before-you-build
Review product risk before coding by checking demand, alternatives, channels, switching costs, and failure signals.
Profile →npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill before-you-build --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Before You Build ## Overview Before You Build helps an AI coding workflow pause before implementation and check whether the feature, product, or tool is worth building. It focuses on product risk rather than code structure: who needs the thing, what they use today, why they would switch, how distribution works, and what evidence would make the project safer to start. The upstream project ships a standalone skill repository and an `npx` installer for several coding assistants. ## When to Use This Skill - Use when a user asks an AI coding assistant to build a new app, feature, internal tool, SaaS, or side project. - Use when the idea sounds plausible but the buyer, workflow, distribution path, or switching reason is still vague. - Use before writing code so the assistant can turn the request into sharper assumptions, risk checks, and validation steps. ## How It Works ### Step 1: Identify the Build Bet Restate the product or feature in one concrete sentence. Name the intended user, the job they are trying to finish, and the current workaround or competitor. ### Step 2: Check the Main Risks Review the idea across demand, workflow fit, willingness to switch, distribution, pricing, dat
- Overview
- When to Use This Skill
- How It Works
- Step 1: Identify the Build Bet
- Step 2: Check the Main Risks
- Step 3: Decide the Next Small Test
- Step 4: Continue or Stop
- Examples
- Example 1: SaaS Feature Request
- Example 2: Internal Tool
- Best Practices
- Limitations
- Security & Safety Notes
- Common Pitfalls
What does the before-you-build skill do?
Review product risk before coding by checking demand, alternatives, channels, switching costs, and failure signals.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill before-you-build --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, a repository with 44,414 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.