garychen-ai/thinkfirst
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A Claude Code skill that transforms brain dumps into well-structured prompts. Think first, prompt second.
Overview
A Claude Code skill that transforms vague ideas in your mind into structured professional prompts. Think carefully first, then give instructions. Most people use AI to just throw out a sentence and then think the AI's output isn't good enough. The problem isn't with AI, but with you yourself not having figured out what you want. It forces you to slow down. It doesn't write prompts for you directly; instead, it starts with a conversation and clarifies your intentions through seven dimensions: goals, risks, success criteria, failure patterns, hidden contexts, task breakdown, and the hardest part. Once your thoughts are clear enough, it starts writing prompts. After installation, just say "help me write a prompt" in Claude Code or type /thinkfirst directly to use it. Copy the content of SKILL.md into your AI tool's system prompt or skill directory. 1. — Describe what you want in plain language, as roughly as it is 2. — One at a time, use conversation to help fill in the gaps you didn't expect 3. — Structure, concrete, and in line with best practices 4. — If something feels wrong, fix it; if satisfied, copy and use it directly It will first ask you: - "What decision is this analysis intended to help the boss make?" - "Is it only the boss who reads it, or will it go to the board of directors?" - "What kind of output will make you feel like your efforts were wasted?"
Overview (machine translated)
A Claude Code skill that transforms vague ideas in your mind into structured professional prompts. Think carefully first, then give instructions.
What is this?
Most people use AI to just throw out a sentence and then think the AI’s output isn’t good enough. The problem isn’t with AI, but with you yourself not having figured out what you want.
thinkfirst forces you to slow down. It doesn’t write prompts for you directly; instead, it starts with a conversation, clarifying your intentions through seven dimensions: goals, risks, success criteria, failure patterns, hidden context, task breakdown, and the hardest part. Once your idea is clear enough, it starts writing the prompt.
Result: The prompt worked on the first try, no need to redo the fifth wheel back and forth.
Installation
Claude Code
After installation, say “help me write a prompt” in Claude Code or just type /thinkfirst to use it.
Other tools
Copy the content of SKILL.md into your AI tool’s system prompt or skill directory.
How it works
- You throw out ideas — Describe what you want in plain language, as roughly as it is
- It asks questions — One at a time, using dialogue to help fill in the gaps you didn’t expect
- It writes prompts — structured, specific, and in line with best practices
- Make some minor adjustments — If something feels wrong, fix it; if satisfied, copy and use it directly
Seven Dimensions
Here are seven aspects that thinkfirst clarifies before writing prompts:
| Dimension | Clarify what |
|---|---|
| Outcome | What do you truly want to achieve (not the task itself, but the final result)? |
| Stakes | How important this is — how precise the prompt needs to be |
| Success Criteria | What does ‘done well’ look like? — Format, length, tone, audience |
| Failure Modes | What makes you say, “No, this isn’t what I want”—becomes a constraint on a prompt |
| Hidden Context | Background knowledge unknown to outsiders — make it clear information within the prompt |
| Components (Task Breakdown) | What parts of this task are there, and their dependencies |
| The Hard Part | Where is judgment needed — here you’ll get the strictest restrictions |
Usage Examples
You say:
I want to write a competitive analysis for my boss
Without thinkfirst, AI would produce a 2000-word generic report, with comparisons all on the surface.
Using thinkfirst, it will first ask you:
- “What decision is this analysis about to help the boss make?”
- “Are only the bosses who read, or will they make it to the board of directors?”
This page was translated automatically. Technical details may differ from the original.
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Install
npx skillfish add garychen-ai/thinkfirst