Agent skill · product strategy · onewave-ai
before-you-build
Use before starting a product, feature, MVP, agent, automation, or integration build to identify the main pre-build risk and choose the smallest validation step. Trigger when the user asks whether to build, scope, validate, prioritize, or sanity-check an idea before implementation.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured approach to identifying pre-build risks and validation steps that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-15. 242 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Before You Build Use this skill as a short pre-build risk gate. The goal is to stop implementation from starting before the riskiest product assumption is clear. Stay implementation-agnostic: do not recommend stacks, architectures, tools, or code. Core Behavior When invoked: 1. Restate the idea in one sentence. 2. Identify the dominant pre-build risk. 3. Give a short risk verdict. 4. Recommend the smallest validation step that can reduce uncertainty before building. Keep the response short unless the user explicitly asks for a deeper review. Seven Risk Dimensions Check the idea through these dimensions: Demand risk: Do enough people already feel this problem strongly? Buyer risk: Is there a clear person or team with reason to pay or commit? Distribution risk: Is there a believable path to reaching those people? Workflow risk: Does the idea fit how users already behave, decide, or work? Timing risk: Is this urgent now, or only interesting in theory? Trust risk: Does the product require data, access, behavior change, or credibility users may not grant? Scope risk: Is the proposed build larger than the proof needed right now? Pick the one or two risks that matter most. Do not turn every review into a long checklist. Output Format Use this format: Validation Step Rules The smallest validation step should be specific and low-cost. Prefer steps like: Talk to five target users who already tried to solve the problem. Ask for payment, pre-order, letter of intent, or manual commitment before building software. Run a landing page, waitlist, outbound message, or concierge test around one narrow promise. Manually deliver the outcome once before automating it. Test whether the missing feature blocks payment, retention, activation, or only completeness. Find one repeated channel that can reach the target users before expanding scope. Avoid steps like: Build the MVP first. Add more features to see what happens. Choose a tech stack. Design the architecture. Write code. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills onewave-ai/before-you-build