# Before You Build

> Pre-build product and feature risk review for founders, product managers, and AI-assisted builders. Use this skill when the user is about to build a landing page, MVP, SaaS product, internal tool, agent workflow, or major feature and needs to check demand, positioning, monetization, retention, trust, distribution, and adoption risk before implementation starts.

Source: https://skillsagentes.com/skills/wshobson/agents/before-you-build
Repository: https://github.com/wshobson/agents
Author: wshobson
License: MIT
Updated: hace 2 meses
Context cost: 91 tok installed, 699 tok once triggered, 1.1k tok with every bundled file
Bundle: 2 files, 4 KB
Permissions requested: none declared

## Install

```bash
npx -y skills add wshobson/agents --skill before-you-build --agent claude-code
```

## What it does

- Ejecuta una pre-mortem antes de construir un producto o feature
- Revisa el riesgo en demanda, posicionamiento, monetización, retención, confianza y distribución
- Entrega un veredicto de riesgo con la suposición principal a validar
- Sugiere la evidencia mínima a buscar antes de seguir construyendo
- Indica qué alcance de build conviene retrasar

## Use it when

- Antes de construir un MVP, landing page, SaaS, marketplace, herramienta interna o workflow de agentes
- Al desarrollar una feature mayor con impacto incierto en adopción, ingresos, retención o confianza
- Antes de lanzar un asset público donde un mal posicionamiento desperdiciaría esfuerzo

## Don't bother when

- Es una corrección de implementación puntual, un refactor o una reparación de tests
- Es una actualización de dependencias o un cambio ya validado con criterios de aceptación claros

## What triggers it

- "Quiero construir un MVP para validar esta idea de SaaS, ¿qué riesgos debería revisar antes?"
- "Voy a lanzar una landing page para mi producto, revisa el riesgo antes de que empiece a construir"
- "Vamos a agregar esta feature grande, ¿vale la pena antes de invertir tiempo en desarrollarla?"

## Files

- SKILL.md — 3 KB
- references/risk-checklist.md — 2 KB

## SKILL.md

Reproduced verbatim from wshobson/agents under MIT. This section is the upstream document and is in English.

# Before You Build

Run a compact pre-mortem before implementation. The goal is not to block building; it is to identify the highest-risk assumption, the smallest validation step, and the build scope that should be delayed until evidence improves.

## When To Use

Use this skill when a user asks to build or ship:

- A new product, MVP, prototype, landing page, SaaS app, marketplace, content site, agent workflow, or internal tool
- A major feature with unclear adoption, revenue, retention, trust, or distribution impact
- A public launch asset where weak positioning could waste development or promotion effort

Skip this skill when the task is a narrow implementation fix, refactor, test repair, dependency update, or already-validated change with clear acceptance criteria.

## Risk Checklist

Review the idea across these risks:

- **Demand:** Is there evidence that a specific buyer or user urgently wants this?
- **Positioning:** Can the target user understand what it is and why it matters in one sentence?
- **Monetization:** Is there a credible path to payment, budget, or strategic value?
- **Retention:** Is there a reason users would return after the first try?
- **Trust:** Does the product require credibility, data access, integrations, or behavior change that users may resist?
- **Distribution:** Is there a repeatable way to reach the target user?
- **Feature adoption:** For feature work, will the feature change user behavior or just add surface area?

If the verdict is not obvious, use `references/risk-checklist.md` for deeper questions.

## Output Format

Keep the response short and decision-oriented:

1. **Risk verdict:** Low, medium, or high risk, with one sentence explaining why.
2. **Main assumption:** The single assumption most likely to break the project.
3. **Evidence to find first:** The smallest useful signal before building more.
4. **Do next:** One concrete validation step or reduced build scope.
5. **Delay:** What not to build yet.

## Guidance

- Be direct about weak evidence, but avoid dismissing the user's idea.
- Prefer smaller validation steps over large research plans.
- Separate product risk from engineering difficulty.
- If the idea is already validated, say what evidence makes it lower risk and suggest the smallest implementation slice.
- If facts are missing, name the missing evidence instead of inventing market claims.

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Skills Agentes — https://skillsagentes.com/skills/wshobson/agents/before-you-build