brainstorm-sync
Sync brainstorming session discoveries to project memory (CONTEXT.md, memories)
When & Why to Use This Skill
This Claude skill streamlines the transition from brainstorming to execution by capturing the underlying logic, user insights, and strategic boundaries of a project. It automatically updates project memory files (such as CONTEXT.md and specific memory logs) with critical information like design rationale, scope exclusions, and core assumptions. By preserving the 'why' behind every decision, it ensures that future AI agent sessions and team members remain perfectly aligned with the project's evolving context, preventing knowledge loss and scope creep.
Use Cases
- Post-Brainstorming Documentation: Automatically extract and organize high-level thinking, such as user personas and pain points, into structured memory files after a creative session.
- Scope Creep Prevention: Document 'Scope Fences' by recording exactly what features or ideas were explicitly rejected, providing a clear reference for future development phases.
- Decision Tracking and Rationale: Capture the 'Design Rationale' behind technical choices, including alternatives considered and trade-offs accepted, to avoid revisiting the same decisions later.
- Risk Mitigation: Sync 'Pre-Mortem' insights into a dedicated risk log, identifying potential failure modes and early warning signs for proactive project monitoring.
- AI Agent Context Grounding: Update the project's CONTEXT.md with core assumptions and validated truths to ensure subsequent AI-driven tasks are based on the most current project state.
| name | brainstorm-sync |
|---|---|
| description | Capture brainstorm discoveries that aren't in the plan — the thinking that makes this project unique |
Brainstorm Sync
After brainstorming, capture the THINKING that didn't make it into the plan. The plan has workflows and features. This captures WHY and WHO and WHAT WE SAID NO TO.
What to Capture
From the brainstorm conversation, extract:
1. User Insight (from User Day-In-Life)
The specific person, their context, their pain. This grounds all future decisions.
→ Write to .feat-tree/memories/user.md
# User
**Who:** [Name, role, context]
**When problem appears:** [Specific moment in their day]
**Current workaround:** [What they do now]
**Pain:** [What's frustrating about it]
2. Scope Fence (from Scope Fence)
What we explicitly said NO to. Prevents scope creep in future sessions.
→ Write to .feat-tree/memories/scope.md
# Scope
**This IS:** [One sentence]
**This is NOT:**
- [Explicit exclusion]
- [Explicit exclusion]
**Features we said no to:**
- [Feature]: [Why not]
3. Core Assumption (from Crux)
The ONE thing that must be true. Future sessions should validate this.
→ Update .feat-tree/CONTEXT.md Key Assumptions section
## Key Assumptions
- [untested] [The core assumption] — test by [how to validate]
4. Risks (from Pre-Mortem)
How this fails. Future sessions should watch for warning signs.
→ Write to .feat-tree/memories/risks.md
# Risks
**"It failed because..."**
1. [Failure mode] — Watch for: [early warning sign]
2. [Failure mode] — Watch for: [early warning sign]
**Mitigations:**
- [What we're doing to prevent]
5. Design Rationale (from Design phase)
WHY we chose this approach over alternatives. Prevents revisiting decisions.
→ Write to .feat-tree/memories/decisions.md
# Design Decisions
**[Topic]:** [Choice]
- Considered: [Alternative 1], [Alternative 2]
- Chose because: [Why this fits better]
- Trade-off accepted: [What we gave up]
Process
- Review brainstorm conversation — What thinking happened that's NOT in the plan?
- Extract each category above — Only if it was actually discussed
- Write to memory files — Dense, not verbose
- Update CONTEXT.md — If core assumptions or project understanding changed
What NOT to Capture
- Stuff already in the plan (workflows, features, implementation order)
- Generic/speculative content (only capture what was actually discussed)
- Session-specific details that won't help future sessions
Confirm
Synced brainstorm discoveries:
- memories/user.md — [created/updated]
- memories/scope.md — [created/updated]
- memories/risks.md — [created/updated]
- memories/decisions.md — [created/updated]
- CONTEXT.md — [updated assumptions]
Future sessions will have this context.