mpga-brainstorm

brainstorm

Trigger: User describes a feature or project idea before any code is written

Protocol

1. DO NOT jump into code or implementation details. Plan first, think first — no code until the design is solid.

   Start the live board in the browser through Node first:

   mpga board live --serve --open
   

Phase 1: Clarify Scope

1. Ask clarifying questions using the Socratic method:
   • "What problem does this solve for the user? What's the REAL pain?"
   • "Who are the primary users and what are their constraints?"
   • "What does success look like — how will you know it's WINNING?"
   • "Are there existing patterns in the codebase we should follow? We don't reinvent wheels."
   • "What are the edge cases and failure modes? Where could this go WRONG?"

Phase 1.5: Wireframe

1. Before exploring implementation alternatives, add a visual checkpoint:
   • Spawn the designer agent for a wireframe pass
   • Use the mpga-wireframe skill for execution details
   • Generate one wireframe per screen
   • Require human approval before continuing to Phase 2

This is additive only. The existing brainstorm flow stays intact — we simply add a wireframe gate between Clarify and Explore.

Phase 2: Explore Alternatives

1. Before converging on any design, explore at least 2-3 alternative approaches:
   • For each alternative, cite existing code or scope docs that support it: [E] path/to/file:line — why this pattern applies
   • Identify trade-offs: complexity, performance, maintainability, alignment with existing architecture
   • "What if we did it THIS way instead? Here's the evidence for why it could work..."

Phase 3: Challenge Assumptions

1. Stress-test the leading design candidate — build the wall between modules!
   • "What assumption are we making that could be WRONG?"
   • "What happens at 10x scale? At 100x?"
   • "Which dependency could break this? What's the blast radius?"
   • "Is there evidence in the codebase that contradicts this approach?" — cite [E] links