Claude-Code-Workflow/.codex/prompts/brainstorm-with-file.md

description, argument-hint

description	argument-hint
Interactive brainstorming with serial CLI collaboration, idea expansion, and documented thought evolution. Sequential multi-perspective analysis for Codex.	TOPIC="<idea or topic>" [--perspectives=creative,pragmatic,systematic] [--max-ideas=<n>] [--focus=<area>] [--mode=creative|structured|balanced]

Codex Brainstorm-With-File Workflow

Quick Start

Interactive brainstorming workflow with documented thought evolution. Expands initial ideas through questioning, multi-perspective analysis, and iterative refinement.

Core workflow: Seed Idea → Expand → Serial CLI Explore → Synthesize → Refine → Crystallize

Key features:

• brainstorm.md: Complete thought evolution timeline
• Serial multi-perspective: Creative → Pragmatic → Systematic (sequential)
• Idea expansion: Progressive questioning and exploration
• Diverge-Converge cycles: Generate options then focus on best paths

Overview

This workflow enables iterative exploration and refinement of ideas through sequential phases:

1. Seed Understanding - Parse the initial idea and identify exploration vectors
2. Divergent Exploration - Gather codebase context and execute serial multi-perspective analysis
3. Interactive Refinement - Multi-round idea selection, deep-dive, and refinement
4. Convergence & Crystallization - Synthesize final ideas and generate recommendations

The key innovation is documented thought evolution that captures how ideas develop, perspectives differ, and insights emerge across all phases.

Output Structure

.workflow/.brainstorm/BS-{slug}-{date}/
├── brainstorm.md                  # ⭐ Complete thought evolution timeline
├── exploration-codebase.json      # Phase 2: Codebase context
├── perspectives.json              # Phase 2: Serial CLI findings
├── synthesis.json                 # Phase 4: Final synthesis
└── ideas/                         # Phase 3: Individual idea deep-dives
    ├── idea-1.md
    ├── idea-2.md
    └── merged-idea-1.md

Output Artifacts

Phase 1: Seed Understanding

Artifact	Purpose
brainstorm.md	Initialized with session metadata, seed expansion, and exploration vectors
Session variables	Topic slug, brainstorm mode, dimensions, exploration vectors

Phase 2: Divergent Exploration

Artifact	Purpose
exploration-codebase.json	Codebase context: relevant files, patterns, architecture constraints
perspectives.json	Serial CLI findings: creative, pragmatic, systematic perspectives
Updated brainstorm.md	Round 2: Exploration results and multi-perspective analysis

Phase 3: Interactive Refinement

Artifact	Purpose
ideas/{idea-slug}.md	Deep-dive analysis for selected ideas
Updated brainstorm.md	Round 3-6: User feedback, idea selections, refinement cycles

Phase 4: Convergence & Crystallization

Artifact	Purpose
synthesis.json	Final synthesis: top ideas, recommendations, insights
Final brainstorm.md	Complete thought evolution with conclusions

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Implementation Details

Session Initialization

The workflow automatically generates a unique session identifier and directory structure based on the topic and current date (UTC+8).

Session ID Format: BS-{slug}-{date}

• slug: Lowercase alphanumeric + Chinese characters, max 40 chars
• date: YYYY-MM-DD format (UTC+8)

Session Directory: .workflow/.brainstorm/{sessionId}/

Auto-Detection: If session folder exists with brainstorm.md, automatically enters continue mode. Otherwise, creates new session.

Brainstorm Modes:

• creative: Emphasize novelty and innovation, relaxed constraints
• structured: Balance creativity with feasibility, realistic scope
• balanced: Default, moderate innovation with practical considerations

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Phase 1: Seed Understanding

Objective: Parse the initial idea, identify exploration vectors, scope preferences, and initialize the brainstorm document.

Step 1.1: Parse Seed & Identify Dimensions

The workflow analyzes the topic text against predefined brainstorm dimensions.

Brainstorm Dimensions:

Dimension	Keywords
technical	技术, technical, implementation, code, 实现, architecture
ux	用户, user, experience, UX, UI, 体验, interaction
business	业务, business, value, ROI, 价值, market
innovation	创新, innovation, novel, creative, 新颖
feasibility	可行, feasible, practical, realistic, 实际
scalability	扩展, scale, growth, performance, 性能
security	安全, security, risk, protection, 风险

Matching Logic: Compare topic text against keyword lists to identify relevant dimensions.

Step 1.2: Initial Scoping (New Session Only)

For new brainstorm sessions, gather user preferences before exploration.

Brainstorm Mode (Single-select):

• 创意模式 (Creative mode - 15-20 minutes)
• 平衡模式 (Balanced mode - 30-60 minutes)
• 深度模式 (Deep mode - 1-2+ hours)

Focus Areas (Multi-select):

• 技术方案 (Technical solutions)
• 用户体验 (User experience)
• 创新突破 (Innovation breakthroughs)
• 可行性评估 (Feasibility assessment)

Step 1.3: Expand Seed into Exploration Vectors

Generate key questions that guide the brainstorming exploration.

Exploration Vectors:

1. Core question: What is the fundamental problem/opportunity?
2. User perspective: Who benefits and how?
3. Technical angle: What enables this technically?
4. Alternative approaches: What other ways could this be solved?
5. Challenges: What could go wrong or block success?
6. Innovation angle: What would make this 10x better?
7. Integration: How does this fit with existing systems/processes?

Purpose: These vectors guide each perspective's analysis and ensure comprehensive exploration.

Step 1.4: Initialize brainstorm.md

Create the main brainstorm document with session metadata and expansion content.

brainstorm.md Structure:

• Header: Session ID, topic, start time, brainstorm mode, dimensions
• Initial Context: Focus areas, depth level, constraints
• Seed Expansion: Original idea + exploration vectors
• Thought Evolution Timeline: Round-by-round findings
• Current Ideas: To be populated after exploration

Success Criteria:

• Session folder created successfully
• brainstorm.md initialized with all metadata
• Brainstorm mode and dimensions identified
• Exploration vectors generated
• User preferences captured

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Phase 2: Divergent Exploration

Objective: Gather codebase context and execute serial (sequential) multi-perspective analysis to generate diverse viewpoints.

Execution Model: Serial execution (creative → pragmatic → systematic) - each perspective completes before starting the next, allowing later perspectives to build on earlier findings.

Step 2.1: Codebase Context Gathering

Use built-in tools to understand the codebase structure and identify relevant code.

Context Gathering Activities:

1. Get project structure - Execute ccw tool exec get_modules_by_depth '{}' to understand module organization
2. Search for related code - Use Grep/Glob to find files matching topic keywords
3. Read project tech context - Load .workflow/project-tech.json if available
4. Analyze patterns - Identify common code patterns and architecture decisions

exploration-codebase.json Structure:

• relevant_files[]: Files related to the topic with relevance indicators
• existing_patterns[]: Common code patterns and architectural styles
• architecture_constraints[]: Project-level constraints
• integration_points[]: Key integration patterns between modules
• _metadata: Timestamp and context information

Step 2.2: Serial Multi-Perspective Analysis

Execute perspectives sequentially: Creative (Gemini) → Pragmatic (Codex) → Systematic (Claude).

Execution Guideline: Each perspective builds on codebase context and runs to completion before the next begins.

Perspective Definitions:

Perspective	Purpose	Focus
Creative	Innovation and novelty	Cross-domain inspiration, challenging assumptions, moonshot ideas
Pragmatic	Implementation reality	Technical feasibility, effort estimates, quick wins, blockers
Systematic	Architecture thinking	Problem decomposition, patterns, dependencies, scalability

Analysis Approach:

• Each perspective receives the exploration context
• Creative generates novel ideas first
• Pragmatic evaluates creative ideas for feasibility
• Systematic provides architectural structure and tradeoffs
• Each builds understanding progressively

Step 2.3: Aggregate Multi-Perspective Findings

Consolidate results from all three perspectives into a unified findings document.

perspectives.json Structure:

• session_id: Reference to brainstorm session
• timestamp: Completion time
• topic: Original idea/topic
• creative[]: Creative perspective findings (ideas with novelty ratings)
• pragmatic[]: Pragmatic perspective findings (approaches with effort ratings)
• systematic[]: Systematic perspective findings (architectural options)
• synthesis: Convergent themes, conflicting views, unique contributions
• key_findings[]: Main insights across all perspectives

Aggregation Activities:

1. Extract key findings from each perspective's CLI analysis
2. Identify themes all perspectives agree on
3. Note conflicting views and tradeoffs
4. Extract unique contributions from each perspective
5. Organize findings by brainstorm dimension

Step 2.4: Update brainstorm.md

Append exploration results to the brainstorm timeline.

Round 2 Sections (Multi-Perspective Exploration):

• Creative Perspective: Novel ideas with novelty/impact ratings
• Pragmatic Perspective: Practical approaches with effort/risk ratings
• Systematic Perspective: Architectural options with tradeoff analysis
• Perspective Synthesis: Convergent themes, conflicts, unique contributions

Documentation Standards:

• Include evidence from codebase exploration
• Organize findings by perspective
• Highlight areas of agreement and disagreement
• Note key assumptions and reasoning

Success Criteria:

• exploration-codebase.json created with comprehensive context
• perspectives.json created with all three perspective analyses
• brainstorm.md updated with Round 2 results
• All CLI executions completed successfully
• Ready for interactive refinement phase

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Phase 3: Interactive Refinement

Objective: Iteratively refine ideas through multi-round user-guided exploration cycles with deep dives, challenge testing, and idea merging.

Max Rounds: 6 refinement rounds (can exit earlier if user indicates completion)

Step 3.1: Present Findings & Gather User Direction

Display current ideas and perspectives to the user.

Presentation Content:

• Top ideas from each perspective with ratings
• Convergent themes and areas of agreement
• Conflicting views and tradeoffs
• Open questions for further exploration

User Feedback Options (Single-select):

Option	Purpose	Next Action
深入探索	Explore selected ideas in detail	Execute deep-dive CLI analysis
继续发散	Generate more ideas	Additional idea generation from new angles
挑战验证	Test ideas critically	Devil's advocate challenge
合并综合	Combine multiple ideas	Synthesize selected ideas into unified concept
准备收敛	Begin convergence	Exit refinement loop for synthesis

Step 3.2: Deep Dive on Selected Ideas

When user selects "deep dive", provide comprehensive analysis of ideas.

Deep Dive Strategy:

• Elaborate core concept with specifics
• Identify implementation requirements and dependencies
• Analyze potential challenges and propose mitigations
• Suggest proof-of-concept approach
• Define success metrics and acceptance criteria

Analysis Scope:

• Detailed concept breakdown
• Technical requirements and dependencies
• Risk/challenge analysis with proposed solutions
• MVP definition for proof-of-concept
• Success criteria and measurement approach

Step 3.3: Devil's Advocate Challenge

When user selects "challenge", critically test ideas.

Challenge Strategy:

• Identify strongest objections to each idea
• Challenge core assumptions and reasoning
• Identify failure scenarios and edge cases
• Consider competitive or alternative solutions
• Assess whether the idea solves the right problem

Analysis Scope:

• 3+ strongest objections per idea
• Challenge to assumptions and reasoning
• Failure scenarios and recovery approaches
• Alternative solutions that could compete
• Survivability rating after challenge (1-5)

Step 3.4: Merge Multiple Ideas

When user selects "merge", synthesize complementary ideas.

Merge Strategy:

• Identify complementary elements and strengths
• Resolve contradictions and conflicts
• Create unified concept preserving key strengths
• Ensure coherence and viability of merged result

Analysis Scope:

• Complementary elements from each source idea
• Contradiction resolution or documented tradeoffs
• New combined strengths and capabilities
• Implementation considerations for merged approach

Step 3.5: Document Each Round

Update brainstorm.md with results from each refinement round.

Round N Sections (Rounds 3-6):

Section	Content
User Direction	Action taken and ideas selected
Findings	New findings and clarifications
Idea Updates	Changes to idea scores and status
Insights	Key learnings and realizations
Next Directions	Suggested follow-up investigations

Documentation Standards:

• Clear timestamps and action taken
• Evidence-based findings with code references
• Updated idea rankings and status changes
• Explicit tracking of assumption changes
• Organized by exploration vector

Success Criteria:

• User feedback processed for each round
• brainstorm.md updated with all refinement rounds
• Ideas in ideas/ folder for selected deep-dives
• Exit condition reached (user selects converge or max rounds)

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Phase 4: Convergence & Crystallization

Objective: Synthesize final ideas, generate conclusions and recommendations, and offer next steps.

Step 4.1: Consolidate Insights

Extract and synthesize all findings from refinement rounds into final conclusions.

Consolidation Activities:

1. Review all refinement rounds and accumulated findings
2. Rank ideas by score, feasibility, and impact
3. Identify top 5 viable ideas
4. Extract key learnings and insights
5. Generate recommendations with rationale

synthesis.json Structure:

• session_id: Session identifier
• topic: Original idea/topic
• completed: Completion timestamp
• total_rounds: Number of refinement rounds
• top_ideas[]: Top 5 ranked ideas with scores and next steps
• parked_ideas[]: Ideas parked for future consideration
• key_insights[]: Key learnings from brainstorming process
• recommendations: Primary recommendation and alternatives
• follow_up[]: Suggested next steps (implementation, research, validation)

Idea Format:

• title: Clear, descriptive title
• description: Complete concept description
• source_perspective: Which perspective(s) contributed
• score: Final viability score (1-10)
• novelty: Novelty/innovation rating (1-5)
• feasibility: Implementation feasibility (1-5)
• key_strengths: Main advantages and benefits
• main_challenges: Key challenges and limitations
• next_steps: Recommended actions to pursue

Step 4.2: Final brainstorm.md Update

Append conclusions section and finalize the thinking document.

Synthesis & Conclusions Section:

• Executive Summary: High-level overview of brainstorming results
• Top Ideas: Ranked list with descriptions and strengths/challenges
• Primary Recommendation: Best path forward with clear rationale
• Alternative Approaches: Other viable options with tradeoff analysis
• Parked Ideas: Future considerations with potential triggers
• Key Insights: Important learnings from the process

Session Statistics:

• Total refinement rounds completed
• Ideas generated and evaluated
• Ideas survived challenges
• Perspectives used (creative, pragmatic, systematic)
• Artifacts generated

Step 4.3: Post-Completion Options

Offer user follow-up actions based on brainstorming results.

Available Options:

Option	Purpose	Action
创建实施计划	Plan implementation of top idea	Launch workflow:lite-plan
创建Issue	Track top ideas for later	Launch issue:new with ideas
深入分析	Analyze top idea in detail	Launch workflow:analyze-with-file
导出分享	Generate shareable report	Create formatted report document
完成	No further action	End workflow

Success Criteria:

• synthesis.json created with complete synthesis
• brainstorm.md finalized with all conclusions
• User offered meaningful next step options
• Session complete and all artifacts available

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Configuration

Brainstorm Dimensions Reference

Dimensions guide brainstorming scope and focus:

Dimension	Keywords	Best For
technical	技术, technical, implementation, code	Implementation approaches
ux	用户, user, experience, UI	User-facing design ideas
business	业务, business, value	Business model innovations
innovation	创新, innovation, novel	Breakthrough ideas
feasibility	可行, feasible, practical	Realistic approaches
scalability	扩展, scale, growth	Large-scale solutions
security	安全, security, risk	Security considerations

Brainstorm Modes

Mode	Duration	Intensity	Complexity
Creative	15-20 min	High novelty	Exploratory
Balanced	30-60 min	Mixed	Moderate
Deep	1-2+ hours	Comprehensive	Detailed

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Error Handling & Recovery

Situation	Action	Recovery
CLI timeout	Retry with shorter prompt	Skip perspective or reduce depth
No good ideas	Reframe problem or adjust constraints	Try new exploration angles
User disengaged	Summarize progress and offer break	Save state for later continuation
Perspectives conflict	Present as tradeoff options	Let user select preferred direction
Max rounds reached	Force synthesis phase	Highlight unresolved questions
Session folder conflict	Append timestamp suffix	Create unique folder

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Iteration Patterns

First Brainstorm Session

User initiates: TOPIC="idea or topic"
   ├─ No session exists → New session mode
   ├─ Parse topic and identify dimensions
   ├─ Scope with user (focus, depth, mode)
   ├─ Create brainstorm.md
   ├─ Expand seed into vectors
   ├─ Gather codebase context
   ├─ Execute serial CLI perspectives (Creative → Pragmatic → Systematic)
   ├─ Aggregate findings
   └─ Enter multi-round refinement loop

Continue Existing Session

User resumes: TOPIC="same topic"
   ├─ Session exists → Continue mode
   ├─ Load previous brainstorm.md
   ├─ Load perspectives.json
   └─ Resume from last refinement round

Refinement Loop (Rounds 3-6)

Each round:
   ├─ Present current findings and top ideas
   ├─ Gather user feedback (deep dive/diverge/challenge/merge/converge)
   ├─ Process response:
   │   ├─ Deep Dive → CLI analysis elaborating on selected ideas
   │   ├─ Diverge → CLI analysis generating new ideas
   │   ├─ Challenge → CLI analysis with devil's advocate
   │   ├─ Merge → CLI analysis synthesizing multiple ideas
   │   └─ Converge → Exit loop for synthesis
   ├─ Update brainstorm.md
   └─ Repeat until user selects converge or max rounds reached

Completion Flow

Final synthesis:
   ├─ Consolidate all findings into top ideas
   ├─ Generate synthesis.json
   ├─ Update brainstorm.md with final conclusions
   ├─ Offer follow-up options
   └─ Archive session artifacts

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Best Practices

Before Starting Brainstorm

1. Clear Topic Definition: Detailed topics lead to better dimension identification
2. User Context: Understanding preferences helps guide brainstorming intensity
3. Scope Understanding: Being clear about time/scope expectations sets correct exploration level

During Brainstorming

1. Review Perspectives: Check all three perspectives before refinement rounds
2. Document Assumptions: Track what you think is true for correction later
3. Use Continue Mode: Resume sessions to build on previous exploration
4. Embrace Conflicts: Perspective conflicts often reveal important tradeoffs
5. Iterate Thoughtfully: Each refinement round should meaningfully advance ideas

Documentation Practices

1. Evidence-Based: Every idea should reference codebase patterns or feasibility analysis
2. Perspective Diversity: Capture viewpoints from all three perspectives
3. Timeline Clarity: Use clear timestamps for traceability
4. Evolution Tracking: Document how ideas changed and evolved
5. Action Items: Generate specific, implementable recommendations

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Now execute the brainstorm-with-file workflow for topic: $TOPIC