Minimalist Review
A quick gut-check for any business decision through the lens of The Minimalist Entrepreneur, with a simplified plan and a validation step you can run this week.
Pure prompt-only skill: no scripts, dependencies, external side effects, or sensitive-data handling; risk surface is minimal. Attribution is clear (based on Sahil Lavingia's book; concepts summarized rather than copied verbatim). Deducted: no LICENSE evidence for the repository, publisher identity unverified by the registry; full marks unreachable since attribution/scoping completeness is not fully demonstrated.
Instructions are self-consistent with a clear structure (principles, decision table, fixed output format), so 'runnability' as a text prompt is plausible. Deducted: static review cannot execute it; no tests, edge-case handling, or defined behavior for vague/non-business inputs.
Description states clear trigger scenarios (business decision gut-check, simplification, option choice) and README maps commands to use cases. Deducted: no declared non-fit boundaries; trigger semantics may be over-broad (any 'decision' could falsely trigger); no Chinese-language notes, though content is generic advice with no overseas-service dependency.
Well-structured: frontmatter with name/description/argument-hint, clear sections, defined output contract, README with install and skill table. Deducted: no versioning, changelog, or known-limitations disclosure; license not confirmed in the provided files; maintenance responsibility only implied by author ownership.
Output is a fixed four-part deliverable (recommendation / minimalist version / biggest risk / weekly validation action) with clear marginal value for early founders at low cost versus manual advice. Deducted: static review cannot verify representative outputs are directly usable; value depends on untested model compliance.
Principles and quotes trace to a public book (minimalistentrepreneur.com), an auditable primary source. Deducted: no tests, no third-party execution evidence, no cross-source corroboration; static calibration caps this at 5.
- This is a prompt-only skill; effectiveness depends on model compliance and has not been execution-verified.
- Repository license is not confirmed in the provided files; verify before commercial use.
- Trigger conditions are broad — any 'decision' in the description may match, risking false invocations.
- Output is a generic business-advice framework, not professional advice for specific industries; seek expert counsel for major decisions.
- Publisher identity is unverified.
What does this skill do, and when should you use it?
This skill turns the philosophy of Sahil Lavingia's book The Minimalist Entrepreneur into a business decision reviewer. It embeds eight principles (community first, start manual, build as little as possible, sell before you scale, spend time before money, profitability as the goal, grow at your customers' speed, build the house you want to live in) plus an eight-question decision framework. You describe your decision or situation, and it returns a clear recommendation (do it / don't do it / simplify it), the minimalist version of your plan, the biggest risk, and one thing to try this week to validate it. It suits indie founders and small teams weighing direction, scope, or investment.
Takes the decision description you supply at invocation, evaluates it against the eight embedded Minimalist Entrepreneur principles, and walks through an eight-question checklist (does it serve customers, is it simplest, does it improve profitability, is it reversible, etc.). It then produces four outputs: a clear recommendation, the minimalist version of your plan, the biggest risk to watch, and one validation action to try this week. It calls no external tools, scripts, or data sources — it is entirely prompt-driven.
- An indie developer deciding whether a new feature is worth building and wanting to avoid over-engineering
- An early founder considering paid ads or a hire, wanting a second opinion on whether time could replace money
- A founder facing an irreversible decision (lease, funding terms) who wants a conservatively-framed review
- A team with a product but no revenue checking whether they are marketing before they have sold
- A small business owner stress-testing an expansion plan against profitability-first, customer-driven growth principles
What are this skill's strengths and limitations?
- Principles and framework come from a published business book, giving structured, predictable output
- Fixed four-part output (recommendation, minimalist version, risk, validation action) makes results comparable over time
- Pure prompt implementation — no scripts, no network, runs on any Agent Skills-compatible client
- Lightweight: requires no data, permissions, or setup from the user
- Review quality depends entirely on model reasoning; no external data or market facts back the advice
- Output is generic business judgment — it knows nothing about your actual financials or customers
- Repository license is unknown, leaving commercial use and redistribution terms unclear
- No test suite or evaluation results demonstrating output quality
How do you install this skill?
The skill ships in a 10-skill collection at slavingia/skills. In Claude Code, run: /plugin marketplace add slavingia/skills, then /plugin install minimalist-entrepreneur — all 10 skills register automatically. Alternatively, clone locally: git clone https://github.com/slavingia/skills.git ~/.claude/plugins/skills, then add it with /plugin marketplace add ~/.claude/plugins/skills. Steps for installing just this one skill in isolation are not documented.
How do you use this skill?
In Claude Code, invoke /minimalist-review followed by your decision description (the skill has an argument-hint asking you to describe your decision or situation). Example: "/minimalist-review I'm considering leasing an office and hiring two full-time salespeople". It will review the decision against the eight principles and return a recommendation, a simplified plan, the biggest risk, and a weekly validation action.