SKILL.md
Before You Build
Overview
Before You Build helps an AI coding workflow pause before implementation and check whether the feature, product, or tool is worth building. It focuses on product risk rather than code structure: who needs the thing, what they use today, why they would switch, how distribution works, and what evidence would make the project safer to start.
The upstream project ships a standalone skill repository and an npx installer for several coding assistants.
When to Use This Skill
- Use when a user asks an AI coding assistant to build a new app, feature, internal tool, SaaS, or side project.
- Use when the idea sounds plausible but the buyer, workflow, distribution path, or switching reason is still vague.
- Use before writing code so the assistant can turn the request into sharper assumptions, risk checks, and validation steps.
How It Works
Step 1: Identify the Build Bet
Restate the product or feature in one concrete sentence. Name the intended user, the job they are trying to finish, and the current workaround or competitor.
Step 2: Check the Main Risks
Review the idea across demand, workflow fit, willingness to switch, distribution, pricing, data access, and operational burden. Prefer specific doubts over generic brainstorming.
Step 3: Decide the Next Small Test
Suggest the smallest useful validation step before implementation. This could be a buyer conversation, landing page test, manual concierge workflow, prototype, waitlist, paid pilot, or narrow internal trial.
Step 4: Continue or Stop
If the risk is acceptable, move into implementation with the assumptions written down. If the risk is high or evidence is weak, recommend a smaller experiment instead of building the full version.
Examples
Example 1: SaaS Feature Request
User: Build a dashboard for AI trend monitoring.
Before coding, check:
- Which role needs this dashboard every week?
- What source do they use today?
- What decision changes because of the dashboard?
- Would they pay for alerts, reports, or workflow integration?
- What is the smallest manual report that proves repeat use?