{"id":50611156,"url":"https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill","last_synced_at":"2026-06-22T23:00:36.087Z","repository":{"id":359989619,"uuid":"1248189340","full_name":"bin1874/before-you-build-skill","owner":"bin1874","description":"Open-source AI coding skill that reviews product and feature risk before agents start building.","archived":false,"fork":false,"pushed_at":"2026-06-10T04:24:03.000Z","size":342,"stargazers_count":1,"open_issues_count":0,"forks_count":0,"subscribers_count":0,"default_branch":"main","last_synced_at":"2026-06-10T06:24:07.683Z","etag":null,"topics":["agent-skills","ai-agents","claude-code","codex","coding-agents","cursor","indie-hackers","product-validation","saas","startup"],"latest_commit_sha":null,"homepage":"https://beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill","language":null,"has_issues":true,"has_wiki":null,"has_pages":null,"mirror_url":null,"source_name":null,"license":"mit","status":null,"scm":"git","pull_requests_enabled":true,"icon_url":"https://github.com/bin1874.png","metadata":{"files":{"readme":"README.md","changelog":"CHANGELOG.md","contributing":"CONTRIBUTING.md","funding":null,"license":"LICENSE","code_of_conduct":null,"threat_model":null,"audit":null,"citation":null,"codeowners":null,"security":null,"support":null,"governance":null,"roadmap":null,"authors":null,"dei":null,"publiccode":null,"codemeta":null,"zenodo":null,"notice":null,"maintainers":null,"copyright":null,"agents":null,"dco":null,"cla":null}},"created_at":"2026-05-24T10:01:20.000Z","updated_at":"2026-06-10T04:24:06.000Z","dependencies_parsed_at":null,"dependency_job_id":null,"html_url":"https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill","commit_stats":null,"previous_names":["bin1874/before-you-build-skill"],"tags_count":2,"template":false,"template_full_name":null,"purl":"pkg:github/bin1874/before-you-build-skill","repository_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/bin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill","tags_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/bin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill/tags","releases_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/bin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill/releases","manifests_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/bin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill/manifests","owner_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/owners/bin1874","download_url":"https://codeload.github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill/tar.gz/refs/heads/main","sbom_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/bin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill/sbom","scorecard":null,"host":{"name":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com","kind":"github","repositories_count":286080680,"owners_count":34668499,"icon_url":"https://github.com/github.png","version":null,"created_at":"2022-05-30T11:31:42.601Z","updated_at":"2026-05-26T15:22:16.424Z","status":"online","status_checked_at":"2026-06-22T02:00:06.391Z","response_time":106,"last_error":null,"robots_txt_status":"success","robots_txt_updated_at":"2025-07-24T06:49:26.215Z","robots_txt_url":"https://github.com/robots.txt","online":true,"can_crawl_api":true,"host_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub","repositories_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories","repository_names_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repository_names","owners_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/owners"}},"keywords":["agent-skills","ai-agents","claude-code","codex","coding-agents","cursor","indie-hackers","product-validation","saas","startup"],"created_at":"2026-06-06T04:00:21.621Z","updated_at":"2026-06-22T23:00:36.080Z","avatar_url":"https://github.com/bin1874.png","language":null,"funding_links":[],"categories":["Agent Skills"],"sub_categories":["Tooling"],"readme":"# Before You Build Skill\n\n[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green.svg)](LICENSE)\n[![Release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/bin1874/before-you-build-skill?include_prereleases)](https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill/releases)\n[![GitHub stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/bin1874/before-you-build-skill)](https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill/stargazers)\n[![Website](https://img.shields.io/badge/website-beforeyoubuild.fyi-blue)](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill)\n\nDon't ask AI to build it yet. Ask why it might fail first.\n\nBefore You Build Skill is a lightweight open-source skill package for AI coding tools. Use it before starting a product, adding a feature, expanding scope, or asking an agent to implement an idea.\n\nIt does not build your app. It makes the agent pause and review product risk first.\n\n## At A Glance\n\n| Field | Details |\n|---|---|\n| Best for | Product ideas, AI app ideas, SaaS ideas, side projects, feature requests, requirement changes |\n| Primary users | Indie hackers, solo founders, product engineers, AI builders, small teams |\n| Main output | A short pre-build risk review and verdict |\n| Verdicts | `Build small`, `Validate first`, `Pivot first`, `Don't build yet` |\n| API key | Not required for normal use |\n| Optional data | Before You Build Case Memory, only when the user allows it |\n\n## Why This Exists\n\nAI coding agents made building much faster. That also makes it easier to spend days or weeks polishing the wrong thing.\n\nThis skill adds a simple pre-build review step. Before the agent writes code, it should challenge the riskiest assumptions: who needs this, why now, what they use today, whether they would pay, and what would make the idea fail.\n\n## Who Should Use It\n\n- Indie hackers and solo founders testing new product ideas.\n- AI SaaS builders turning demos into products.\n- Product engineers adding features to existing products.\n- Teams using Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, OpenClaw, or similar coding agents.\n- Anyone tempted to ask an agent to implement before the demand risk is clear.\n\n## Compatible Tools\n\n| Tool | Recommended setup |\n|---|---|\n| Codex | Install the repository as a local skill folder when local skills are available. |\n| Claude Code | Use as a Claude Code skill or copy `SKILL.md` into project instructions. |\n| Cursor | Add `SKILL.md` as a project rule, then invoke it before implementation. |\n| OpenCode / OpenClaw | Add `SKILL.md` as a custom skill, rule, memory, or named instruction. See [docs/OPENCLAW.md](docs/OPENCLAW.md) for OpenClaw publishing notes. |\n| Other agents | Paste the minimal prompt from [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md). |\n\n## What It Does\n\n- Reviews product and feature ideas before implementation.\n- Challenges demand, distribution, pricing, retention, trust, and workflow assumptions.\n- Matches common failure patterns such as thin wrappers, low-frequency needs, platform dependency, and subscription mismatch.\n- Suggests the smallest useful validation step before coding.\n- Can optionally query Before You Build Case Memory for similar public cases.\n\n## How It Works\n\n```mermaid\nflowchart LR\n    A[\"User asks AI to build\"] --\u003e B[\"before-you-build review\"]\n    B --\u003e C[\"Clarify user, scene, problem\"]\n    C --\u003e D[\"Check demand, distribution, price, retention, trust\"]\n    D --\u003e E[\"Match likely failure patterns\"]\n    E --\u003e F[\"Recommend smallest validation step\"]\n    F --\u003e G{\"Verdict\"}\n    G --\u003e H[\"Build small\"]\n    G --\u003e I[\"Validate first\"]\n    G --\u003e J[\"Pivot first\"]\n    G --\u003e K[\"Don't build yet\"]\n```\n\n## When To Use It\n\nUse it before:\n\n- building a new SaaS, AI app, side project, or startup idea;\n- adding a new feature to an existing product;\n- copying a competitor feature;\n- expanding a prototype into a platform;\n- asking an AI coding agent to build before the riskiest assumption is clear.\n\nDo not use it as a replacement for technical review, security review, architecture review, or code review. This skill is about whether the product or feature should be built, not how to implement it.\n\n## Quick Start\n\nCopy this into your AI coding tool:\n\n```text\nUse before-you-build to review this idea before implementation:\n\n[Describe the product, feature, target users, current alternatives, and why you think it should exist.]\n```\n\nThe agent should return a short reality check with a verdict before it starts implementation.\n\n## Package Contents\n\n```text\n.\n- SKILL.md\n- CONTRIBUTING.md\n- .clawhubignore\n- agents/\n  - openai.yaml\n- .github/\n  - ISSUE_TEMPLATE/\n  - DISCUSSION_TEMPLATE/\n- references/\n  - case-memory-api.md\n  - evidence-check.md\n  - failure-patterns.md\n- examples/\n  - feature-change.md\n  - launched-project.md\n  - new-product-idea.md\n- docs/\n  - INSTALL.md\n  - OPENCLAW.md\n  - PROMOTION.md\n```\n\n## Install\n\nClone or download this repository, then add the whole folder to your AI coding tool's skill, agent, or custom instruction location.\n\n```bash\ngit clone https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill.git\n```\n\nFor tools that do not support skill folders, open `SKILL.md` and paste the relevant instructions into your project rules or custom instructions.\n\nSee [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md) for tool-specific setup notes.\n\nFor OpenClaw and ClawHub-specific publishing notes, see [docs/OPENCLAW.md](docs/OPENCLAW.md).\n\n## Install Paths\n\n| Setup | What to do |\n|---|---|\n| Full skill package | Clone this repo and add the whole folder to your tool's skill directory. |\n| Project-level rule | Copy `SKILL.md` into your project rules or instruction file. |\n| Prompt-only | Use the minimal prompt in [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md#minimal-prompt-only-setup). |\n| Optional Case Memory | Use [references/case-memory-api.md](references/case-memory-api.md) only after user permission. |\n\n## Basic Usage\n\nStart a request with:\n\n```text\nbefore you build: I want to build an AI tool that...\n```\n\nOr:\n\n```text\nUse before-you-build to review this feature before I implement it:\n...\n```\n\nThe skill should return a short reality check, usually with:\n\n- what you want to build;\n- the biggest risk;\n- likely failure patterns;\n- validation steps;\n- a recommendation: `Build small`, `Validate first`, `Pivot first`, or `Don't build yet`.\n\n## Examples\n\n| Scenario | Example |\n|---|---|\n| New product idea | [AI podcast-to-LinkedIn tool](examples/new-product-idea.md) |\n| Feature change | [Team workspaces and roles](examples/feature-change.md) |\n| Launched project | [AI resume checker with traffic but low payment](examples/launched-project.md) |\n| Real public case | [Dripfit: AI outfit assistant risk review](examples/real-case-dripfit.md) |\n| Real public case | [GummySearch: Reddit research workflow and platform risk](examples/real-case-gummysearch.md) |\n| Real public case | [Ledger Cloud Reminders: developer tool adoption risk](examples/real-case-ledger-cloud-reminders.md) |\n\n## Example\n\nInput:\n\n```text\nbefore you build: I want to build an AI tool that summarizes meeting recordings for freelancers.\n```\n\nExpected shape:\n\n```markdown\n## Quick Reality Check\n\nWhat you want to build:\n- An AI meeting summary tool for freelancers.\n\nBiggest risk:\n- The problem may be too low-frequency or already solved well enough by existing meeting tools.\n\nFailure patterns:\n- Free alternative is good enough\n- Subscription mismatch\n- Tool without workflow\n\nValidate before building:\n1. Find 10 freelancers who record more than 5 client meetings per month.\n2. Ask what they currently use and what is painful enough to pay for.\n3. Manually summarize 3 real recordings and ask for payment before automating.\n\nRecommendation:\nValidate first\n```\n\n## Case Memory\n\nNormal use does not require an API key.\n\nThe skill can optionally query the public Before You Build Case Memory API when a compatible agent or integration is available. Before doing that, it should ask for user permission unless the user already asked to use the case database.\n\nCase Memory endpoint:\n\n```text\nPOST https://api.beforeyoubuild.fyi/api/v1/case-memory/search\n```\n\nThe endpoint is used to retrieve similar public product cases from [Before You Build](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi). It is not required for the core skill to work.\n\n## Privacy Boundary\n\nDo not send secrets, customer names, private financials, credentials, private user data, or unreleased confidential details to any remote endpoint.\n\nIf Case Memory is used, send only a short idea summary and the minimum fields needed to find similar public cases.\n\n## Community\n\nUse GitHub issues or discussions for:\n\n- testing the skill against a real product or feature idea;\n- suggesting a failure pattern that should be added;\n- reporting confusing output from an agent;\n- asking for compatibility notes for another AI coding tool.\n\nUseful templates are included under `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/` and `.github/DISCUSSION_TEMPLATE/`.\n\nSee [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) before opening a pull request.\n\n## Website\n\n- Product risk case library: [beforeyoubuild.fyi](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi)\n- Skill page: [beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill)\n\n## Share\n\nIf you want to share this project, start with the core idea:\n\n\u003e AI coding agents made building easier. Before you ask one to build, ask why the idea might fail.\n\nMore copy, directory notes, and community posting angles are in [docs/PROMOTION.md](docs/PROMOTION.md).\n\n## License\n\nMIT\n","project_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill","html_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/projects/github.com%2Fbin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill","lists_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbin1874%2Fbefore-you-build-skill/lists"}