brainstorm-with-file

Codex Brainstorm-With-File Prompt

Overview

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

Core workflow: Seed Idea → Expand → Multi-Perspective Explore → Research → Refine → Crystallize → Next Step

Key features:

• brainstorm.md: Complete thought evolution timeline
• Multi-perspective analysis: Creative + Pragmatic + Systematic (serial, inline)
• External research: Web search for inspiration, patterns, and best practices via web.run
• Idea expansion: Progressive questioning and exploration
• Diverge-Converge cycles: Generate options then focus on best paths
• Progress tracking: functions.update_plan for real-time phase progress visibility
• Structured handoff: Terminal gate with execution planning, issue creation, or completion

Auto Mode

When --yes or -y: Auto-confirm exploration decisions, use recommended perspectives, skip interactive scoping.

Quick Start

# Basic usage
/codex:brainstorm-with-file TOPIC="How to improve developer onboarding experience"

# With perspective selection
/codex:brainstorm-with-file TOPIC="New caching strategy" --perspectives=creative,pragmatic,systematic

# Continue existing session
/codex:brainstorm-with-file TOPIC="caching strategy" --continue

# Auto mode (skip confirmations)
/codex:brainstorm-with-file -y TOPIC="Plugin architecture ideas"

Target Topic

$TOPIC

Configuration

Session ID format: BS-{YYYY-MM-DD}-{slug}

• slug: lowercase, alphanumeric + CJK characters, max 40 chars
• date: YYYY-MM-DD (UTC+8)
• Auto-detect continue: session folder + brainstorm.md exists → continue mode

Brainstorm Flow

Step 0: Session Setup
   ├─ Parse topic, flags (--perspectives, --continue, -y)
   ├─ Generate session ID: BS-{date}-{slug}
   ├─ Create session folder (or detect existing → continue mode)
   └─ functions.update_plan (5 phases: Seed → Explore → Refine → Converge → GATE)

Step 1: Seed Understanding
   ├─ Parse topic, identify brainstorm dimensions
   ├─ Role/perspective selection with user (or auto)
   ├─ Initial scoping via functions.request_user_input (mode, focus, constraints)
   ├─ Expand seed into exploration vectors
   └─ Initialize brainstorm.md

Step 2: Divergent Exploration (Inline, No Agents)
   ├─ Detect codebase → search relevant modules, patterns
   │   ├─ Run `ccw spec load --category exploration` (if spec system available)
   │   └─ Use Grep, Glob, Read, mcp__ace-tool__search_context
   ├─ Multi-perspective analysis (serial, inline)
   │   ├─ Creative perspective: innovation, cross-domain, challenge assumptions
   │   ├─ Pragmatic perspective: feasibility, effort, blockers
   │   └─ Systematic perspective: decomposition, patterns, scalability
   ├─ External research via web.run (optional — patterns, best practices, inspiration)
   ├─ Aggregate findings → perspectives.json + research.json
   ├─ Update brainstorm.md with Round 1
   └─ Initial Idea Coverage Check

Step 3: Interactive Refinement (Multi-Round, max 6)
   ├─ Present current ideas and perspectives (Cumulative Context)
   ├─ Record findings to brainstorm.md BEFORE updating Current Ideas
   ├─ Gather user feedback via functions.request_user_input
   ├─ Process response:
   │   ├─ Deep Dive → deeper inline analysis on selected ideas
   │   ├─ Diverge → new inline analysis with different angles
   │   ├─ Challenge → devil's advocate inline analysis
   │   ├─ Merge → synthesize complementary ideas inline
   │   ├─ 外部研究 → web.run for external inspiration/validation
   │   └─ Converge → exit loop for synthesis
   ├─ Update brainstorm.md with round details
   └─ Repeat until user selects converge or max rounds

Step 4: Convergence & Crystallization
   ├─ Consolidate all insights → synthesis.json
   ├─ Update brainstorm.md with final synthesis
   ├─ Batch top-idea review via functions.request_user_input
   └─ MANDATORY Terminal Gate: 执行任务 / 产出Issue / 完成
       ├─ Execute Task → handoff-spec.json with implementation scope
       ├─ Create Issue → display issue creation command
       └─ Done → end workflow

Output Artifacts

Phase 1: Seed Understanding

Phase 2: Divergent Exploration

Phase 3: Interactive Refinement

Phase 4: Convergence & Crystallization

Recording Protocol

CRITICAL: During brainstorming, the following situations MUST trigger immediate recording to brainstorm.md:

Decision Record Format

> **Decision**: [Description of the decision]
> - **Context**: [What triggered this decision]
> - **Options considered**: [Alternatives evaluated]
> - **Chosen**: [Selected approach] — **Reason**: [Rationale]
> - **Rejected**: [Why other options were discarded]
> - **Impact**: [Effect on brainstorming direction]

Narrative Synthesis Format

Append after each round update:

### Round N: Narrative Synthesis
**Starting point**: Based on previous round's [conclusions/questions], this round explored [starting point].
**Key progress**: [New ideas/findings] [confirmed/refuted/expanded] previous understanding of [topic area].
**Decision impact**: User selected [feedback type], directing brainstorming toward [adjusted/deepened/maintained].
**Current state**: After this round, top ideas are [updated idea rankings].
**Open directions**: [remaining exploration angles for next round]

Implementation Details

Phase 0: Session Initialization

const getUtc8ISOString = () => new Date(Date.now() + 8 * 60 * 60 * 1000).toISOString()

// Parse flags
const autoYes = $ARGUMENTS.includes('--yes') || $ARGUMENTS.includes('-y')
const continueMode = $ARGUMENTS.includes('--continue')
const perspectivesMatch = $ARGUMENTS.match(/--perspectives[=\s]([\w,]+)/)
const selectedPerspectiveNames = perspectivesMatch
  ? perspectivesMatch[1].split(',')
  : ['creative', 'pragmatic', 'systematic']

// Extract topic
const topic = $ARGUMENTS.replace(/--yes|-y|--continue|--perspectives[=\s][\w,]+|--max-ideas[=\s]\d+|TOPIC=/g, '').replace(/^["']|["']$/g, '').trim()

// Determine project root
const projectRoot = functions.exec_command('git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd').trim()

const slug = topic.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9\u4e00-\u9fa5]+/g, '-').substring(0, 40)
const dateStr = getUtc8ISOString().substring(0, 10)
const sessionId = `BS-${dateStr}-${slug}`
const sessionFolder = `${projectRoot}/.workflow/.brainstorm/${sessionId}`

// Auto-detect continue: session folder + brainstorm.md exists → continue mode
// If continue → load brainstorm.md + perspectives, resume from last round
functions.exec_command(`mkdir -p ${sessionFolder}`)

// Initialize progress tracking (MANDATORY)
functions.update_plan([
  { id: "phase-1", title: "Phase 1: Seed Understanding", status: "in_progress" },
  { id: "phase-2", title: "Phase 2: Divergent Exploration", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-3", title: "Phase 3: Interactive Refinement", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-4", title: "Phase 4: Convergence & Crystallization", status: "pending" },
  { id: "next-step", title: "GATE: Post-Completion Next Step", status: "pending" }
])

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

Match topic keywords against brainstorm dimensions (see Dimensions Reference):

// Match topic text against keyword lists from Dimensions Reference
// If multiple dimensions match, include all
// If none match, default to "technical" and "innovation"
const dimensions = identifyDimensions(topic, BRAINSTORM_DIMENSIONS)

Step 1.2: Role Selection

Recommend roles

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