Capture Ideas

Capture, organize, and manage project ideas in the PlanKit ideas file.

Config Preamble

Before any operation, locate the PlanKit folder and read its config:

1. Check if PlanKit/ exists in the project root. If not, check plan-kit/.
2. If neither exists, tell the user: "No PlanKit folder found. Run /plan-kit:init to set up PlanKit first."
3. Read .config.json from the PlanKit folder to get the naming convention and split threshold.

Determine the ideas file path:

• Single file mode: PlanKit/Ideas.md (UpperCamelCase) or plan-kit/ideas.md (kebab-case)
• Split mode: PlanKit/Ideas/ directory with Index.md (UpperCamelCase) or plan-kit/ideas/ with index.md (kebab-case)
• Progress: PlanKit/Progress.md or plan-kit/progress.md (if it exists — used for dashboard context)

Check which mode is active by testing if the Ideas directory exists.

Capture Workflow

When the user shares an idea (explicitly or in conversation):

1. Read the existing ideas file (or the index file + relevant topic file if split)
2. Understand the idea fully — ask clarifying questions ONLY if the idea is genuinely ambiguous. Do NOT ask unnecessary questions just to seem thorough. If the user gave enough context, proceed directly.
3. Find the right theme group:
   • Scan existing ## Theme headers for a good fit
   • If no existing theme fits, create a new ## Theme section
   • If unsure which theme fits best, ask the user with AskUserQuestion (2-3 theme options + "New theme")
4. Check for duplicates/overlap:
   • If the new idea overlaps with an existing entry, merge only the NEW aspects into the existing entry
   • Mention to the user: "This overlaps with [existing idea] — I've added your new aspects to it."
5. Choose the right format:
   • Brief idea (1-2 sentences, no complex context) → bullet: - **Title** — description
   • Detailed idea (paragraphs, examples, links, multiple aspects) → subsection: ### Title with full content
6. Write the idea — preserving ALL details the user provided:
   • Problem description and motivation
   • Examples and scenarios
   • Links and references
   • Specific numbers, rules, or conditions
   • Comparisons to other products or approaches
   • NEVER summarize or shorten user input
7. Check word count — run wc -w on the file. If it exceeds the splitThreshold from .config.json, perform auto-split (see below).
8. Confirm — tell the user what was captured and where, briefly.

Browse/Review Mode

When the user wants to review, browse, or explore their ideas:

1. Read the ideas file(s)
2. If Progress.md exists, show a one-line current version status as context (e.g., "Currently working on v2.0 — 2/5 features in progress")
3. Present a summary organized by theme groups
4. If the user wants to discuss, modify, or remove ideas, handle it conversationally
5. For removal: delete the entry and confirm what was removed

Auto-Split Procedure

When the ideas file exceeds the configured splitThreshold word count:

1. Read the full ideas file
2. Create the Ideas subdirectory: PlanKit/Ideas/ or plan-kit/ideas/
3. For each ## Theme section, create a separate file:
   • UpperCamelCase: PlanKit/Ideas/ThemeName.md (spaces removed, each word capitalized)
   • kebab-case: plan-kit/ideas/theme-name.md (lowercase, hyphens)
4. Each topic file: H1 = theme name, then all content from that theme section
5. Create Index.md (UpperCamelCase) or index.md (kebab-case) with overview table (topic, file link, approximate word count)
6. Delete the original single Ideas file
7. Tell the user: "Your ideas file grew past [threshold] words — I've split it into [N] topic files for easier navigation."

When already in split mode, write to the relevant topic file and update word counts in the index file.

Format Reference

For detailed file format specification, see IDEAS_FORMAT.md.