incoming-request-advisor
Decode an incoming message into a structured breakdown that separates the literal ask from the job-to-be-done. Use before replying to a loaded Slack ping, email, mandate, or escalation.
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill incoming-request-advisor --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.
## Purpose Decode an incoming message — a Slack ping, email, mandate, escalation, or FYI — into a structured breakdown before you respond. This skill acts as a chief-of-staff-grade analyst sitting in a product leader's chair: it separates the **literal ask** from the **job-to-be-done** underneath it, reads sender power and stake, and opens the conversation toward a reply or next artifact. Use it when a request lands and your first instinct is to answer the words on the screen. The skill slows that reflex down: it finds the outcome, for whom, and why now — not how to build. It is not a programmer breaking down a spec. When a request sounds like a feature or a build order, the skill hunts for the outcome and the job-to-be-done beneath it. ## Input **Works best with:** The incoming message itself — pasted text, a screenshot, an image, an attached file, or a PDF. The skill extracts the full message from whatever form it takes before analyzing. **Also useful:** - Who sent it and their apparent role relative to your work (upstream, peer, downstream) - The situation or thread the message arrived in - What you want next — analysis only, or a drafted reply too Anything supplied with the inv
- Purpose
- Input
- Key Concepts
- The Ask vs. the Job-to-Be-Done
- The Sender Read: Power, Stake, Subtext
- Success Criteria vs. Must-Haves (the distinction PMs blur)
- Infer, Do Not Invent
- Scale Depth to the Message
- The Sticky-Note Rule
- Facilitation Source of Truth
- Application
- Step 1 — Extract the message
- Step 2 — Fill only the gaps that change the read
- Step 3 — Render the breakdown
What does the incoming-request-advisor skill do?
Decode an incoming message into a structured breakdown that separates the literal ask from the job-to-be-done. Use before replying to a loaded Slack ping, email, mandate, or escalation.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill incoming-request-advisor --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 deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, a repository with 6,255 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.