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wshobson/agents/plugins/before-you-build/skills/before-you-build/SKILL.md

before-you-build

Pre-build product and feature risk review for founders, product managers, and AI-assisted builders. Use this skill when the user is about to build a landing page, MVP, SaaS product, internal tool, agent workflow, or major feature and needs to check demand, positioning, monetization, retention, trust, distribution, and adoption risk before implementation starts.

Source repository stars: 38,313
Declared platforms: 0
Static risk flags: 0
Last source update: 2026-07-22
Source checked: 2026-07-28

Decision Compatibility Install Workflow Permissions Evidence Source

Decision brief

What it does—and where it fits

Run a compact pre-mortem before implementation. The goal is not to block building; it is to identify the highest-risk assumption, the smallest validation step, and the build scope that should be delayed until evidence improves.

Best for

A new product, MVP, prototype, landing page, SaaS app, marketplace, content site, agent workflow, or internal tool
A major feature with unclear adoption, revenue, retention, trust, or distribution impact
A public launch asset where weak positioning could waste development or promotion effort

Not for

Tasks that require unconfirmed production actions or broad system permissions.
Environments where the pinned source and install steps cannot be inspected.

Compatibility matrix

Platform support, with evidence labels

Platform	Status	Evidence	What to check
Codex	Not declared	No explicit evidence	Portability before use
Claude Code	Not declared	No explicit evidence	Portability before use
Cursor	Not declared	No explicit evidence	Portability before use
Gemini CLI	Not declared	No explicit evidence	Portability before use

Open the compatibility checker

Installation

Inspect first. Install second.

The source command is displayed only when detected. A safe inspection prompt is always available so your agent can explain every action before execution.

Source-detected install commandSource

npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill "plugins/before-you-build/skills/before-you-build"

Safe inspection promptEditorial

Inspect the Agent Skill "before-you-build" from https://github.com/wshobson/agents/blob/c4b82b0ad771190355eb8e204b1329732a18449a/plugins/before-you-build/skills/before-you-build/SKILL.md at commit c4b82b0ad771190355eb8e204b1329732a18449a. List every install step, command, network request, credential, file read/write, external action, and rollback step. Explain whether it fits my task. Do not install or execute anything until I approve.

Workflow

What the source asks the agent to do

01
When To Use
Use this skill when a user asks to build or ship:
A new product, MVP, prototype, landing page, SaaS app, marketplace, content site, agent workflow, or internal toolA major feature with unclear adoption, revenue, retention, trust, or distribution impactA public launch asset where weak positioning could waste development or promotion effort
02
Risk Checklist
Review the idea across these risks:
Demand: Is there evidence that a specific buyer or user urgently wants this?Positioning: Can the target user understand what it is and why it matters in one sentence?Monetization: Is there a credible path to payment, budget, or strategic value?
03
Output Format
Keep the response short and decision-oriented:
Risk verdict: Low, medium, or high risk, with one sentence explaining why.Main assumption: The single assumption most likely to break the project.Evidence to find first: The smallest useful signal before building more.
04
Guidance
Be direct about weak evidence, but avoid dismissing the user's idea.
Be direct about weak evidence, but avoid dismissing the user's idea.Prefer smaller validation steps over large research plans.Separate product risk from engineering difficulty.

Permission review

Static risk signals and limitations

No configured static risk pattern was detected

This is not proof of safety. Runtime behavior, indirect dependencies, and hidden external systems are outside the static scan.

Evidence record

Why each signal appears

EvidenceSourceComputedTestedEditorial

Signal	Value	Evidence type	Meaning
Quality score	85/100	Computed	Documentation, specificity, maintenance, and trust rules
Repository stars	38,313	Source	Repository attention, not individual Skill quality
Compatibility	0 platforms	Source	Declared in the catalog source record
Usage guide	automated source guide	Editorial	Generated or reviewed according to the visible evidence level

Pinned source

Provenance and original SKILL.md

Repository: wshobson/agents
Skill path: plugins/before-you-build/skills/before-you-build/SKILL.md
Commit: c4b82b0ad771190355eb8e204b1329732a18449a
License: MIT
Collected: 2026-07-28
Default branch: main

View the original SKILL.md

Before You Build

When To Use

Use this skill when a user asks to build or ship:

A new product, MVP, prototype, landing page, SaaS app, marketplace, content site, agent workflow, or internal tool
A major feature with unclear adoption, revenue, retention, trust, or distribution impact
A public launch asset where weak positioning could waste development or promotion effort

Skip this skill when the task is a narrow implementation fix, refactor, test repair, dependency update, or already-validated change with clear acceptance criteria.

Risk Checklist

Review the idea across these risks:

Demand: Is there evidence that a specific buyer or user urgently wants this?
Positioning: Can the target user understand what it is and why it matters in one sentence?
Monetization: Is there a credible path to payment, budget, or strategic value?
Retention: Is there a reason users would return after the first try?
Trust: Does the product require credibility, data access, integrations, or behavior change that users may resist?
Distribution: Is there a repeatable way to reach the target user?
Feature adoption: For feature work, will the feature change user behavior or just add surface area?

If the verdict is not obvious, use references/risk-checklist.md for deeper questions.

Output Format

Keep the response short and decision-oriented:

Risk verdict: Low, medium, or high risk, with one sentence explaining why.
Main assumption: The single assumption most likely to break the project.
Evidence to find first: The smallest useful signal before building more.
Do next: One concrete validation step or reduced build scope.
Delay: What not to build yet.

Guidance

Be direct about weak evidence, but avoid dismissing the user's idea.
Prefer smaller validation steps over large research plans.
Separate product risk from engineering difficulty.
If the idea is already validated, say what evidence makes it lower risk and suggest the smallest implementation slice.
If facts are missing, name the missing evidence instead of inventing market claims.

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