openlore: Brainstorm

When to use this skill

Trigger this skill when the user wants to explore or design a new feature before writing any code, with phrasings like:

• "I want to add feature X"
• "how should I approach this?"
• "let's brainstorm this story"
• explicit command /openlore-brainstorm

---

Step 1 — Detect mode

Capture $PROJECT_ROOT, $FEATURE_DESCRIPTION, and $FEATURE_SLUG (kebab-case, ≤ 5 words, e.g. payment-retry-flow).

Then probe the structural index:

<use_mcp_tool>
  <server_name>openlore</server_name>
  <tool_name>orient</tool_name>
  <arguments>{
    "directory": "$PROJECT_ROOT",
    "task": "$FEATURE_DESCRIPTION",
    "limit": 7
  }</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Set $MODE based on the result:

Result	$MODE	Meaning
Returns functions with score > 0	brownfield	Existing indexed codebase
Returns "error": "no cache" or 0 functions	greenfield	No structural index yet

Inform the user:

• Brownfield: "I found existing code related to this feature. Using structural analysis to guide design."
• Greenfield: "No structural index found. Using Domain Sketch — structural analysis will be available after openlore analyze is run on the first implementation."

Load project antipatterns (both modes):

If .claude/antipatterns.md exists, read it and store as $ANTIPATTERNS. These will be used as a failure mode source in Step 5. If absent, $ANTIPATTERNS = none.

---

Steps 2–4 — Structural analysis (brownfield only)

Skip to Step 5 if $MODE = greenfield.

Step 2 — Architecture overview

<use_mcp_tool>
  <server_name>openlore</server_name>
  <tool_name>get_architecture_overview</tool_name>
  <arguments>{"directory": "$PROJECT_ROOT"}</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Note hub functions and cross-domain dependencies in $DOMAINS_AFFECTED.

Step 3 — Generate change proposal

<use_mcp_tool>
  <server_name>openlore</server_name>
  <tool_name>generate_change_proposal</tool_name>
  <arguments>{
    "directory": "$PROJECT_ROOT",
    "description": "$FEATURE_DESCRIPTION",
    "slug": "$FEATURE_SLUG"
  }</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Chains orient + search_specs + analyze_impact and writes openspec/changes/$FEATURE_SLUG/proposal.md.

Extract:

• $MAX_RISK_SCORE — overall risk level
• $REQUIREMENTS_TOUCHED — existing requirements this feature overlaps
• $BLOCKING_REFACTORS — functions with risk ≥ 70

Step 4 — Risk gate

Score	Action
🟢 < 40	Proceed to Step 5
🟡 40–69	Proceed, flag impacted callers to protect during design
🔴 ≥ 70	Stop — propose a blocking refactor story before continuing

If blocked:

"This feature touches $BLOCKING_FUNCTION (risk score: $SCORE). A refactor story must be completed first. I can create it now if you'd like."

Do not continue until the user accepts the refactor story or explicitly overrides.

---

Step 5 — Brainstorming

If $MODE = brownfield — Constrained Option Tree

5a — Establish the constraint space

Derive from Steps 2–4 and present before generating options:

Hard constraints (non-negotiable):
  - Functions with riskScore ≥ 70: $BLOCKED_FUNCTIONS
  - Requirements that must be preserved: $REQUIREMENTS_TOUCHED
  - Domain boundaries that must not be crossed: $DOMAIN_BOUNDARIES

Soft constraints (preferred):
  - Existing insertion points: $INSERTION_POINTS
  - Patterns already used in $DOMAINS_AFFECTED

Ask: "Are there additional constraints before we explore approaches?"

5b — Generate 2–3 options

Each option must respect hard constraints. Name them clearly (e.g. Option A — Extend existing, Option B — New service, Option C — Facade).

If $ANTIPATTERNS ≠ none, cross-check each option against the list. Flag any option that would reproduce a known failure pattern with ⚠ and the relevant AP-NNN.

	Option A	Option B	Option C
Insertion point
Domains touched
Risk score impact
Requirements affected
Estimated scope (files)
Trade-off

5c — Recommend

State one recommendation with a single structural reason:

"Recommend Option B — inserts at $SAFE_FUNCTION (risk 18), avoids $HUB (fan-in 14) entirely. Option A is valid but adds unnecessary blast radius."

5d — Confirm

Do not proceed to Step 5e until the user chooses. If they want a hybrid, produce a revised option table.

5e — Adversarial challenge

Before writing the story, switch roles: challenge the chosen option as a skeptic.

State exactly 2 failure modes grounded in the structural data and, if $ANTIPATTERNS ≠ none, any applicable antipatterns from .claude/antipatterns.md:

"Devil's advocate on Option B:

1. $CALLER_A calls $INSERTION_POINT with $EDGE_CASE — this path is not covered by the proposed approach and could silently break.
2. The proposal scores risk at $SCORE but $HUB (fan-in $N) is one hop away — a regression there would not be caught until check_spec_drift."

Then ask the user: "Do these failure modes change your choice, or should we add mitigations to the story constraints?"

Only proceed to Step 6 once the user has acknowledged the failure modes. Mitigations go into ## Technical Constraints in the story.

Note: this IS a gate (waits for user input) because brainstorm is a design phase where changing course is cheap. In contrast, openlore-implement-story Step 4b is a mandatory self-check that does NOT gate — because by implementation time the design decision is already made.

Ask: "What is explicitly out of scope for this story?" List the answers as $WONT_DO.

---

If $MODE = greenfield — Domain Sketch

No existing structure to constrain — the method builds the structure from scratch.

5a — Entities

Ask the user: "What are the core data objects this feature creates or transforms?"

List them as nouns with a one-line definition each:

$ENTITY_1 — definition
$ENTITY_2 — definition

5b — Operations

For each entity, identify the operations the feature needs (create, read, transform, delete, emit, receive…):

$ENTITY_1: $OP_1, $OP_2
$ENTITY_2: $OP_1

Identify which operations cross a system boundary (external API, database, event bus, CLI…) — these are the riskiest integration points.

5c — Boundaries

Define where the feature sits relative to the system:

Entry point:   $HOW_IT_IS_TRIGGERED (HTTP request / CLI command / event / cron)
Data in:       $INPUT_FORMAT
Data out:      $OUTPUT_FORMAT or side-effects
External deps: $THIRD_PARTY_SERVICES or "none"

5d — Architecture decisions

State 2–3 decisions that must be made before coding. For each, list the options and a recommendation:

Decision	Options	Recommendation
e.g. Storage	in-memory / DB / file	DB — survives restarts
e.g. Coupling	new module / extend existing	new module — clear boundary

Ask the user to confirm or override each decision before proceeding to Step 6.

Ask: "What is explicitly out of scope for this story?" List the answers as $WONT_DO.

---

Step 6 — Write the story

Produce a story file at $STORIES_DIR/$FEATURE_SLUG.md.

If a story template exists at $PROJECT_ROOT/_bmad/openlore/templates/story.md or $PROJECT_ROOT/examples/bmad/templates/story.md, use it. Otherwise:

Brownfield template:

# $STORY_TITLE

## Goal

$FEATURE_DESCRIPTION

## Acceptance Criteria

Each AC must be verifiable by a test. State the observable outcome, not the intent.
✗ "Should handle errors correctly" — ✓ "Returns HTTP 400 with `{error: 'X'}` when Y is absent"

- [ ] $AC_1
- [ ] $AC_2

## Won't Do

- $WONT_DO_1
- $WONT_DO_2

## Risk Context

<!-- Filled by annotate_story in Step 7 -->

## Technical Constraints

$BLOCKING_REFACTORS and caller protection notes from the proposal.

## Notes

- Chosen approach: $CHOSEN_OPTION — $TRADE_OFF
- Domains affected: $DOMAINS_AFFECTED
- Requirements touched: $REQUIREMENTS_TOUCHED
- Max risk score: $MAX_RISK_SCORE

Greenfield template:

# $STORY_TITLE

## Goal

$FEATURE_DESCRIPTION

## Acceptance Criteria

Each AC must be verifiable by a test. State the observable outcome, not the intent.
✗ "Should handle errors correctly" — ✓ "Returns HTTP 400 with `{error: 'X'}` when Y is absent"

- [ ] $AC_1
- [ ] $AC_2

## Won't Do

- $WONT_DO_1
- $WONT_DO_2

## Domain Sketch

### Entities
$ENTITIES

### Operations
$OPERATIONS

### Boundaries
$BOUNDARIES

## Architecture Decisions

$DECISIONS_TABLE

## Notes

- First implementation — run `openlore analyze && openlore generate` after
  to enable structural analysis for future stories.

---

Step 7 — Annotate the story

Brownfield only. Skip if $MODE = greenfield.

<use_mcp_tool>
  <server_name>openlore</server_name>
  <tool_name>annotate_story</tool_name>
  <arguments>{
    "directory": "$PROJECT_ROOT",
    "storyFilePath": "$STORY_FILE_PATH",
    "description": "$STORY_TITLE"
  }</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Patches ## Risk Context directly. Story is now ready for openlore-implement-story.

Greenfield: confirm to the user:

"Story written to $STORY_FILE_PATH. No risk context yet — run openlore analyze after the first implementation sprint to enable structural analysis for future stories."

---

Absolute constraints

• Do not ask design questions before Step 5 (both modes)
• Brownfield: do not proceed past Step 4 if $MAX_RISK_SCORE ≥ 70 without acknowledgement
• Brownfield: do not fill ## Risk Context manually — always use annotate_story
• Greenfield: do not call annotate_story — there is nothing to annotate yet
• Do not propose implementation steps — this skill ends at story creation
• Every AC must be verifiable by a test — reject vague ACs ("should work", "handles errors") and rewrite them before proceeding
• ## Won't Do is mandatory in the story — at minimum one item
• Brownfield: generate_change_proposal creates openspec/changes/$FEATURE_SLUG/proposal.md on disk. Inform the user at session end: "A proposal file was created at openspec/changes/$FEATURE_SLUG/proposal.md. Delete it if this idea is not pursued."