Before You Build Skill

July 1, 2026 · View on GitHub

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.
Teams using Hermes, Gemini CLI, and other tools that can load local skills, rules, or slash commands.
Anyone tempted to ask an agent to implement before the demand risk is clear.

Compatible Tools

Tool	Recommended setup
Codex	Run `npx before-you-build-skill install codex`.
Claude Code	Run `npx before-you-build-skill install claude`, or copy `SKILL.md` into project instructions.
Cursor	Run `npx before-you-build-skill install cursor --path /path/to/project`.
OpenClaw	Use OpenClaw's native Git install or the `npx` local installer. See docs/OPENCLAW.md.
Hermes	Run `npx before-you-build-skill install hermes`.
Gemini CLI	Run `npx before-you-build-skill install gemini` to create a slash command plus a local skill reference.
Other agents	Paste the minimal prompt from 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

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

Install it into Codex:

npx before-you-build-skill install codex

Or install another local adapter:

npx before-you-build-skill install hermes
npx before-you-build-skill install openclaw
npx before-you-build-skill install gemini

Then start a request with:

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

.
- SKILL.md
- CONTRIBUTING.md
- package.json
- .clawhubignore
- agents/
  - openai.yaml
- bin/
  - before-you-build-skill.mjs
- .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

One-command install

Use the published npm package when you want the skill copied into a local tool directory:

npx before-you-build-skill install codex
npx before-you-build-skill install claude
npx before-you-build-skill install cursor --path /path/to/project
npx before-you-build-skill install openclaw
npx before-you-build-skill install hermes
npx before-you-build-skill install gemini

Package page:

https://www.npmjs.com/package/before-you-build-skill

To install local adapters for every supported target:

npx before-you-build-skill install all

The installer is a convenience wrapper. Some tools also have native installation flows. For example, OpenClaw can install directly from Git:

openclaw skills install git:bin1874/before-you-build-skill@main --as before-you-build

Manual install

Clone or download this repository, then add the whole folder to your AI coding tool's skill, agent, or custom instruction location.

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 for tool-specific setup notes.

For OpenClaw and ClawHub-specific publishing notes, see docs/OPENCLAW.md.

Install Paths

Setup	What to do
`npx` installer	Run `npx before-you-build-skill install <target>`.
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.
Optional Case Memory	Use references/case-memory-api.md only after user permission.

`npx` Targets

Target	Installed files
`codex`	`~/.codex/skills/before-you-build/`
`claude`	`~/.claude/skills/before-you-build/`
`cursor`	`<project>/.cursor/rules/before-you-build.md`
`openclaw`	`~/.openclaw/skills/before-you-build/`
`hermes`	`~/.hermes/skills/before-you-build/`
`gemini`	`~/.gemini/commands/before-you-build.toml` and `~/.gemini/skills/before-you-build/`

Basic Usage

Start a request with:

before you build: I want to build an AI tool that...

Or:

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
Feature change	Team workspaces and roles
Launched project	AI resume checker with traffic but low payment
Real public case	Dripfit: AI outfit assistant risk review
Real public case	GummySearch: Reddit research workflow and platform risk
Real public case	Ledger Cloud Reminders: developer tool adoption risk

Example

Input:

before you build: I want to build an AI tool that summarizes meeting recordings for freelancers.

Expected shape:

## 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:

POST https://api.beforeyoubuild.fyi/api/v1/case-memory/search

The endpoint is used to retrieve similar public product cases from Before You Build. 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 before opening a pull request.

Website

Product risk case library: beforeyoubuild.fyi
Skill page: beforeyoubuild.fyi/en/skill

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.

License

MIT