Idea Check
Scans GitHub, Hacker News, npm, PyPI, and Product Hunt to assess whether a project idea already exists before building it.
Prerequisites
This skill requires the idea-reality-mcp MCP server registered in mcporter:
mcporter config add idea-reality --command "uvx idea-reality-mcp"
Workflow
1. Extract the idea description
From the user's message, extract a clear, concise description of the project idea (1-2 sentences). Strip conversational filler.
2. Choose depth
| User intent | Depth |
|---|---|
| Quick check, casual mention | quick (GitHub + HN only) |
| Serious project, "deep check", "thorough scan" | deep (all 5 sources in parallel) |
| Default | quick |
3. Run the reality check
{
"tool": "exec",
"command": "mcporter call idea-reality.idea_check idea_text=\"<extracted idea description>\" depth=quick"
}
4. Interpret the result
The tool returns a JSON with reality_signal (0-100), evidence, top_similars, and pivot_hints.
Apply these rules:
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| > 70 (crowded) | STOP. Report top competitors. Ask if the user wants to proceed, pivot, or abandon. |
| 30-70 (moderate) | Show results + pivot hints. Suggest a niche angle that existing projects don't cover. |
| < 30 (open) | Green light. Mention the space is open and proceed. |
5. Format the response
<emoji> Idea Check — <signal>/100
<one-line verdict>
Top competitors:
1. <name> — <stars> stars — <description>
2. <name> — <stars> stars — <description>
3. <name> — <stars> stars — <description>
Sources: <list of sources checked>
<pivot hints if signal > 30>
Emoji mapping:
- Signal > 70: use a red indicator
- Signal 30-70: use a yellow indicator
- Signal < 30: use a green indicator
6. Error handling
- If the MCP tool is not available → tell the user to register
idea-reality-mcpinopenclaw.json(show the config snippet from Prerequisites) - If the tool returns an error → report the error as-is, do not retry
- If
top_similarsis empty → note that no direct competitors were found but the signal score still reflects broader activity
Examples
| User says | Depth | Expected behavior |
|---|---|---|
| "Has anyone built a CLI for tracking gym workouts?" | quick | Run check, likely high signal, show competitors |
| "I want to build an MCP server for pre-build validation" | quick | Run check, likely low signal, green light |
| "Deep check: AI-powered code review tool" | deep | Run deep scan, very high signal, suggest pivot |
| "Is there a market for a Telegram bot that tracks habits?" | quick | Run check, show results + pivot suggestions |