
    "final_selected_idea_data": {
      "raw_idea": "<title of the chosen candidate>",
      "selected_idea_text": "<FULL text of selected_idea.txt>",
      "gate_scores": { "novelty": 2, "falsifiability": 2, "feasibility": 1, "evidence": 2, "constraint_fit": 2, "total": 9 },
      "novelty_label": "novel | incremental but valuable"
    }
  }
}

• `idea_generation_history` grows by one entry per round.
• `final_selected_idea_data` appears only in `idea_generation_agent_iter_select.json`.

`inno-idea-eval` reads it (and `selected_idea.txt`) and updates both when it refines the idea.

Step-by-step instruc