mb-think

Think

Research, decide, and codify knowledge into reference files.

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Don't Overthink Think

This skill is for: "I don't know what happens next. I just need to start."

Something came your way — a video, a voice memo, a vague feeling, a problem to solve. You don't need a plan. Just start. The skill finds the overlap between your interest and your offer.

Re-invoke often. Saying /mb-think again is normal. It reloads context. Do it after:

• Reading a large transcript (burns tokens)
• Compaction (context window reset)
• Switching focus
• Anytime you feel lost

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Two Modes of Work

Before diving in, know which mode you're in:

Mode	You're doing	Examples
Enriching the core	Pulling insights → reference files	Mining videos, making decisions, updating offer.md, building content-strategy.md
Creating for the world	Reference files → output	Ads, scripts, courses, code, posts

/mb-think is for enriching the core. When you're ready to create, use /mb-ads, /mb-organic, /mb-vsl, or just ask.

Both are work. Enriching the core levels up everything downstream.

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Pull Latest Updates

See references/pull-engine-updates.md for the canonical engine resolution + pull bash block. Run it at the start of every /mb-think invocation.

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Tool Detection (Config-First)

Tool status persists in .vip/config.yaml under tools:. Read config first, only probe unknowns, always write results back.

Quick gist: On first /mb-think invocation each session, read tools from config, re-probe unknowns or stale-false entries, write results back immediately, report once at experience-appropriate verbosity. Surface a tool option to the user only when their intent needs it and it's missing — once per session per tool.

See references/tool-detection.md for the full status-value table, staleness rules, per-tool detection methods (Apify, Gemini, Grok, whisper, Nano Banana, Pipeboard, document tools), required config-update format, and the intent-based tool surfacing matrix.

For self-healing semantics (stale false handling, status-change messaging, true-tool degradation), see tool-status-self-healing.md.

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Offer Context Resolution

Before loading reference files, resolve the active offer:

1. Check .vip/local.yaml for current_offer
2. If set: load reference/offers/[current_offer]/offer.md as the active offer
3. If not set AND reference/offers/ exists: ask which offer
4. If no offers/ folder: use reference/core/offer.md (single-offer, backward compatible)

Always-core files (never per-offer): soul.md, voice.md, content-strategy.md Offer-aware files (check offers/ first, fall back to core/): offer.md, audience.md Accumulate files (load both): testimonials.md (offer-specific + brand-level)

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Where Files Go

All files save to YOUR business repo, not the Main Branch engine.

your-business-repo/          <- Files saved here
├── research/                 <- Research output
├── decisions/                <- Decision output
└── reference/                <- Codify updates this
    ├── core/                 <- Brand-level
    ├── offers/               <- Per-offer (if multi-offer)
    └── domain/

mainbranch/ (engine)          <- Never modified

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Route by Intent

Detect mode from user's natural language:

User Says	Mode	Reference
"figure out", "explore", "I'm trying to..."	Full Flow	-
"research", "investigate", "what do we know about"	Research	research-phase.md
"what are people saying", "sentiment", "X/Twitter", "trending"	Research (Grok)	grok-social.md
"decide", "we chose", "document decision"	Decide	decide-phase.md
"codify", "apply", "update reference files"	Codify	codify-phase.md
"add context", "enrich", "I have new info"	Codify	codify-phase.md
"content strategy", "pillars", "what platforms", "content plan", "cadence"	Full Flow (codify to content-strategy.md)	codify-phase.md
"where was I", "continue", "pick up"	Recovery	recovery.md
"here's a PDF", "ingest this", "convert this document", file path (.pdf/.docx/.pptx)	Document Ingestion	document-ingestion.md

If unclear, ask: "Are you exploring a question, documenting a decision, or updating reference files?"

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Research Routing by Intent

When routing to research mode, detect research TYPE from user intent:

User Intent	Trigger Phrases	Primary Tool	Fallback
YouTube research	YouTube URL, "transcribe video", "what does [creator] say"	Apify	Ask for manual transcript
X/Twitter sentiment	"what are people saying", "sentiment on X", "Twitter discourse"	Grok	WebSearch site:x.com
Deep web research	"deep research", "comprehensive analysis", "research everything"	Gemini	Multi-source WebSearch
Local transcription	Local file path (.mp4, .m4a), "transcribe my recording"	whisper	CLI mlx_whisper or whisper-cli
Instagram mining	Instagram handle, "mine [handle]", "competitor posts"	Apify	Manual screenshots
Ad account research	"ad performance", "what's working", "check CPA", "audit my ads"	Pipeboard	Manual Ads Manager check
General research	Default, "research [topic]", "what do we know"	WebSearch + codebase	Always available

Multiple types needed at once? Spawn them as parallel Task agents in a single message. Example: user says "research what [creator] says on YouTube and what people think on X" — spawn one agent for YouTube transcript mining and another for X/Twitter sentiment simultaneously. Each saves its own research file; main conversation synthesizes when both return.

Routing Logic

1. Parse user message for intent triggers
2. Check if preferred tool is available (from session cache)
3. If multiple sources needed → spawn parallel Task agents (one per source)
4. If single source → use preferred tool directly
5. If not available → offer setup ONCE, then use fallback
6. Never block on missing optional tools

Fallback Examples

YouTube without Apify:

"YouTube transcript mining needs Apify MCP. Options:

1. Set up Apify now (5 min)
2. Paste transcript manually
3. Skip this video"

X/Twitter without Grok:

"X sentiment research is best with Grok, but I can use web search instead. Results will be less real-time. Proceed with web search?"

Deep research without Gemini:

"Running comprehensive research using Claude Code web search. This may take longer than Gemini deep research."

Local file without whisper:

"Local transcription needs a whisper variant. Check: which mlx_whisper or which whisper-cli. Or upload to a transcription service and paste the result."

Ad account data without connection:

"Ad account research works best with a direct Meta Ads connection (OAuth, no developer account needed, uses Pipeboard). Options:

1. Set up now (5 min, free tier: 30 calls/week)
2. Check Ads Manager manually and paste what you find
3. Skip account data, research from reference files only"

Key Principle

Never block on missing tools. WebSearch + codebase search are ALWAYS available. External tools enhance but don't gate research.

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Active Guidance (Your Job)

Don't just provide templates. Actively move people through the cycle.

On every /mb-think invocation, detect state and guide the next step:

# Check for work in progress
ls -lt research/*.md 2>/dev/null | head -3
grep -l "status: proposed\|status: accepted" decisions/*.md 2>/dev/null
# Also check content strategy state
ls reference/domain/content-strategy.md 2>/dev/null

If you find...	Then...
Recent research, no decision	"You have research on [topic]. Ready to make a decision?"
Proposed decision	"Decision [topic] is proposed. Ready to accept it?"
Accepted decision (not yet codified)	"Decision [topic] is accepted. Ready to codify the changes into reference files?"
content-strategy.md exists but empty/thin	"Your content strategy file is a skeleton. Want to fill it in? We can derive pillars from your soul.md + offer.md + audience.md."
content-strategy.md missing (community biz)	"You don't have a content strategy yet. Want to build one? It'll define your pillars, platforms, and cadence."
skool-surfaces.md missing (community biz with live Skool)	"Your Skool about page and pricing card copy aren't in reference yet. Want to add them? Skills check this for congruence."
reference/offers/ exists	Multi-offer repo. Check .vip/local.yaml for current_offer. If not set, ask which offer this research/decision is about.
Nothing in progress	"What are you trying to figure out?"

The goal is reference files. Research and decisions are waypoints. Keep asking: "What needs to happen to get this into reference?"

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Full Flow (Default)

Research -> Checkpoint -> Decide -> Checkpoint -> Codify

1. Define Question

"What specifically are you trying to figure out?"

2. Research

Gather from codebase, web, user input, local recordings.

When research involves 2+ sources (e.g., YouTube + web, X/Twitter + codebase, competitor mining + deep research), spawn parallel Task agents in a single message — one agent per source. Use subagent_type: "general-purpose" (has Write, Edit, Bash, MCP access). Each agent:

• Gets a focused prompt: one source, one research question
• Writes its own dated file (e.g., research/YYYY-MM-DD-topic-yt-mining.md)
• Verifies the write: checks the file exists after writing (use Read or ls)
• Returns: file path + write status + 5-bullet summary
• If write failed: returns the full research content so main conversation can write it
• Does NOT need the full business context — just the research question and source instructions

After all agents return: Check that files landed on disk. If any agent reported a write failure or the file doesn't exist, write it from the returned content. Then synthesize across summaries. This keeps heavy content out of your main context window while recovering gracefully from the known Claude Code subagent write persistence bug.

Do NOT run research agents in background (run_in_background: true) — background agents cannot access MCP tools (Apify, etc.) and cannot prompt for permissions.

Mining sources:

Source	How	Output suffix
YouTube videos	Apify transcript MCP	-yt-mining.md
X/Twitter sentiment	Grok X Insights MCP (grok-social.md)	-x-social.md
Local video/audio	whisper-cpp (local-transcription.md)	-local-mining.md
Voice memos	whisper-cpp	-voice-mining.md
Instagram mining	Apify or manual	-ig-mining.md
Ad account data	Pipeboard MCP (Meta Ads)	-ad-account.md
Competitor sites	Browser MCP or web fetch	-competitor-mining.md
Your own emails/DMs	Paste into conversation	-internal-mining.md
Deep research	Build prompt → Gemini/GPT	-gemini.md or -gpt.md
Codebase exploration	Grep, read, subagents	-claude-code.md
Documents (PDF, DOCX, PPTX)	markitdown / pandoc / marker (document-ingestion.md)	-doc-extraction.md

3. Synthesize (Required)

Every research output needs:

• One-sentence summary (20 words max)
• Key findings (5-10 bullets)
• Implications for reference files
• Open questions

Synthesis works best when the main conversation is clean — which is exactly what subagents provide. Heavy raw content (transcripts, mined posts) lives in the subagent context windows, and only distilled summaries return to main.

For content mining specifically: AI shows WHAT worked. You must judge WHY.

Extract three dimensions from mined content:

• Visual — Format, production style, patterns
• Audible — Energy, pacing, delivery
• Emotional — Primary emotion, identity play

Framework extraction is human judgment work. AI surfaces the data; you interpret the frameworks. This methodology comes from Koston Williams (6M view video) — the skill isn't copying, it's framework transfer. A competitor's content worked for THEM. Your job is to:

1. See the framework beneath the content
2. Judge whether it transfers to YOUR context
3. Adapt it to YOUR voice and audience
4. Codify what you learned into reference files

Don't skip to content generation. Mining → Human Synthesis → Reference Update → THEN Create.

4. Checkpoint

"Ready to make a decision, or need more research?"

5. Decide

Present options with pros/cons. Document choice and rationale.

6. What Changes

Describe what reference files are affected in the decision file:

## What Changes

offer.md gets a guarantee section after pricing. A new angle file (risk-reversal.md) captures the guarantee messaging.

See decide-phase.md for format details.

7. Checkpoint

"Ready to update reference files now, or save for later?"

8. Codify

Apply changes described in ## What Changes to reference files. Mark decision as codified.

Codify targets include: reference/core/*.md, reference/core/voice.md (named enemies section — each content pillar fights a named concept enemy), reference/offers/[active]/offer.md, reference/offers/[active]/audience.md (when multi-offer), reference/proof/angles/*.md (evolving library — new angles add, never replace), reference/proof/testimonials.md, reference/domain/content-strategy.md (pillars, hooks library, framework library, metrics — saves are #1 purchase intent signal), reference/domain/funnel/skool-surfaces.md (live Skool copy — update when about page or pricing changes), reference/domain/product-ladder.md (when multi-offer, cross-offer decisions).

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Research Mode

/mb-think research "topic"

Output: research/YYYY-MM-DD-topic-claude-code.md

See references/research-phase.md for full workflow.

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Decide Mode

/mb-think decide "topic"

Output: decisions/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md

See references/decide-phase.md for full workflow.

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Codify Mode

/mb-think codify decisions/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md

Or: "/mb-think add new testimonials to my files"

See references/codify-phase.md for full workflow.

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Task Tracking Layers

Layer	Scope	Use For
Claude tasks	Session	Execution tracking, spinners
Decision files	Forever	Rationale, anchor for work
GitHub issues	Forever	Cross-session, team visibility

Decision files are the anchor — create early with status: proposed, update to accepted, then codified.

See decide-phase.md for task creation patterns. See recovery.md for resuming sessions.

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Recovery

If conversation compacted, check multiple sources:

1. Claude tasks (current session):

TaskList

2. Recent files:

ls -lt research/*.md 2>/dev/null | head -5
grep -l "status: proposed\|status: accepted" decisions/*.md 2>/dev/null

3. GitHub issues (if using):

gh issue list --assignee @me --state open

Then confirm: "I see you were working on [topic]. Continue from here?"

See references/recovery.md for details.

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Templates

• references/templates/research-template.md
• references/templates/decision-template.md

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When NOT to Use

• Quick factual questions (just ask)
• Simple file edits (just edit)
• Generating content (use /mb-ads, /mb-vsl, /mb-organic)

Use /mb-think when the answer requires investigation and the choice needs documentation.

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Why This Matters

The repo is a precision instrument. The think cycle exists to filter — not to cram everything in. Research gets synthesized, decisions get distilled, and only the sharpest insights survive into reference. Curation over collection.

Reference files aren't just documentation. They're how you stay connected to why you do this.

Angles evolve. Each research session may surface a new emotional entry point, a new enemy to name, a new lifestyle aspiration. The angle library in reference/proof/angles/ is additive — it grows as understanding deepens. Treating angles as locked is an anti-pattern.

When AI makes information infinite, curation is the moat. The think cycle is curation in action — filtering signal from noise, codifying what matters, discarding what doesn't. Every reference file update is a curation decision.

The act of researching, deciding, and codifying forces you to articulate:

• Why you do this — Not the marketing reason. The real reason.
• Who actually benefits — Not demographics. Real people whose lives change.
• What transformation you enable — Not features. The before/after.

Research and decisions go stale. Reference files compound. Every update makes all downstream content better.

If the overlaps between your interests and your offer don't make sense, maybe you have the wrong offer. The think cycle should feel like pull, not push.