https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill
Open-source AI coding skill that reviews product and feature risk before agents start building.
https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill
agent-skills ai-agents claude-code codex coding-agents cursor indie-hackers product-validation saas startup
Last synced: 3 days ago
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Open-source AI coding skill that reviews product and feature risk before agents start building.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill
- Owner: bin1874
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-05-24T10:01:20.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-06-10T04:24:03.000Z (16 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-06-10T06:24:07.683Z (15 days ago)
- Topics: agent-skills, ai-agents, claude-code, codex, coding-agents, cursor, indie-hackers, product-validation, saas, startup
- Homepage: https://beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill
- Size: 334 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-agent-skills - before-you-build-skill
README
# Before You Build Skill
[](LICENSE)
[](https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill/releases)
[](https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill/stargazers)
[](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill)
Don't ask AI to build it yet. Ask why it might fail first.
Before 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.
It does not build your app. It makes the agent pause and review product risk first.
## At A Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Product ideas, AI app ideas, SaaS ideas, side projects, feature requests, requirement changes |
| Primary users | Indie hackers, solo founders, product engineers, AI builders, small teams |
| Main output | A short pre-build risk review and verdict |
| Verdicts | `Build small`, `Validate first`, `Pivot first`, `Don't build yet` |
| API key | Not required for normal use |
| Optional data | Before You Build Case Memory, only when the user allows it |
## Why This Exists
AI coding agents made building much faster. That also makes it easier to spend days or weeks polishing the wrong thing.
This 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.
## Who Should Use It
- Indie hackers and solo founders testing new product ideas.
- AI SaaS builders turning demos into products.
- Product engineers adding features to existing products.
- Teams using Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, OpenClaw, or similar coding agents.
- Anyone tempted to ask an agent to implement before the demand risk is clear.
## Compatible Tools
| Tool | Recommended setup |
|---|---|
| Codex | Install the repository as a local skill folder when local skills are available. |
| Claude Code | Use as a Claude Code skill or copy `SKILL.md` into project instructions. |
| Cursor | Add `SKILL.md` as a project rule, then invoke it before implementation. |
| 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. |
| Other agents | Paste the minimal prompt from [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md). |
## What It Does
- Reviews product and feature ideas before implementation.
- Challenges demand, distribution, pricing, retention, trust, and workflow assumptions.
- Matches common failure patterns such as thin wrappers, low-frequency needs, platform dependency, and subscription mismatch.
- Suggests the smallest useful validation step before coding.
- Can optionally query Before You Build Case Memory for similar public cases.
## How It Works
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A["User asks AI to build"] --> B["before-you-build review"]
B --> C["Clarify user, scene, problem"]
C --> D["Check demand, distribution, price, retention, trust"]
D --> E["Match likely failure patterns"]
E --> F["Recommend smallest validation step"]
F --> G{"Verdict"}
G --> H["Build small"]
G --> I["Validate first"]
G --> J["Pivot first"]
G --> K["Don't build yet"]
```
## When To Use It
Use it before:
- building a new SaaS, AI app, side project, or startup idea;
- adding a new feature to an existing product;
- copying a competitor feature;
- expanding a prototype into a platform;
- asking an AI coding agent to build before the riskiest assumption is clear.
Do 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.
## Quick Start
Copy this into your AI coding tool:
```text
Use before-you-build to review this idea before implementation:
[Describe the product, feature, target users, current alternatives, and why you think it should exist.]
```
The agent should return a short reality check with a verdict before it starts implementation.
## Package Contents
```text
.
- SKILL.md
- CONTRIBUTING.md
- .clawhubignore
- agents/
- openai.yaml
- .github/
- ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
- DISCUSSION_TEMPLATE/
- references/
- case-memory-api.md
- evidence-check.md
- failure-patterns.md
- examples/
- feature-change.md
- launched-project.md
- new-product-idea.md
- docs/
- INSTALL.md
- OPENCLAW.md
- PROMOTION.md
```
## Install
Clone or download this repository, then add the whole folder to your AI coding tool's skill, agent, or custom instruction location.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/bin1874/before-you-build-skill.git
```
For tools that do not support skill folders, open `SKILL.md` and paste the relevant instructions into your project rules or custom instructions.
See [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md) for tool-specific setup notes.
For OpenClaw and ClawHub-specific publishing notes, see [docs/OPENCLAW.md](docs/OPENCLAW.md).
## Install Paths
| Setup | What to do |
|---|---|
| Full skill package | Clone this repo and add the whole folder to your tool's skill directory. |
| Project-level rule | Copy `SKILL.md` into your project rules or instruction file. |
| Prompt-only | Use the minimal prompt in [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md#minimal-prompt-only-setup). |
| Optional Case Memory | Use [references/case-memory-api.md](references/case-memory-api.md) only after user permission. |
## Basic Usage
Start a request with:
```text
before you build: I want to build an AI tool that...
```
Or:
```text
Use before-you-build to review this feature before I implement it:
...
```
The skill should return a short reality check, usually with:
- what you want to build;
- the biggest risk;
- likely failure patterns;
- validation steps;
- a recommendation: `Build small`, `Validate first`, `Pivot first`, or `Don't build yet`.
## Examples
| Scenario | Example |
|---|---|
| New product idea | [AI podcast-to-LinkedIn tool](examples/new-product-idea.md) |
| Feature change | [Team workspaces and roles](examples/feature-change.md) |
| Launched project | [AI resume checker with traffic but low payment](examples/launched-project.md) |
| Real public case | [Dripfit: AI outfit assistant risk review](examples/real-case-dripfit.md) |
| Real public case | [GummySearch: Reddit research workflow and platform risk](examples/real-case-gummysearch.md) |
| Real public case | [Ledger Cloud Reminders: developer tool adoption risk](examples/real-case-ledger-cloud-reminders.md) |
## Example
Input:
```text
before you build: I want to build an AI tool that summarizes meeting recordings for freelancers.
```
Expected shape:
```markdown
## Quick Reality Check
What you want to build:
- An AI meeting summary tool for freelancers.
Biggest risk:
- The problem may be too low-frequency or already solved well enough by existing meeting tools.
Failure patterns:
- Free alternative is good enough
- Subscription mismatch
- Tool without workflow
Validate before building:
1. Find 10 freelancers who record more than 5 client meetings per month.
2. Ask what they currently use and what is painful enough to pay for.
3. Manually summarize 3 real recordings and ask for payment before automating.
Recommendation:
Validate first
```
## Case Memory
Normal use does not require an API key.
The 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.
Case Memory endpoint:
```text
POST https://api.beforeyoubuild.fyi/api/v1/case-memory/search
```
The 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.
## Privacy Boundary
Do not send secrets, customer names, private financials, credentials, private user data, or unreleased confidential details to any remote endpoint.
If Case Memory is used, send only a short idea summary and the minimum fields needed to find similar public cases.
## Community
Use GitHub issues or discussions for:
- testing the skill against a real product or feature idea;
- suggesting a failure pattern that should be added;
- reporting confusing output from an agent;
- asking for compatibility notes for another AI coding tool.
Useful templates are included under `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/` and `.github/DISCUSSION_TEMPLATE/`.
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) before opening a pull request.
## Website
- Product risk case library: [beforeyoubuild.fyi](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi)
- Skill page: [beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill](https://beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill)
## Share
If you want to share this project, start with the core idea:
> AI coding agents made building easier. Before you ask one to build, ask why the idea might fail.
More copy, directory notes, and community posting angles are in [docs/PROMOTION.md](docs/PROMOTION.md).
## License
MIT